The Meaning of Esther 6:3 Explained

Esther 6:3

KJV: And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.

YLT: And the king saith, 'What honour and greatness hath been done to Mordecai for this?' And the servants of the king, his ministers, say, 'Nothing hath been done with him.'

Darby: And the king said, What honour and dignity has been done to Mordecai for this? And the king's servants that attended upon him said, Nothing has been done for him.

ASV: And the king said, What honor and dignity hath been bestowed on Mordecai for this? Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the king  said,  What honour  and dignity  hath been done  to Mordecai  for this? Then said  the king's  servants  that ministered  unto him, There is nothing  done  for him. 

What does Esther 6:3 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 6:3 mean?

And said the king what has been bestowed honor or dignity on Mordecai for this and said servants of the king who attended him Nothing has been done for him thing
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ מַֽה־ נַּעֲשָׂ֞ה יְקָ֧ר וּגְדוּלָּ֛ה לְמָרְדֳּכַ֖י עַל־ ؟ זֶ֑ה וַיֹּ֨אמְר֜וּ נַעֲרֵ֤י הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ מְשָׁ֣רְתָ֔יו לֹא־ נַעֲשָׂ֥ה עִמּ֖וֹ דָּבָֽר

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
נַּעֲשָׂ֞ה  has  been  bestowed 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
יְקָ֧ר  honor 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְקָר  
Sense: price, value, preciousness, honour, splendour, pomp.
וּגְדוּלָּ֛ה  or  dignity 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: גְּדוּלָּה  
Sense: greatness.
לְמָרְדֳּכַ֖י  on  Mordecai 
Parse: Preposition-l, 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.
؟ זֶ֑ה  this 
Parse: Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
וַיֹּ֨אמְר֜וּ  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
נַעֲרֵ֤י  servants 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: נַעַר  
Sense: a boy, lad, servant, youth, retainer.
הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙  of  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
מְשָׁ֣רְתָ֔יו  who  attended  him 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁרַת  
Sense: (Piel) to minister, serve, minister to.
לֹא־  Nothing 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
נַעֲשָׂ֥ה  has  been  done 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
עִמּ֖וֹ  for  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: עִם  
Sense: with.
דָּבָֽר  thing 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.