King James Version
Esther 7
10 verses with commentary
Haman Hanged
So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen. to banquet: Heb. to drink
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So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen. The Hebrew lishto't (לִשְׁתּוֹת, "to drink") emphasizes this is the banquet of wine Esther had prepared (5:6). This is the second of three banquets in the narrative arc: Vashti's refusal at the first (1:12), Esther's selection following (2:18), her first banquet where she delays her petition (5:4-8), and now this climactic second banquet where she reveals Haman's plot.
The simple statement masks high tension. Haman arrives fresh from the humiliation of honoring Mordecai publicly (6:11-12), with his wife's prophetic warning ringing in his ears: "If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews... thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him" (6:13). Yet protocol demands he attend the queen's banquet. Esther has fasted three days (4:16), risked death approaching the king unbidden (5:1-2), and delayed her petition strategically. Now the moment arrives. Providence has positioned Haman for judgment precisely when the king is most disposed to favor Esther. The casual phrase "came to banquet" conceals the convergence of divine purpose.
The simple statement masks high tension. Haman arrives fresh from the humiliation of honoring Mordecai publicly (6:11-12), with his wife's prophetic warning ringing in his ears: "If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews... thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him" (6:13). Yet protocol demands he attend the queen's banquet. Esther has fasted three days (4:16), risked death approaching the king unbidden (5:1-2), and delayed her petition strategically. Now the moment arrives. Providence has positioned Haman for judgment precisely when the king is most disposed to favor Esther. The casual phrase "came to banquet" conceals the convergence of divine purpose.
And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom.
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And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, The phrase "said again" (va'yomer, וַיֹּאמֶר) references the king's identical question at the first banquet (5:6). The repetition demonstrates royal persistence and curiosity—Esther's delay has intensified the king's interest. The specification "second day" and "banquet of wine" grounds this climactic moment in precise narrative context.
What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom. The king's formula exactly repeats 5:6, with the threefold offer: petition (she'elatekh, שְׁאֵלָתֵךְ), request (baqqashatekh, בַּקָּשָׁתֵךְ), and the extravagant "even to the half of the kingdom" (ad chatzi hamalkhut, עַד חֲצִי הַמַּלְכוּת). This hyperbolic royal promise, repeated verbatim, creates legal and moral obligation. The address "queen Esther" emphasizes her official status, reminding readers that her intervention carries constitutional weight. Esther has positioned herself perfectly: the king has committed publicly, Haman is present to be exposed, and Mordecai has been honored, demonstrating the king's capacity to reverse previous positions. Divine providence has prepared every element.
What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom. The king's formula exactly repeats 5:6, with the threefold offer: petition (she'elatekh, שְׁאֵלָתֵךְ), request (baqqashatekh, בַּקָּשָׁתֵךְ), and the extravagant "even to the half of the kingdom" (ad chatzi hamalkhut, עַד חֲצִי הַמַּלְכוּת). This hyperbolic royal promise, repeated verbatim, creates legal and moral obligation. The address "queen Esther" emphasizes her official status, reminding readers that her intervention carries constitutional weight. Esther has positioned herself perfectly: the king has committed publicly, Haman is present to be exposed, and Mordecai has been honored, demonstrating the king's capacity to reverse previous positions. Divine providence has prepared every element.
Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request:
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Esther's petition: 'Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request'. Esther reveals she's among those targeted by the genocidal decree, personally appealing for her life and her people's. Her phrasing ('let my life be given me') demonstrates rhetorical skill—she presents herself as condemned but deserving king's mercy. The phrase 'my people' will force the king to recognize Jews aren't abstract threat but include his beloved queen. This strategic revelation demonstrates wisdom in advocacy—making abstract injustice personal and specific to move hearts toward action.
For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage. to be destroyed: Heb. that they should destroy, and kill, and cause to perish
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For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage. Esther reveals the decree's content: "we are sold...to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish." The threefold description echoes Haman's decree language (3:13), emphasizing totality. The phrase "sold" references Haman's financial offer (3:9), suggesting Ahasuerus accepted payment for genocide. Esther's statement "if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue" shows she wouldn't trouble the king for mere slavery—only total annihilation justifies her risky intercession. The phrase "the enemy could not countervail the king's damage" suggests Jewish extermination would harm the kingdom economically or strategically—Jews contributed to Persian prosperity. This appeal combines emotional ("I and my people"), legal (unjust decree), and practical (royal interest) arguments.
Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so? that: Heb. whose heart hath filled him
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Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so? The king's question reveals shock and rage—"Who is he, and where is he" that dared (male libo, "presume in his heart") to threaten the queen? The phrase "presume in his heart" suggests audacious evil requiring extraordinary boldness. Ahasuerus's outrage demonstrates he hadn't connected his authorization (3:10-11) to its implications for Esther. This moral blindness—approving genocide abstractly while horrified when it affects someone he loves personally—demonstrates how evil operates through abstraction and distance. The king's question sets up Esther's dramatic identification of Haman, transforming the banquet from festive to judicial.
And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen. The adversary: Heb. The man adversary before: or, at the presence of
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And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen. When the king demanded to know who dared decree the queen's destruction (v. 5), Esther identified Haman: "The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman." The threefold description—"adversary" (tsar, צָר), "enemy" (oyev, אֹיֵב), and "wicked" (ra, רָע)—piles up condemnatory terms. Pointing to Haman at the banquet table—the intimate setting where he thought himself honored—created devastating shock. Haman's response: "afraid before the king and queen" demonstrates he immediately recognized his danger. The man who wielded power to decree genocide now trembles before those he had threatened. This reversal demonstrates how quickly pride falls and power dissolves when God moves.
And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king.
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And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king. The king left in rage while Haman, recognizing his doom, begged Esther for his life. The king's departure to the palace garden suggests he needed to process his shock and anger. Haman's appeal to Esther demonstrates both his desperation and ironic reversal—the man who decreed her death now begs her for his life. The phrase "he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king" indicates Haman recognized the king's wrath meant death. Haman's appeal to the woman he threatened demonstrates perfect reversal—the hunter becomes prey, the judge becomes defendant.
Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face. before me: Heb. with me
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Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face. When the king returned, he found Haman fallen on Esther's couch—either prostrate in supplication or accidentally fallen while pleading. The king interpreted this as assault—"Will he force the queen?"—adding sexual violence to Haman's crimes. The phrase "before me in the house" emphasizes outrage at such audacity in the king's presence and home. The servants immediately covering Haman's face indicates condemned status—covering faces marked those sentenced to death. This final accusation, though possibly misunderstood, sealed Haman's fate. Providence uses even miscommunication to accomplish justice.
And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon. gallows: Heb. tree
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And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon. Harbonah informed the king about Haman's 75-foot gallows prepared for Mordecai. The revelation that Mordecai—who saved the king's life (2:21-23; 6:2)—was Haman's intended victim added to the outrage. Harbonah's mention of Mordecai having "spoken good for the king" emphasized this injustice. The king's immediate command "Hang him thereon" sealed Haman's fate with perfect poetic justice—execution on his own gallows. This fulfills Proverbs 26:27: "Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein." The instrument of intended murder becomes the means of the murderer's judgment.
So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified.
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Haman executed: 'So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified'. Haman's execution on the very gallows (75 feet high, Esther 5:14) he built for Mordecai demonstrates perfect poetic justice and divine retribution. Psalm 7:15-16 teaches that the wicked fall into pits they dig for others—Haman embodies this principle. The king's wrath being 'pacified' shows justice satisfying royal anger, though deeper redemption requires the counter-decree of Esther 8. Haman's death foreshadows Satan's ultimate defeat—the enemy seeking to destroy God's people ultimately destroyed by his own devices.