The verse emphasizes the total annihilation of the Jewish people by repeating the verbs "destroy," "kill," and "annihilate," highlighting the absolute extermination Haman intended. This brutal decree, sent via an incredibly efficient royal postal system, was designed to incentivize participation by allowing everyone to plunder their victims' property.
Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with instruction to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Haman, after casting lots and determining the date, has secured King Ahasuerus's approval for a genocidal decree. This verse describes the execution of that decree, where urgent royal messengers, using the empire's swift postal system, spread the devastating order throughout all provinces. The directive is clear: on a specific day in the month of Adar, all Jewish people, regardless of age or gender, are to be utterly annihilated, with their property seized as spoils.
Imagine an urgent, empire-wide message delivered by the fastest means possible. This wasn't just a suggestion; it was a death sentence, reaching every corner of the vast Persian Empire.
The decree issued in Esther 3:13 was designed for maximum speed and devastating impact. "Letters were sent by posts" utilized the Persian Empire's efficient courier system, described as swift "runners" or relay riders who could cover vast distances rapidly, even through the night.
This wasn't a localized threat. The message was dispatched "to all the king's provinces," ensuring that no Jewish community, no matter how remote, would be spared. The language used is terrifyingly absolute: "to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate." This repetition emphasizes the total extermination intended, leaving no room for escape or survival.
This wasn't a targeted execution of a few leaders. The decree called for the obliteration of an entire people, down to the youngest child, with a chilling incentive for the perpetrators.
The decree's brutality is amplified by its comprehensive targeting: "all Jews, young and old, women and children." This was a systematic genocide, leaving no demographic safe. It was a horrific practice common in the ancient world, where the families of those deemed enemies were often eliminated alongside them.
Furthermore, the decree included a devastating incentive: "and to take the spoil of them for a prey." This turned the act of annihilation into a profitable enterprise for anyone who carried out the king's order. It meant that every man's hand was potentially armed against the Jewish people, motivated by greed as much as by the king's command.
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The decree set a specific date for this horrific event, a date that would forever be etched in history – and later, in Jewish remembrance.
The decree designated a single day for this annihilation: "the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar." This deliberate timing aimed for a swift, decisive blow that would leave no time for resistance or appeal. The choice of a specific month and day was deeply significant, particularly as it was determined by 'casting Pur,' or the lot, a practice rooted in pagan divination that Haman used to find an auspicious date for his wicked plan.
Ironically, this day of intended destruction would later become a day of deliverance and celebration for the Jewish people, commemorated as the Feast of Purim. The 13th of Adar became a day of fasting, remembering the crisis and Esther's fast, while the 14th and 15th became days of feasting and joy, a testament to God's ultimate preservation of His people.
Understand the original words
yehudim · Hebrew Noun
Specifically refers to the covenant people of God, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, through whom the Savior of the world would eventually come. It denotes their distinct identity, their historical relationship with God, and their role as targets of hostility due to their witness to the one true God.
lehashmid · Hebrew Verb
The complete and final destruction or wiping out of a group of people, often associated with divine judgment or, in this context, wicked genocide. It denotes total elimination and the extinguishing of a people group.
The decree to destroy all Jews was a royal edict, rapidly disseminated via the Persian postal system, which employed relays of runners and horses for swift communication across the vast empire. This efficient, albeit ruthless, system underscores the reach and power of the Persian monarchy, highlighting the extreme danger faced by the Jewish people.
c. 539 BC
Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon
Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, conquers Babylon. This event marks the beginning of Persian dominance over a vast territory, including the former Babylonian lands where many Jews lived in exile.
c. 538 BC
Cyrus' Edict allows Jewish return
Cyrus issues a decree allowing exiled Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. This marks a significant turning point for the Jewish people, enabling a partial return from exile.
486–465 BC
Reign of Xerxes I (Ahasuerus)
Xerxes I, also known as Ahasuerus in the Book of Esther, reigns as king of the Persian Empire. His reign is marked by significant events described in the Book of Esther, including the rise of Haman and the plot against the Jews.
c. 470s–460s BC— this verse
Haman's plot and the Purim decree
Haman, an Agagite official in the Persian court, gains influence and plots the destruction of all Jews in the empire. King Xerxes, influenced by Haman, issues a decree for the annihilation of all Jews on a specific day, the 13th of Adar.
c. 470s–460s BC
Mordecai and Esther's intervention
Mordecai, a Jewish leader, and his cousin Esther, who has become queen, work to thwart Haman's plot. Esther bravely approaches the king, revealing Haman's treachery and saving her people.
c. 470s–460s BC
Jews defend themselves
On the 13th of Adar, the day designated for their destruction, the Jews are granted permission to defend themselves. They defeat their enemies throughout the empire, turning the tables on those who sought to annihilate them.
c. 470s–460s BC
Establishment of Purim Festival
In commemoration of their deliverance, the Jews establish the festival of Purim, celebrated on the 14th and 15th of Adar. This festival serves as an annual reminder of God's protection and deliverance.
This verse echoes the grim fate of Joseph being sold into slavery, a precursor to a larger plot that sought to destroy him and his family. It highlights the theme of individuals or groups being targeted for removal or destruction.
Jeremiah 11:21This prophetic passage speaks of a similar intent to destroy God's people, showing that the plot against the Jews in Esther was not an isolated incident but part of a recurring pattern of opposition throughout history.
Matthew 2:16King Herod's attempt to annihilate the male infants in Bethlehem mirrors the indiscriminate and brutal nature of Haman's decree. Both passages show a powerful ruler seeking to eliminate a group perceived as a threat, including the most vulnerable.
Acts 16:16-18While the context is different, this passage shows a demonic spirit being cast out, which causes economic disruption and anger from those who profited from the spirit's activity. It parallels how Haman's plot was fueled by personal grievance and greed, leading to a desire to destroy an entire people for personal gain.
barnesEsther 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."
Present, the Jews keep three days - the 13th, the 14th, and the 15th of Adar - as connected with "the Feast of Purim;" but they make the 13th a fast, commemorative of the fast of Esther…
pooleEsther 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."
Which was to oblige them to the greater severity and readiness, to execute this edict for their own advantage.
The verse emphasizes the total annihilation of the Jewish people by repeating the verbs "destroy," "kill," and "annihilate," highlighting the absolute extermination Haman intended. This brutal decree, sent via an incredibly efficient royal postal system, was designed to incentivize participation by allowing everyone to plunder their victims' property.
Haman, after casting lots and determining the date, has secured King Ahasuerus's approval for a genocidal decree. This verse describes the execution of that decree, where urgent royal messengers, using the empire's swift postal system, spread the devastating order throughout all provinces. The directive is clear: on a specific day in the month of Adar, all Jewish people, regardless of age or gender, are to be utterly annihilated, with their property seized as spoils.
Haman, after casting lots and determining the date, has secured King Ahasuerus's approval for a genocidal decree. This verse describes the execution of that decree, where urgent royal messengers, using the empire's swift postal system, spread the devastating order throughout all provinces. The directive is clear: on a specific day in the month of Adar, all Jewish people, regardless of age or gender, are to be utterly annihilated, with their property seized as spoils.
"Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with instruction to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar,…" — The verse emphasizes the total annihilation of the Jewish people by repeating the verbs "destroy," "kill," and "annihilate," highlighting the absolute extermination Haman intended. This brutal decree…
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Last reviewed October 2026
