Esther 3:3
New International Version
Then the royal officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s command?”

New Living Translation
Then the palace officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you disobeying the king’s command?”

English Standard Version
Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress the king’s command?”

Berean Standard Bible
Then the royal servants at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the command of the king?”

King James Bible
Then the king's servants, which were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king's commandment?

New King James Version
Then the king’s servants who were within the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress the king’s command?”

New American Standard Bible
Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why are you violating the king’s command?”

NASB 1995
Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why are you transgressing the king’s command?”

NASB 1977
Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why are you transgressing the king’s command?”

Legacy Standard Bible
So the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you trespass against the king’s command?”

Amplified Bible
Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why are you disregarding the king’s command?”

Christian Standard Bible
The members of the royal staff at the King’s Gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you disobeying the king’s command? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The members of the royal staff at the King’s Gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you disobeying the king’s command?”

American Standard Version
Then the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king's commandment?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And the Servants of the King were saying in the gate of the King to Murdacai: “Why do you act against the commandment of the King?”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And they in the king's palace said to Mardochaeus, Mardochaeus, why dost thou transgress the commands of the king?

Contemporary English Version
When the other officials asked Mordecai why he disobeyed the king's command,

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the king's servants that were chief at the doors of the palace, said to him: Why dost thou alone not observe the king's commandment?

English Revised Version
Then the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king's commandment?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then the king's advisers at the king's gate asked Mordecai, "Why do you ignore the king's command?"

Good News Translation
The other officials in the royal service asked him why he was disobeying the king's command;

International Standard Version
The king's ministers who were in the king's gate asked Mordecai, "Why are you disobeying the king's command?"

JPS Tanakh 1917
Then the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai: 'Why transgressest thou the king's commandment?'

Literal Standard Version
And the servants of the king, who [are] in the gate of the king, say to Mordecai, “Why [are] you transgressing the command of the king?”

Majority Standard Bible
Then the royal servants at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the command of the king?”

New American Bible
The king’s servants who were at the royal gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s order?”

NET Bible
Then the servants of the king who were at the king's gate asked Mordecai, "Why are you violating the king's commandment?"

New Revised Standard Version
Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s command?”

New Heart English Bible
Then the king's servants, who were in the King's Gate, said to Mordecai, "Why do you disobey the king's commandment?"

Webster's Bible Translation
Then the king's servants who were in the king's gate, said to Mordecai, Why dost thou transgress the king's commandment?

World English Bible
Then the king’s servants who were in the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s commandment?”

Young's Literal Translation
And the servants of the king, who are in the gate of the king, say to Mordecai, 'Wherefore art thou transgressing the command of the king?'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Haman Plots Against the Jews
2All the royal servants at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, because the king had commanded that this be done for him. But Mordecai would not bow down or pay homage. 3Then the royal servants at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the command of the king?” 4Day after day they warned him, but he would not comply. So they reported it to Haman to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, since he had told them he was a Jew.…

Cross References
Esther 2:19
When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate.

Esther 3:2
All the royal servants at the king's gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, because the king had commanded that this be done for him. But Mordecai would not bow down or pay homage.

Esther 3:4
Day after day they warned him, but he would not comply. So they reported it to Haman to see whether Mordecai's behavior would be tolerated, since he had told them he was a Jew.


Treasury of Scripture

Then the king's servants, which were in the king's gate, said to Mordecai, Why transgress you the king's commandment?

Why.

Esther 3:2
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.

Exodus 1:17
But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.

Matthew 15:2,3
Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread…

Jump to Previous
Command Commandment Disobey Gate House King's Mordecai Mor'decai Officials Royal Servants Transgress Transgressing Wherefore
Jump to Next
Command Commandment Disobey Gate House King's Mordecai Mor'decai Officials Royal Servants Transgress Transgressing Wherefore
Esther 3
1. Haman, advanced by the king, and despised by Mordecai, seeks revenge upon the Jews.
7. He casts lots.
8. He obtains by false accusations a decree of the king to put the Jews to death.














Verses 3, 4. - The king's servants, which were in the gate with Mordecai, were the first to observe his disrespect, and at once took up the matter. Why were they to bow down, and Mordecai not? Was he any better or any grander than they? What right had he to transgress the king's commandment? When they urged him on the point day after day, Mordecai seems at last to have explained to them what his objection was, and to have said that, as a Jew, he was precluded from prostrating himself before a man. Having heard this, they told Haman, being curious to see whether Mordecai's matters (or, rather, "words") would stand, i.e. whether his excuse would be allowed, as was that of the Spartan ambassadors who declined to bow down before Artaxerxes Longimanus (Herod., 1. s. c.).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then the royal
הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

servants
עַבְדֵ֥י (‘aḇ·ḏê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 5650: Slave, servant

at the King’s
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

Gate
בְּשַׁ֥עַר (bə·ša·‘ar)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 8179: An opening, door, gate

asked
וַיֹּ֨אמְר֜וּ (way·yō·mə·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

Mordecai,
לְמָרְדֳּכָ֑י (lə·mā·rə·do·ḵāy)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4782: Mordecai -- a companion of Zerubbabel, also a cousin of Esther

“Why
מַדּ֙וּעַ֙ (mad·dū·a‘)
Interrogative
Strong's 4069: Why? for what reason?

do you
אַתָּ֣ה (’at·tāh)
Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

disobey
עוֹבֵ֔ר (‘ō·w·ḇêr)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 5674: To pass over, through, or by, pass on

the command
מִצְוַ֥ת (miṣ·waṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 4687: Commandment

of the king?”
הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king


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OT History: Esther 3:3 Then the king's servants who were (Est Esth. Es)
Esther 3:2
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