Esther 8 · Verse 3

Esther 8:3

And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.
Esther 8:3, King James Version

Esther 8:3 in other translations

BSBAnd once again, Esther addressed the king. She fell at his feet weeping and begged him to revoke the evil scheme of Haman the Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews.
WEBEsther spoke yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet and begged him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his plan that he had planned against the Jews.
ASVAnd Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.
YLTAnd Esther addeth, and speaketh before the king, and falleth before his feet, and weepeth, and maketh supplication to him, to cause the evil of Haman the Agagite to pass away, and his device that he had devised against the Jews;
DARBYAnd Esther spoke yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device which he had devised against the Jews.
BBEThen Esther again came before the king, falling down at his feet, and made request to him with weeping, that he would put a stop to the evil purposes of Haman the Agagite and the designs which he had made against the Jews.
WebsterAnd Esther spoke yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.

What does Esther 8:3 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
3. Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet--The king was then not reclining at table, but sitting on a divan, most probably in the Persian attitude, leaning back against the cushions, and one foot under him. besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman--that is, to repeal the sanguinary edict which, at the secret instigation of Haman, had been recently passed (Es 3:12).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Esther 8:3-14
It was time to be earnest, when the church of God was at stake. Esther, though safe herself, fell down and begged for the deliverance of her people. We read of no tears when she begged for her own life, but although she was sure of that, she wept for her people. Tears of pity and tenderness are the most Christ-like. According to the constitution of the Persian government, no law or decree could be repealed or recalled. This is so far from speaking to the wisdom and honour of the Medes and Persians, that it clearly shows their pride and folly. This savours of that old presumption which ruined all, We will be as gods! It is God's prerogative not to repent, or to say what can never be altered or unsaid. Yet a way was found, by another decree, to authorize the Jews to stand upon their defence. The decree was published in the languages of all the provinces. Shall all the subjects of an earthly prince have his decrees in languages they understand, and shall God's oracles and laws be locked up from any of his servants in an unknown tongue?

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Esther 8:3 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַתּ֣וֹסֶףva.To.sefand she repeatedH3254
אֶסְתֵּ֗ר'es.TerEstherH635
וַתְּדַבֵּר֙va.te.da.Berand she spokeH1696
לִפְנֵ֣יlif.Nei<to> beforeH6440
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428
וַתִּפֹּ֖לva.ti.Poland she fellH5307
לִפְנֵ֣יlif.Nei<to> beforeH6440
רַגְלָ֑יוrag.Lavfeet hisH7272
וַתֵּ֣בְךְּva.Te.vekand she weptH1058
וַתִּתְחַנֶּן\־va.tit.cha.nen-and she sought favorH2603
ל֗וֹloto him
לְהַֽעֲבִיר֙le.ha.'a.Virto take awayH5674
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
רָעַת֙ra.'At[the] evil ofH7451
הָמָ֣ןha.ManHamanH2001
הָֽאֲגָגִ֔יha.'a.ga.Githe AgagiteH91
וְאֵת֙ve.'Etand <obj.>H853
מַֽחֲשַׁבְתּ֔וֹma.cha.shav.Toplan hisH4284
אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.SherwhichH834
חָשַׁ֖בcha.Shavhe had plannedH2803
עַל\־'al-onH5921
הַיְּהוּדִֽים\׃hai.ye.hu.Dimthe JewsH3064

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Esther 8:3

  • Isaiah 38:2

    Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord,

  • 1 Samuel 25:24

    And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid.

  • Hebrews 5:7

    Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

  • 2 Kings 4:27

    And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.

  • Hosea 12:4

    Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Beth–el, and there he spake with us;

  • Esther 3:8-15

    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. 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. And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews’ enemy. 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. …

  • Esther 7:4

    For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king’s damage.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
fell.
1Sa 25:24; 2Ki 4:27
besought him with tears. Heb. she wept and besought him.
Isa 38:2; Ho 12:4; Heb 5:7
mischief.
3:8-15; 7:4

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Esther 8:2

    And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

  • Esther 8:3

    And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.

  • Esther 8:4

    Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king,

Read all of Esther 8

Esther 8:3 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Volvió luego Esther á hablar delante del rey, y echóse á sus pies, llorando y rogándole que hiciese nula la maldad de Amán Agageo, y su designio que había formado contra los Judíos.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et Esther parla encore devant le roi, et tomba à ses pieds et pleura, et le supplia de mettre à néant le mal médité par Haman, l’Agaguite, et le dessein qu’il avait formé contre les Juifs.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und Esther redete wiederum vor dem König und fiel zu seinen Füßen nieder; und sie weinte und flehte ihn an, die Bosheit Hamans, des Agagiters, abzuwenden und seinen Anschlag, den er wider die Juden ersonnen hatte.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Nec his contenta, procidit ad pedes regis, flevitque, et locuta ad eum oravit ut malitiam Aman Agagitæ, et machinationes ejus pessimas quas excogitaverat contra Judæos, juberet irritas fieri.