Esther 5:1-10

Esther Prepares a Banquet

1 ¹On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in ²the inner court of the king's palace, in front of the king's quarters, while the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace.

2 And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, ³she won favor in his sight, ⁴and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.

3 And the king said to her, "What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even ⁵to the half of my kingdom."

4 And Esther said, "If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king."

5 Then the king said, "Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther has asked." So the king and Haman came to the feast that Esther had prepared.

6 ⁶And as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king said to Esther, ⁷"What is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? ⁸Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled."

7 Then Esther answered, "My wish and my request is:

8 ⁹If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my wish and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to ¹⁰the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said."

Haman Plans to Hang Mordecai

9 And Haman went out that day ¹¹joyful and glad of heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai ¹²in the king's gate, ¹³that he neither rose nor trembled before him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai.

10 Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and brought his friends and ¹⁴his wife Zeresh.

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Esther 5:1-10 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ESTHER 5

This chapter gives an account of Esther's going in to the king, and of his holding out the golden sceptre to her, on which she invited him and Haman to a banquet of wine that day, and to another the next day, Es 5:1-8, which highly delighted Haman; and he went to his house and family with great joy, and yet chagrined at Mordecai's not bowing to him; wherefore, at the advice of his wife and friends, he erected a gallows to hang him upon, proposing to get a grant for it from the king the next day, Es 5:9-14.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 14

1. [Esther 4:16]
2. Esther 4:11; [Esther 6:4]
3. [Esther 2:9]
4. Esther 4:11; Esther 8:4
5. Esther 7:2; [Mark 6:23]
6. Esther 7:2
7. ver. 3; Esther 7:2; Esther 9:12
8. [See ver. 3 above]
9. Esther 7:3; Esther 8:5
10. Esther 6:14
11. 1 Kings 8:66
12. See Esther 2:19
13. Esther 3:5
14. Esther 6:13

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