Esther 5:14

14 Then ¹his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, ²“Let a gallows^[a] fifty cubits^[b] high be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast. ” This idea pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made.

Esther 5:14 Meaning and Commentary

Esther 5:14

Then said Zeresh his wife, and all his friends, unto him
His wife very probably first moved it, and all his friends present approved of it and united in it:

let a gallows be made, of fifty cubits, high;
that the person hanged thereon might be seen at a distance, and so be a greater reproach to him, and a terror to others, to take care they were not guilty of the same offence: Cartalo was ordered by his father to be fixed to the highest cross in the sight of the city ^F12; and it was usual for crosses to be erected very high ^F13 both for that purpose, and for greater infamy and disgrace ^F14:

and tomorrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged
thereon;
get a grant from him for it; of which they made no doubt, since Haman had such an interest in him, and had already obtained an order to destroy all Jews in his dominions:

then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet;
eased of the burden of his mind, and honoured to be a guest with the royal pair:

and the thing pleased Haman, and he caused the gallows to be made;
but it was for himself, as it proved in the issue. See ( Esther 7:10 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F12 Justin e Trogo, l. 18. c. 7. Vid. l. 22. c. 7.
F13 Vid. Lipsium de Cruce, l. 3. c. 13.
F14 Suetonius in Galba, c. 9.

Esther 5:14 In-Context

12 Then Haman said, “Even Queen Esther let no one but me come with the king to the feast she prepared. And tomorrow also I am invited by her together with the king.

13 Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate. ”

14 Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows fifty cubits high be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast. ” This idea pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made.

Cross References

• 1. 5:14 [See ver. 10 above]
• 2. 5:14 ch. 6:4; 7:9, 10; [ch. 8:7; 9:13, 25]

Footnotes

• [a] 5:14 Or 'stake'; twice in this verse
• [b] 5:14 A 'cubit' was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters