Before Whom

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, Esther 6:13.

"Before whom" is a prepositional phrase that is used ten times in ten verses in our King James Bible. In each case it follows the person who is the subject of the phrase or sentence that it modifies and it is separated by a comma. Before we examine Esther 6:13 more closely, let us look at a few examples.

Genesis 24:40 And he said unto me, The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father's house.

"Before whom" in this verse clearly points to the LORD. Abraham's servant is quoting his master who told him that he walked before the LORD.

Genesis 48:15 And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day.

"Before whom" speaks of God.

1st Kings 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

"Before whom" clearly speaks of the Lord God of Israel.

Act 26:26 For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner.

King Agrippa is the subject of the phrase preceding "before whom". "Before whom" is speaking of him.

Dan 7:20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.

Even in a more complex sentence such as this one which encompasses two verses, "before whom" modifies the phrase "the other which came up". He is a person, one of the horns of the great beast of Daniel 7:19.

Who is the subject of the the phrase "before whom" in Esther 6:13? It does not say "if Mordecai, before whom thou has begun to fall be of the seed of the Jews." Yet most people see it that way. It says; If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall. Haman had begun to fall before the seed of the Jews.

Is the seed of the Jews a person? He is if you believe the Apostle Paul. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ, Galatians 3:16.

Whether or not Mordecai was a Jew was not in dispute. Of course he was a Jew and that is why Haman was determined to kill all the Jews. Since the fall of Jerusalem, Jews had been easy prey. What Haman did not understand but his wise men understood was that there was a difference between a Jew after the flesh and a Jew who was of the "seed of the Jews". He was a person for whom the promise of Messiah the Prince was alive in a circumcised heart.

As the Apostle Paul was to explain in the Book of Romans:

Romans 9:6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

Romans 9:7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.

Romans 9:8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

Mordecai was a child of the promise. The promise was Jesus Christ. Though Mordecai had never heard that name, he believed on that promise. He was of the seed of the Jews, Jesus Christ and that was a big problem for Haman.