Bible Strands
Esther 3:6
And when he learned the identity of Mordecai’s people, he scorned the notion of laying hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he sought to destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the kingdom of Xerxes.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Haman acts after Mordecai refuses to bow, escalating his personal rage into a kingdom-wide campaign against the Jews. This occurs in the twelfth year of King Xerxes, immediately following the casting of the Pur to determine the date of destruction.
The words — The Hebrew וַיִּבֶז (vayyibez) literally means "he despised," describing Haman's rejection of merely striking Mordecai. The phrase שְׁלֹח יָד (sheloch yad) translates to "stretch out a hand," denoting his decision to initiate violence against an entire people.
The thread — This pattern of escalating vengeance against a specific group echoes the conspiracy in Psalms 83:4 to erase Israel as a nation. It also prefigures the destructive fury described in Revelation 12:12, where the devil directs his wrath toward a people of God.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition of how personal offense can metastasize into systemic persecution. It requires a reader to confront the mechanics of prejudice without offering comfort or evasion.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai.
Cross-references
- Psalms 83:4 saying, “Come, let us erase them as a nation; may the name of Israel be remembered no more.”
- Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea; with great fury the devil has come down to you, knowing he has only a short time.”