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Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”
Esther 5:13 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”
  • KJV Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.
  • BSB Yet none of this satisfies me as long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”
  • NASB Yet all of this does not satisfy me every time I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”
  • NLT Then he added, “But this is all worth nothing as long as I see Mordecai the Jew just sitting there at the palace gate.”

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

Haman admits that all his honors mean nothing while Mordecai the Jew sits unbowed at the gate. His pride is poisoned by one man's refusal.

Overview

Despite every advantage, Haman confesses that a single act of defiance robs him of all satisfaction, revealing how consuming his hatred has become. His words lay bare a heart that finds no peace because it lives for self and for the destruction of God's people. This restless misery is the bitter fruit of pride and malice that Scripture warns against.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 7

  • Job 18:4You who tear yourself in your anger, shall the earth be forsaken for you? Or shall the rock be removed out of its place?
  • Job 15:20the wicked man writhes in pain all his days, even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.
  • Phil 4:11–12Not that I speak in respect to lack, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content in it.
  • 1 Kgs 21:4–6Ahab came into his house sullen and angry because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” He laid himself down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.
  • Eccl 1:2“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”
  • Esth 5:9Then Haman went out that day joyful and glad of heart, but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, that he didn’t stand up nor move for him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai.
  • Eccl 1:14I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (6)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Esther videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Esther 5:13YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on EstherMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 5:13 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

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.