If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king's treasuries.

ESTHER 3:9KJV
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Esther 3:9 (KJV)

What does Esther 3:9 mean?

Esther 3:9 records Haman’s request to King Ahasuerus, asking for official permission to destroy the Jewish people. Haman offers to pay ten thousand talents of silver to those in charge of the king’s business, promising to deposit this enormous sum into the royal treasury as part of his proposal.

In this verse, Haman is speaking directly to the king, presenting his plan as if it would benefit the kingdom financially. The setting is the Persian royal court, and Haman is trying to persuade the king by offering a huge bribe, showing both the seriousness of his plot and the scale of his resources. The verse highlights the calculated and transactional nature of Haman’s scheme.

The Hebrew behind Esther 3:9

  • "Destroyed" (הָשְׁמִיד, hashmid): This word means to completely wipe out or exterminate. Haman’s intent is not just to harm but to erase the Jewish people entirely, which shows the extreme nature of his request.
  • "Talents" (כִּכָּר, kikkar) and "silver" (כֶּסֶף, keseph): A "talent" was a large unit of weight, and here it refers to a massive amount of silver. The sum Haman offers is enormous, emphasizing both his personal wealth and his determination.
  • "Business" (מְלָאכָה, melakhah): This word refers to official work or duty. Haman is addressing those who handle the king’s affairs, indicating that this plan involves the highest levels of royal administration.

Why Esther 3:9 matters

  • Esther 3:9 clarifies that Haman’s plot against the Jews was not only murderous but also involved bribery and manipulation at the highest level of government.
  • The verse shows the scale of Haman’s resources and his willingness to use wealth to achieve his goals, which sets up the gravity of the threat faced by the Jewish people.
  • Understanding the transactional language helps readers see how Haman frames his plan as a benefit to the king, masking his true intentions behind promises of financial gain.

Where else these words appear

“treasuries” Hebrew H1595 · used in 3 verses

  • Esther 4:7 And Mordecai told him of all that had happened unto him, and of the sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king's treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them.
  • Ezekiel 27:24 These were thy merchants in all sorts of things, in blue clothes, and broidered work, and in chests of rich apparel, bound with cords, and made of cedar, among thy merchandise.

“pay” Hebrew H8254 · used in 21 verses

  • Genesis 23:16 And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.
  • Ezra 8:26 I even weighed unto their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels an hundred talents, and of gold an hundred talents;
  • Isaiah 33:18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?

“please” Hebrew H2895 · used in 33 verses

  • Numbers 10:29 And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel.
  • 1 Samuel 20:12 And Jonathan said unto David, O LORD God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about to morrow any time, or the third day, and, behold, if there be good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and shew it thee;
  • Job 10:3 Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked?

“talents” Hebrew H3603 · used in 55 verses

  • Genesis 13:10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
  • 2 Samuel 12:30 And he took their king's crown from off his head, the weight whereof was a talent of gold with the precious stones: and it was set on David's head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city in great abundance.
  • 1 Chronicles 22:14 Now, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the LORD an hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver; and of brass and iron without weight; for it is in abundance: timber also and stone have I prepared; and thou mayest add thereto.