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 3:7KJV
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Esther 3:7 (KJV)

What does Esther 3:7 mean?

Esther 3:7 describes how, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, Haman and his advisors cast lots (called "Pur") throughout the year to choose a date for carrying out Haman’s plan against the Jews, eventually selecting the twelfth month, Adar. This verse explains the process by which the date for the planned destruction of the Jews was determined by chance rather than by direct decision.

The verse is set in the Persian royal court, with Haman—an official under King Ahasuerus—seeking guidance from chance (casting lots) to pick a day for his plot. The mention of the months "Nisan" and "Adar" uses the Jewish calendar, and the act of casting "Pur" (lots) is significant because it shows reliance on fate or superstition rather than reasoned planning. This detail sets up the later reversal in the story, where the chosen date becomes central to the Jewish festival of Purim.

The Hebrew behind Esther 3:7

  • פוּר (Pur, H6332): This word means "lot" and is the origin of the name for the festival of Purim. The use of this term highlights the role of chance in the story and foreshadows the significance of this event for Jewish tradition.
  • גּוֹרָל (goral, H1486): Also translated as "lot," this word reinforces the idea that the date was chosen by casting lots, emphasizing randomness and the belief in fate.
  • נִיסָן (Nisan, H5212) and אֲדָר (Adar, H143): These are the names of the first and twelfth months in the Jewish calendar. Their mention roots the story in a specific historical and cultural context, helping readers track the timeline of events.

Why Esther 3:7 matters

  • Esther 3:7 clarifies that the date for Haman’s plot was not chosen by human wisdom or strategy, but by casting lots, which adds a sense of irony and sets up the theme of reversal in the book.
  • The verse introduces "Pur," which becomes the basis for the festival of Purim, connecting the story’s events to a lasting Jewish tradition.
  • By specifying the months and the process, the verse helps readers understand the timeline and the deliberate, drawn-out nature of Haman’s plan, increasing the tension in the narrative.

Where else these words appear

“Nisan” Hebrew H5212 · used in 2 verses

  • Nehemiah 2:1 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.

“Pur” Hebrew H6332 · used in 7 verses

  • Esther 9:24 Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them;
  • Esther 9:28 And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.
  • Esther 9:31 To confirm these days of Purim in their times appointed, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had decreed for themselves and for their seed, the matters of the fastings and their cry.

“Adar” Hebrew H143 · used in 8 verses

  • Esther 3:13 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 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.

“Ahasuerus” Hebrew H325 · used in 30 verses

  • Ezra 4:6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
  • Esther 2:1 After these things, when the wrath of king Ahasuerus was appeased, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her.
  • Esther 8:1 On that day did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the Jews' enemy unto Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was unto her.