When the other officials of the court asked him from day to day, why he transgressed the king's commandment, and he hearkened not unto them, i.e., gave no heed to their words, they told it to Haman, "to see whether Mordochai's words would stand; for he had told them that he was a Jew." It is obvious from this, that Mordochai had declared to those who asked him the reason why he did not fall down before Haman, that he could not do so because he was a Jew, - that as a Jew he could not show that honour to man which was due to God alone. Now the custom of falling down to the earth before an exalted personage, and especially before a king, was customary among Israelites; comp. 2 Samuel 14:4; 2 Samuel 18:28; 1 Kings 1:16. If, then, Mordochai refused to pay this honour to Haman, the reason of such refusal must be sought in the notions which the Persians were wont to combine with the action, i.e., in the circumstance that they regarded it as an act of homage performed to a king as a divine being, an incarnation of Oromasdes. This is testified by classical writers; comp. Plutarch, Themist. 27; Curtius, viii. 5. 5f., where the latter informs us that Alexander the Great imitated this custom on his march to India, and remarks, 11: Persas quidem non pie solum, sed etiam prudenter reges suos inter Deos colere; majestatem enim imperii salutis esse tutelam. Hence also the Spartans refused, as Herod. 7.136 relates, to fall down before King Xerxes, because it was not the custom of Greeks to honour mortals after this fashion. This homage, then, which was regarded as an act of reverence and worship to a god, was by the command of the king to be paid to Haman, as his representative, by the office-bearers of his court; and this Mordochai could not do without a denial of his religious faith.

Esther 3:9 Parallel Commentaries

that they may be destroyed. Heb. to destroy them. and I will pay. Heb. and I will weigh.

Genesis 23:16 And Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth...

Here Haman is obliged to acknowledge that there would be a loss to the revenue, which he was willing to make up out of his own property. Ten thousand talents of silver, counted by the Babylonish talent, amount to

2,119,000?.; but reckoned by the Jewish talent, they amount to double that sum. In those days, silver and gold were more plentiful than at present; and we have many instances of individuals possessing almost incredible riches. Herodotus relates, that when Xerxes went into Greece, Pythius the Lydian had

2,000 talents of silver, and

4,000,000 of gold darics, which unitedly amount to nearly

5,500,000?. Plutarch tells us, that after Crassus had dedicated the tenth of all he had to Hercules, he entertained the Roman people at

10,000 tables, and distributed to every citizen as much corn as was sufficient for three months; and, after all these expenses, he had

7,100 Roman talents left, which amount to more than

1,500,000?. Lentulus the augur is said to have possessed no less than

3,333,333?.

6s.

8d. Apicius was worth more than

916,671?

13s.

4d.; and, after having spent in his kitchen

833,333?

6s.

8d. he considered the remainder too little for his support, and poisoned himself!

ten thousand.

Matthew 18:24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought to him, which owed him ten thousand talents.