The Meaning of Esther 6:13 Explained

Esther 6:13

KJV: And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every thing that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.

YLT: and Haman recounteth to Zeresh his wife, and to all his friends, all that hath met him, and his wise men say to him, and Zeresh his wife, 'If Mordecai is of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou art not able for him, but dost certainly fall before him.'

Darby: And Haman recounted to Zeresh his wife and to all his friends all that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife to him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but wilt certainly fall before him.

ASV: And Haman recounted unto Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai, before whom thou hast begun to fall, be of the seed of the Jews, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Haman  told  Zeresh  his wife  and all his friends  every [thing] that had befallen  him. Then said  his wise men  and Zeresh  his wife  unto him, If Mordecai  [be] of the seed  of the Jews,  before  whom thou hast begun  to fall,  thou shalt not prevail  against him, but shalt surely  fall  before  him. 

What does Esther 6:13 Mean?

Context Summary

Esther 6:1-14 - Gratitude For A Forgotten Service
There was a divine providence in this royal sleeplessness. On the very next night Haman would be hanging on the gallows, and it would be too late for him to render this honor to the hated Jew. Therefore, on this night the king must be reminded of a forgotten incident, must ask if the chivalrous informant had been rewarded, and must, through Haman, decree his splendid reward. When we are suffering indignity at the hand of our enemies, who seem to pass out of our lives without making reparation, let us turn to this story, and remember that as honor came to Mordecai through Haman, so honor and reparation shall accrue through the very circumstances and people that seem most threatening. The wrath of man is made to praise God. [source]

Chapter Summary: Esther 6

1  Xerxes, reading of the good service done by Mordecai, takes care for his reward
4  Haman, coming to ask that Mordecai might be hanged,
10  gives counsel that he might do him honor
12  Complaining of this, his friends tell him of his final destiny

What do the individual words in Esther 6:13 mean?

And when told Haman Zeresh his wife and all his friends - everything that had happened to him and said to him his wise men and Zeresh his wife if is a descendant of the Jews Mordecai whom you have begun to fall before not you will prevail against him but surely will fall before him
וַיְסַפֵּ֨ר הָמָ֜ן לְזֶ֤רֶשׁ אִשְׁתּוֹ֙ וּלְכָל־ אֹ֣הֲבָ֔יו אֵ֖ת כָּל־ אֲשֶׁ֣ר קָרָ֑הוּ וַיֹּ֩אמְרוּ֩ ל֨וֹ חֲכָמָ֜יו וְזֶ֣רֶשׁ אִשְׁתּ֗וֹ אִ֣ם מִזֶּ֣רַע הַיְּהוּדִ֡ים מָרְדֳּכַ֞י אֲשֶׁר֩ הַחִלּ֨וֹתָ לִנְפֹּ֤ל לְפָנָיו֙ לֹא־ תוּכַ֣ל ל֔וֹ כִּֽי־ נָפ֥וֹל תִּפּ֖וֹל לְפָנָֽיו

וַיְסַפֵּ֨ר  And  when  told 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָפַר 
Sense: to count, recount, relate.
הָמָ֜ן  Haman 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: הָמָן  
Sense: chief minister of Ahasuerus, enemy of Mordecai and the Jews, who plotted to kill the Jews but, being foiled by Esther, was hanged, with his family, on the gallows he had made for Mordecai.
לְזֶ֤רֶשׁ  Zeresh 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: זֶרֶשׁ  
Sense: the wife of Haman, the Agagite.
אִשְׁתּוֹ֙  his  wife 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
וּלְכָל־  and  all 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
אֹ֣הֲבָ֔יו  his  friends 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אָהַב  
Sense: to love.
אֵ֖ת  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
כָּל־  everything 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
קָרָ֑הוּ  had  happened  to  him 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: קָרָה 
Sense: to encounter, meet, befall, happen, come to meet.
וַיֹּ֩אמְרוּ֩  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
ל֨וֹ  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
חֲכָמָ֜יו  his  wise  men 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: חָכָם  
Sense: wise, wise (man).
וְזֶ֣רֶשׁ  and  Zeresh 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: זֶרֶשׁ  
Sense: the wife of Haman, the Agagite.
אִשְׁתּ֗וֹ  his  wife 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
מִזֶּ֣רַע  is  a  descendant 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: זֶרַע  
Sense: seed, sowing, offspring.
הַיְּהוּדִ֡ים  of  the  Jews 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: יְהוּדִי  
Sense: Jew.
מָרְדֳּכַ֞י  Mordecai 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָרְדֳּכַי  
Sense: cousin and adoptive father of queen Esther; son of Jair of the tribe of Benjamin; deliverer under Divine providence of the children of Israel from the destruction plotted by Haman the chief minister of Ahasuerus; institutor of the feast of Purim.
אֲשֶׁר֩  whom 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
הַחִלּ֨וֹתָ  you  have  begun 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: חָלַל 
Sense: to profane, defile, pollute, desecrate, begin.
לִנְפֹּ֤ל  to  fall 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: נָפַל  
Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
לְפָנָיו֙  before 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
תוּכַ֣ל  you  will  prevail 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: יָכֹל  
Sense: to prevail, overcome, endure, have power, be able.
ל֔וֹ  against  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
נָפ֥וֹל  surely 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: נָפַל  
Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
תִּפּ֖וֹל  will  fall 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: נָפַל  
Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
לְפָנָֽיו  before  him 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.