Esther 7

1 So the king and Aman went in to drink with the queen.

2 And the king said to Esther at the banquet on the second day, What is it, queen Esther? and what thy request, and what thy petition? and it shall be for thee, to the half of my kingdom.

3 And she answered and said, If I have found favour in the sight of the king, let life be granted to my petition, and my people to my request.

4 For both I and my people are sold for destruction, and pillage, and slavery; we and our children for bondmen and bondwomen: and I consented not to it, for the not worthy of the king's palace.

5 And the king said, Who this that has dared to do this thing?

6 And Esther said, the adversary Aman, this wicked man. Then Aman was troubled before the king and the queen.

7 And the king rose up from the banquet to go into the garden: and Aman began to intreat the queen; for he saw that he was in an evil case.

8 And the king returned from the garden; and Aman had fallen upon the bed, intreating the queen. And the king said, Wilt thou even force wife in my house? And when Aman heard it, he changed countenance.

9 And Bugathan, one of the chamberlains, said to the king, Behold, Aman has also prepared a gallows for Mardochaeus, who spoke concerning the king, and a gallows of fifty cubits high has been set up in the premises of Aman. And the king said, Let him be hanged thereon.

10 So Aman was hanged on the gallows that had been prepared for Mardochaeus: and then the king's wrath was appeased.

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.

Footnotes

• [a]. see
• [b]. hostile man.
• [c]. evils.
• [d]. impaled.

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.