Esther 7

Listen to Esther 7
1 So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther.
2 And on the second day, as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king again said to Esther, 1"What is your wish, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? 2Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled."
3 Then Queen Esther answered, 3"If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request.
4 4For we have been sold, I and my people, 5to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king."
5 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, "Who is he, and where is he, who has dared[a] to do this?"
6 And Esther said, 6"A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!" Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.

Haman Is Hanged

7 And the king arose in his wrath from the wine-drinking and went into 7the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm was determined against him by the king.
8 And the king returned from 8the palace garden to the place where they were drinking wine, as Haman was falling on 9the couch where Esther was. And the king said, "Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?" As the word left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman's face.
9 Then 10Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, "Moreover, 11the gallows[b] that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, 12whose word saved the king, is standing at Haman's house, fifty cubits[c] high."
10 And the king said, "Hang him on that."13So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. 14Then the wrath of the king abated.

Esther 7 Commentary

Chapter 7

Esther accuses Haman. (1-6) Haman hanged on his own gallows. (7-10)

Verses 1-6 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.

Verses 7-10 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.

Cross References 14

Footnotes 3

  • [a]. Hebrew whose heart has filled him
  • [b]. Or stake; also verse 10
  • [c]. A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO ESTHER 7

Esther, being solicited by the king to tell him her petition, asks for her life and the lives of her people, who were sold to be destroyed, Es 7:1-4, the king, amazed at her request, inquires who was the person that dared to do so vile a thing; and was told by her it was Haman there present, Es 7:5,6 on which the king went out into the garden in wrath, and, returning, found Haman on Esther's bed, which still more incensed him; and being told that Haman had prepared a gallows for Mordecai, the king ordered that he himself should be hanged upon it, which was done accordingly, Es 7:7-10.

Esther 7 Commentaries

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.