After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him.
Parallel translations
- WEB After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes who were with him.
- BSB After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him to a position above all the princes who were with him.
- NKJV After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him.
- NASB After these events King Ahasuerus honored Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and promoted him and established his authority over all the officials who were with him.
- NLT Some time later King Xerxes promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite over all the other nobles, making him the most powerful official in the empire.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The king promotes Haman the Agagite above all the princes. The villain is introduced as an ancient enemy of God's people.
Overview
Haman's title, the Agagite, links him to Agag, king of the Amalekites, Israel's perennial foe whom Saul failed to destroy. His elevation above all others sets up the central conflict with Mordecai the Benjamite, descendant of Saul. The renewed clash between these ancient lines shows that the old enmity against God's people resurfaces, yet God will again deliver Israel from those who seek its destruction.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Num 24:7He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.
- Esth 5:11And Haman told them of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all the things wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king.
- Dan 6:2And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.
- 1 Sam 15:33And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.
- Esth 3:10And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews’ enemy.
- 1 Sam 15:8And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
- Gen 41:40Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.
- Gen 41:55And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.
- Esth 8:3And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.
- Esth 1:14And the next unto him was Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, which saw the king’s face, and which sat the first in the kingdom;)
- Esth 7:6And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.
- Prov 29:2When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.
- Ezra 7:14Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors, to enquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand;
- Ps 12:8The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Though God is never named, his hidden hand preserves the people from whom the Messiah will come — a deliverance 'for such a time as this' that anticipates the open deliverance of Christ.
How Esther 3:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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