Why did Mordecai not bow down or pay homage to Haman?

[tonychanyt]

Exodus 20:

4“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them;

Bowing before a human king was okay. 1 Samuel 24:

8 Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.

Elisha even allowed Naaman to bow before the pagan god Rimmon.

On the other hand, Rev 22:

8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, 9but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

Bowing down before anything or anyone to worship was not okay.

Esther 3:

1 After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, and advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were with him. 2 And all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage.

Why did Mordecai disobey the king's command?

3 Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress the king’s command?” 4 And when they spoke to him day after day and he would not listen to them, they told Haman, in order to see whether Mordecai’s words would stand, for he had told them that he was a Jew.

It seems that Mordecai told them that Jews did not bow to a human.

5 And when Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage to him, Haman was filled with fury. 6 But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone. So, as they had made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.

Haman's logic was this: Haman did not bow to him. Jews would not bow to him. Therefore, all Jews should die.

Why did Mordecai not bow down to Haman?

Mordecai saw that as an act of worship.

Pulpit explained:

Greeks occasionally refused to prostrate themselves before the Great King himself, saying that it was not their custom to worship men (Herod., 7:136; Plut., 'Vit. Artax.,' § 22; Arrian., 'Exp. Alex.,' 4:10-12, etc.). Mordecai seems to have had the same feeling. Prostration was, he thought, an act of worship, and it was not proper to worship any one excepting God.

 

[Reluctant Theologian]

Indeed bowing to someone superior was not forbidden, only bowing or kneeling to an object was (so bowing to a flag definitely would be forbidden ...) But there is a difference between bowing as a token of respect or subjection, and worship as a deity.

Possibly also Mordecai sensed the evil character of Haman and as a consequence refused to pay respect to him, not because it was sinful or illegal but because of his disdain or complete lack of respect towards Haman.

 

[John G.]

Haman was an Amalekite.
The Amalekites were despised by the Jews as they attacked them when they came out of Egypt.
God told Saul to exterminate them but, apparently, some escaped his sword.