Esther 3:13

13 And letters, asealed with the ring of the king, were sent by the couriers of the king to all his provinces, (with orders) that they should slay, and do away, or destroy, all Jews, from a child to an eld man, little children and women, in one day, that is, in the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, that is called Adar, or March; and that they should (also) take away the goods of the Jews. (And letters, sealed with the king's ring, that is, with his signet, were sent by couriers to all the king's provinces, with orders that the people should kill, and destroy, all the Jews, from a child unto an old man, women and children alike, in one day, that is, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, that is called Adar, or March; and that they should also take away all the possessions of the Jews.)

Esther 3:13 Meaning and Commentary

Esther 3:13

And the letters were sent by post into all the king's
provinces
Or by the runners ^F24; by which it seems as if these letters were carried by running footmen, men swift of foot; or rather they were running horses, on which men rode post with letters, and which the Persians called Angari; a scheme invented by Cyrus, for the quick dispatch of letters from place to place, by fixing horses and men to ride them at a proper distance, to receive letters one from another, and who rode night and day ^F25, as our mail men do now; and nothing could be swifter, or done with greater speed; neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor night, could stop their course, we are told ^F26: the purport of these letters was,

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;
see ( Esther 3:7 ) . The orders were to destroy, by any means whatsoever, all the Jews, of every age and sex, all in one day, in all the provinces which are here named, that they might be cut off with one blow: and to take the spoil of them for a prey; to be their own booty; which was proposed to engage them in this barbarous work, to encourage them in it to use the greater severity and dispatch.

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FOOTNOTES:

F24 (Myurh dyb) "in manu cursorum", Montanus; so the Tigurine version, Drusius, V. L. Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
F25 Xenophon. Cyropaedia, l. 8. c. 43.
F26 Herodot. Urania, sive, l. 8. c. 98.

Esther 3:13 In-Context

11 And the king said to Haman, The silver, which thou promisedest, be thine (own); do thou of the people that, that pleaseth thee (thou may do with these people, whatever pleaseth thee).

12 And then the scribes, or the writers, of the king were called in the first month of Nisan, that is, April, in the thirteenth day of the same month; and it was written, as Haman had commanded, to all the princes of the king, and to doomsmen of diverse provinces and of folks, that for diversity of language, each folk might read these letters and hear them, in the name of king Ahasuerus. (And then the writers of the king were called on the thirteenth day of the first month, that is called Nisan, or April; and it was written, as Haman had commanded, to all the king's princes, or leaders, and to the judges, or rulers, of diverse provinces and nations, so that in their own language, each nation might read these letters and hear them, in the name of King Ahasuerus.)

13 And letters, asealed with the ring of the king, were sent by the couriers of the king to all his provinces, (with orders) that they should slay, and do away, or destroy, all Jews, from a child to an eld man, little children and women, in one day, that is, in the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, that is called Adar, or March; and that they should (also) take away the goods of the Jews. (And letters, sealed with the king's ring, that is, with his signet, were sent by couriers to all the king's provinces, with orders that the people should kill, and destroy, all the Jews, from a child unto an old man, women and children alike, in one day, that is, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, that is called Adar, or March; and that they should also take away all the possessions of the Jews.)

14 And the sentence of the letters was this, written in a few words, that all (the peoples of the) provinces should know (about), and make them(selves) ready, to the foresaid day. (And so in a few words, the sentence of the letters was this, that all the people of the provinces should know about, and prepare themselves for, the coming day of death and destruction.)

15 And the couriers, that were sent forth, hasted to [ful]fill the commandment of the king; and anon the behest of the king was hanged up in the city of Susa, while the king and Haman made a feast, and all the Jews wept, that were in that city. (And the couriers, who were sent out, hastened to fulfill the king's command; and the king's order was also hung up at once in the capital city of Susa; and so while the king and Haman drank together, all the Jews, who were in that city, wept and mourned.)