Esther7
King James Version · Public Domain
1So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen.
2And 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.
3Then 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:
4For 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.
5Then 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?
6And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.
7And 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.
8Then 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.
9And Harbona, 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.
10So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Esther 7.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Esther accuses Haman. (1–6). Haman hanged on his own gallows. (7–10).
vv1-6
If the love of life causes earnest pleadings with those that can only kill the body, how fervent should our prayers be to Him, who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell! How should we pray for the salvation of our relatives, friends, and all around us! When we petition great men, we must be cautious not to give them offence; even just complaints must often be kept back. But when we approach the King of kings with reverence, we cannot ask or expect too much. Though nothing but wrath be our due, God is able and willing to do exceeding abundantly, even beyond all we can ask or think.
vv7-10
The king was angry: those that do things with self-will, reflect upon them afterward with self-reproach. When angry, we should pause before we come to any resolution, and thus rule our own spirits, and show that we are governed by reason. Those that are most haughty and insolent when in power and prosperity, commonly, like Haman, are the most abject and poor-spirited when brought down. The day is coming when those that hate and persecute God's chosen ones, would gladly be beholden to them. The king returns yet more angry against Haman. Those about him were ready to put his wrath into execution. How little can proud men be sure of the interest they think they have! The enemies of God's church have often been thus taken in their own craftiness. The Lord is known by such judgments. Then was the king's wrath pacified, and not till then. And who pities Haman hanged on his own gallows? who does not rather rejoice in the Divine righteousness displayed in the destruction his own art brought upon him? Let the workers of iniquity tremble, turn to the Lord, and seek pardon through the blood of Jesus.
Key Words
מֶלֶךְ: a king
הָמָן: Haman, a Persian vizier
בּוֹא: to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)
שָׁתָה: to imbibe (literally or figuratively)
מַלְכָּה: a queen
אֶסְתֵּר: Ester, the Jewish heroine
שֵׁנִי: properly, double, i.e. second; also adverbially, again
יוֹם: a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)
מִשְׁתֶּה: drink, by implication, drinking (the act); also (by implication) a banquet or (generally) feast
יַיִן: wine (as fermented); by implication, intoxication
Cross References
Esther 7Harbonah notes the gallows fifty cubits high that Haman had previously prepared for Mordecai.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Esther's phrase 'we are sold' directly references Haman's offer of ten thousand talents to destroy them.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Poetic justice of the wicked being caught in the net and pit they prepared for others.
Supported by JFB
The king repeats his banquet offer of petition to Esther, up to half his kingdom.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Harbonah was one of the chamberlains sent to bring Haman to the banquet.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein; Haman is hanged on his own gallows.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Esther contrasts their total destruction with being sold as bondmen and bondwomen.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Refers to Mordecai's loyalty in saving the king, which Harbonah brings to the king's attention.
Supported by Matthew Poole