And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.

ESTHER 3:13KJV
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Esther 3:13 (KJV)

What does Esther 3:13 mean?

Esther 3:13 describes how official letters were sent throughout the Persian Empire, ordering the destruction, killing, and annihilation of all Jewish people—regardless of age or gender—on a single day, the thirteenth of the month Adar, and allowing their possessions to be taken as plunder. This verse records the legal command for a planned, empire-wide massacre of the Jews.

The verse is set in the Persian court, where Haman, an official angered by Mordecai, has convinced King Xerxes to approve this decree. Messengers carried these orders to every province, making the threat immediate and universal. The language is deliberately thorough, emphasizing that no one—young, old, child, or woman—was to be spared, and that their goods could be seized.

The Hebrew behind Esther 3:13

  • "Destroy" (שָׁמַד, shamad), "kill" (הָרַג, harag), and "perish" (אָבַד, avad): These three words are stacked together for emphasis, showing the totality and brutality of the planned action, leaving no room for survival or escape.
  • "Spoil" (שָׁלָל, shalal) and "prey" (בַּז, baz): These words refer to taking the possessions of the Jews as loot. The decree not only targeted lives but also encouraged taking their property, making the violence profitable for those who carried it out.
  • "Posts" (רָצִים, ratsim): This word refers to swift messengers or couriers. The use of official runners highlights how seriously and efficiently the Persian administration enforced the decree, ensuring that every corner of the empire would receive the order quickly.

Why Esther 3:13 matters

  • Esther 3:13 makes clear the extreme danger facing the Jewish people, showing the full scope of Haman’s plan and the powerlessness of the Jewish community under Persian law.
  • The verse’s detailed language underscores the calculated nature of the decree, not just permitting but commanding violence and theft against an entire people group.
  • Understanding this verse helps explain the urgency and desperation in the rest of the book, as Esther and Mordecai seek a way to save their people from total destruction.

Where else these words appear

“Adar” Hebrew H143 · used in 8 verses

  • Esther 3:7 In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar.
  • Esther 9:1 Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them,(though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;)
  • Esther 9:17 On the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.

“prey” Hebrew H962 · used in 39 verses

  • Genesis 34:27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister.
  • 2 Kings 7:16 And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.
  • Isaiah 42:22 But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.

“provinces” Hebrew H4082 · used in 40 verses

  • 1 Kings 20:14 And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Even by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall order the battle? And he answered, Thou.
  • Esther 2:18 Then the king made a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther's feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave gifts, according to the state of the king.
  • Esther 9:3 And all the rulers of the provinces, and the lieutenants, and the deputies, and officers of the king, helped the Jews; because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them.

“children” Hebrew H2945 · used in 42 verses

  • Genesis 34:29 And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house.
  • Numbers 16:27 So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children.
  • Deuteronomy 31:12 Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: