וְכָל־עַבְדֵ֨י הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ אֲשֶׁר־בְּשַׁ֣עַר הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ כֹּרְעִ֤ים וּמִֽשְׁתַּחֲוִים֙ לְהָמָ֔ן כִּי־כֵ֖ן צִוָּה־ל֣וֹ הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וּמָ֨רְדֳּכַ֔י לֹ֥א יִכְרַ֖ע וְלֹ֥א יִֽשְׁתַּחֲוֶֽה׃
Semua pegawai raja yang berada di gerbang istana raja berlutut dan sujud kepada Haman, sebab demikianlah yang diperintahkan raja mengenai dia. Tetapi Mordekhai tidak mau berlutut dan tidak mau sujud.
Rashi
Kneeled and prostrated themselves. Because he made himself as a god;2Esther Rabbah 7:5. Alternatively, his robes were decorated with idols. (Ibn Ezra) therefore, “but Mordechai would neither kneel nor prostrate himself.”
Tze'enah Ure'enah
“All the king’s servants who were in the king’s gate bowed down” [3:2]. All the servants bowed down to Haman, but Mordecai did not want to bow down. He had an image over his heart.30Esther Rabbah, 6.2. Mordecai said that Haman was a servant in the war and Mordecai had lent him bread and money.31B. Megillah, 15b. He wrote a letter about himself and Mordecai showed the servants that letter. Therefore, Mordecai did not want to bow down to Haman and was angry with Haman. He thought: it is a disgrace that I should allow one Jew to be killed. I will kill all the Jews at one time. That is why Haman conspired against all the Jews.