John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 1. After these things , etc.] After the marriage of Esther, and the discovery of the conspiracy to take away the king’s life, five years after, as Aben Ezra observe, at least more than four years, for so it appears from ( Esther 3:7) did King Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite ; whom both the Targums make to descend from Amalek, and to be of the stock or family of Agag, the common name of the kings of Amalek; and so Josephus f105 ; but this is not clear and certain; in the apocryphal Esther he is said to be a Macedonian; and Sulpitius the historian says he was a Persian, which is not improbable; and Agag might be the name of a family or city in Persia, of which he was; and Aben Ezra observes, that some say he is the same with Memucan, (see Esther 1:14), and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him ; erected a throne for him, higher than the rest, either of his own princes and nobles, or such as were his captives, (see 2 Kings 25:28). It was the custom of the kings of Persia, which it is probable was derived from Cyrus, to advance those to the highest seats they thought best deserved it: says he to his nobles, let there be seats with you as with me, and let the best be honoured before others;--and again, let all the best of those present be honoured with seats above others f107 .
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-6 - Mordecai refused to reverence Haman. The religion of a Jew forbade his to give honours to any mortal man which savoured of idolatry especially to so wicked a man as Haman. By nature all are idolaters self is our favourite idol, we are pleased to be treated as if ever thing were at our disposal. Though religion by no means destroys goo manners, but teaches us to render honour to whom honour is due, yet be a citizen of Zion, not only in his heart, but in his eyes, such a vil person as Haman was, is contemned, Ps 15:4. The true believer cannot obey edicts, or conform to fashions, which break the law of God. He must obey God rather than man, and leave the consequences to him. Hama was full of wrath. His device was inspired by that wicked spirit, wh has been a murderer from the beginning; whose enmity to Christ and his church, governs all his children.
Original Hebrew אחר310 הדברים1697 האלה428 גדל1431 המלך4428 אחשׁורושׁ325 את853 המן2001 בן1121 המדתא4099 האגגי91 וינשׂאהו5375 וישׂם7760 את853 כסאו3678 מעל5921 כל3605 השׂרים8269 אשׁר834 אתו׃854
