Esther 3:6

"When Haman saw that Mordecai didn’t bow down nor pay him homage, Haman was full of wrath."

Key Reflection

In the context of first-century Persian culture, where showing reverence to superiors and officials was a matter of social and political importance, Haman's rage at Mordecai's refusal to bow down highlights the severe breach of protocol. This act of defiance would have been seen as a direct challenge to Haman’s authority and status, explaining his intense anger and setting the stage for the dramatic events that follow in the book of Esther.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

To destroy all the Jews -In the East massacres of a people, a race, a class, have at all times been among the incidents of history, and would naturally present themselves to the mind of a statesman. The Magophonia, or the great massacre of the Magi at the accession of Darius Hystaspis, was an event not then fifty years old, and was commemorated annually. A massacre of the Scythians had occurred about a century previously.

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