1 After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him.
Several years may have passed since Esther’s marriage. Some commentaries believe about four years have gone by.
What happened to Xerxes old prime minister, we don’t know, but Haman is the new second in command.
There was a King Agag of Amalek in the book of Samuel. Saul was commanded to kill him and didn’t. Samuel himself executed the man. We have no idea if Haman is in anyway related to this king or not. Many of the kings of the Amalekites had the same name and it is possible that there were cities and other men not related at all to the Amalekites named Agag. Haman is a Persian name as are all the names of his sons, so it appears he was thoroughly Persian in descent.
The fact that Haman was the son of Hammedatha is mentioned very frequently. Normally in a Bible narrative the person’s parent is mentioned at the beginning and then not again, but Haman’s dad is named nearly every time Haman is. Jewish history says there was a Hammedatha who took the kingdom of Persia after Ahasuerus was murdered and ruled for a short time, returning them to a polytheistic religion. It is possible this Haman was that Hammedatha’s son, which explains his repeated identification.
2 And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence.
This was not just the common honor expected towards a high government official. Haman was making everyone worship him. Mordecai refused on the grounds it would be idolatry or disloyal to the king himself.
3 Then the king's servants, which were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, “Why transgress thou the king's commandment?”
4 Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew.
Mordecai eventually explained that it was against his religion to worship anything but God Himself. The other’s in the king’s service wanted to see if he could get away with this.
5 And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath.
6 And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had showed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai.
Just killing Mordecai wouldn’t have hurt him enough; would have made him a martyr, in fact. The way to really hurt Mordecai would have been to kill everyone important to him, his people.
Besides, this was a whole race of people who would refuse to worship Haman!
7 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.
In about April, they rolled the dice to see when would be the luckiest day to kill all the Jews in the kingdom. The dice fell on March.
This was the common way to decide such matters. In fact, in some places in Asia things are still decided this way.
8 And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king's laws: therefore it is not for the king's profit to suffer them.
So much for appreciating diversity. In fact, tyrants (whether kings or bureaucrats) don’t like diversity. It makes people too hard to control. They much prefer everyone be educated in the same schools, with the same curricula, have the same religion, the same customs, and the same culture.
History tells us Darius the Mede, Cyrus, and Ahasuerus all actively moved their kingdom towards Zoroastrianism, a monotheistic religion similar to, possibly a corruption of, Judaism. This may be due to the influence of Daniel (and his night with the lions) and other Jews in the kingdom. Many of their subjects were not happy with this, being polytheists. Haman was among those. He is using his position to sway the country towards his beliefs and get rid of the most visible offenses to his beliefs.
9 “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.”
Haman offered the equivalent of somewhere between one and four million dollars to the king to enact this law (about two thirds of the king’s annual salary). I would think, if he were confident that this was truly a just law, he wouldn’t need to bribe the king to sign it. But he knew better.
Some have objected that one, single man could not have possibly had this much money. However, there are many examples in ancient history of equal and even greater riches among individuals.
10 And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews' enemy.
11 And the king said unto Haman, “The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee.”
The king told Haman to keep his money but do whatever he wanted to with the people.
12 Then were the king's scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the rulers of every people of every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the king's ring.
It is now irrevocable law.
You know, this does make Ahasuerus seem rather a gullible man. Other histories (including other books of the Bible) portray him differently, but he obviously had a problem seeing the truth here.
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.
It became law that in March anyone who wanted to could kill Jews and keep all their property.
14 The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, that they should be ready against that day.
15 The posts went out, being hastened by the king's commandment, and the decree was given in Shushan the palace. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city Shushan was perplexed.
People were a little confused. “Where did this come from? What has happened that the king would command the death of all these people?”