But you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king’s ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s ring cannot be revoked.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The king offers Mordecai and Esther his authority, but the reason given—that royal decrees are unchangeable—isn't about repealing Haman's decree. Instead, it explains why the king can't just recall the death sentence, forcing them to find a different strategy to empower the Jews for self-defense.
But you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king’s ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s ring cannot be revoked.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
After Haman's downfall, Esther and Mordecai are given his estate, but they still face a deadly decree set to go into effect. The king explains that while the previous decree against the Jews cannot be revoked due to Persian law, he empowers Esther and Mordecai to write a new one in his name. This new decree grants the Jews the right to defend themselves and destroy any who plot against them, effectively turning the tables on their enemies.
Imagine holding the power to make any law stick, forever. That's the weight of the king's seal in ancient Persia.
In the Persian Empire, a decree sealed with the king's signet ring was absolute. It couldn't be changed or revoked, a core principle of their law.
When the king couldn't change the law, God still found a way for His people to survive. How?
The immutability of the king's decree, while a challenge, became an instrument of God's providence.
Ask a follow-up
Understand the original words
kethab · Hebrew Noun
An official decree or mandate issued by a sovereign authority. Biblically, edicts symbolize the exercise of power and the binding nature of law, which, if issued by the King, creates a legal reality that must be addressed.
tabba‘ath · Hebrew Noun
In the ancient Near East, the royal seal ring was used to impress authority upon a document, making it legally binding and unchangeable. It symbolizes the delegation of absolute power and the authenticity of the royal will.
shub · Hebrew Verb
The technical term for a formal command or law that cannot be overturned. It represents the permanence and finality of legal decisions, highlighting the high stakes involved in the interactions between Esther, Mordecai, and the King.
The Medo-Persian law that no decree sealed with the king's ring could be revoked created a crisis. This historical context explains why Esther and Mordecai couldn't simply undo Haman's wicked decree, but had to issue a counter-decree allowing the Jews to defend themselves.
c. 483 BC
Haman's Plot Conceived
Haman, high-ranking official under King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I), despises Mordecai the Jew and devises a plan to annihilate all Jews in the Persian Empire.
c. 483 BC
First Edict Issued
Haman deceives King Ahasuerus into issuing a decree for the destruction of the Jews on a specific date, the 13th of Adar, sealed with the king's ring.
c. 483 BC
Esther Reveals Her Identity and Haman's Plot
Queen Esther, a Jewess, bravely reveals her identity to the king and exposes Haman's wicked plan, leading to Haman's downfall and execution.
c. 483 BC— this verse
Second Edict Authorized
King Ahasuerus grants Esther and Mordecai the authority to issue a new decree concerning the Jews, allowing them to defend themselves.
c. 483 BC
Second Edict Issued
Mordecai, using the king's authority and seal, issues a second decree permitting the Jews to defend themselves against any who attack them on the appointed day.
c. 482 BC
Jews Defend Themselves Successfully
On the 13th of Adar, the Jews, empowered by the second decree, successfully defend themselves against their enemies throughout the empire, leading to the establishment of the festival of Purim.
This passage highlights the absolute and unchangeable nature of laws in the Medo-Persian empire, echoing the irreversible decree mentioned in Esther.
Matthew 5:18Jesus speaks about the permanence of God's law, stating that not the smallest part will pass away until all is accomplished, similar to how the king's sealed decree was absolute.
Galatians 3:15Paul discusses the unchangeable nature of a human covenant, drawing a parallel to how even a human king's decree, once sealed, could not be altered or added to.
Psalm 148:6This psalm declares God's eternal authority, noting that He has also established a decree that shall not pass away, a perfect and ultimate example of irrevocability.
bensonEsther 8:8: "Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's ring: for the writing which is written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse."
Esther 8:8 . Write ye also for the Jews — On their behalf, to the governors and commanders of the king’s forces, or to whom you please. In the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring — I offer you my authority and seal, to confirm whatsoever you shall think fit to write. T…
clarkeEsther 8:8: "Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's ring: for the writing which is written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse."
May no man reverse - Whatever had passed the royal signet could never be revoked; no succeeding edict could destroy or repeal a preceding one: but one of a similar nature to the Jews against the Persians, as that to the Persians was against the Jews, might be enacted, and thus t…
The king offers Mordecai and Esther his authority, but the reason given—that royal decrees are unchangeable—isn't about repealing Haman's decree. Instead, it explains why the king can't just recall the death sentence, forcing them to find a different strategy to empower the Jews for self-defense.
After Haman's downfall, Esther and Mordecai are given his estate, but they still face a deadly decree set to go into effect. The king explains that while the previous decree against the Jews cannot be revoked due to Persian law, he empowers Esther and Mordecai to write a new one in his name. This new decree grants the Jews the right to defend themselves and destroy any who plot against them, effectively turning the tables on their enemies.
After Haman's downfall, Esther and Mordecai are given his estate, but they still face a deadly decree set to go into effect. The king explains that while the previous decree against the Jews cannot be revoked due to Persian law, he empowers Esther and Mordecai to write a new one in his name. This new decree grants the Jews the right to defend themselves and destroy any who plot against them, effectively turning the tables on their enemies.
"But you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king’s ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s ring cannot be revoked.”" — The king offers Mordecai and Esther his authority, but the reason given—that royal decrees are unchangeable—isn't about repealing Haman's decree. Instead, it explains why the king can't just reca…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026