George Haydock's Catholic Commentary
Esther 10:14
To a man; "as if," says Capellus, "the salutation and civil honour be not quite different from adoration and religious worship, which must be given to God alone. Neither did Haman demand religious adoration, but only salutation and civil honour.... To bend the knee is frequently used in civil honour, nor is it necessarily understood of religious worship." May our English Protestants deign to borrow this grain of common sense from one their foreign brethren, when they attempt to impugn the respect given by Catholics to the saints. (Haydock) --- "We grant that Aman did not require religious worship: but as the civil respect which he claimed, was to be performed in the same manner as the Jews worshipped God, Mardochai would not wound his own conscience, or that of his people." (Houbigant) --- Yet it is by no means clear that Aman did not insist on being worshipped as a god. It is evident that Mardochai understood him, at least, in that light, chap. iii. 2. (Haydock)
Then. Greek, "and taking the golden septre, he laid," &c.
Without. Greek, "abandoned." (Haydock) --- Macedonians; or to himself, who was of that nation. It was not necessary to call over forces, as Capellus would suppose.