And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath.
Parallel translations
- WEB When Haman saw that Mordecai didn’t bow down, nor pay him homage, Haman was full of wrath.
- BSB When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or pay him homage, he was filled with rage.
- NKJV When Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow or pay him homage, Haman was filled with wrath.
- NASB When Haman saw that Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage to him, Haman was filled with rage.
- NLT When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage.
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
Seeing Mordecai refuse to bow, Haman is filled with rage. His wounded pride turns to murderous fury.
Overview
Haman's wrath reveals a proud heart that cannot bear even one man's defiance. This personal offense will swell into a genocidal plan. The narrative exposes how unchecked pride breeds cruelty, and how the enemy of God's people is driven by hatred, even as God prepares to overturn that hatred for the salvation of the Jews.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Dan 3:19Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
- Esth 5:9Then went Haman forth that day joyful and with a glad heart: but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, that he stood not up, nor moved for him, he was full of indignation against Mordecai.
- Esth 3:2And all the king’s servants, that were in the king’s gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence.
- Prov 21:24Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath.
- Prov 12:16A fool’s wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame.
- Job 5:2For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.
- Gen 4:5–6But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
- Esth 1:12But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s commandment by his chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him.
- Prov 19:19A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment: for if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again.
- Prov 27:3–4A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool’s wrath is heavier than them both.
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 3:5 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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