Esther 7

Esther's Plea

1 Now the king and Haman came to drink wine with Esther the queen.
2 And the king said to Esther on the second day also as they drank their wine at the banquet, "1What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? 2Even to half of the kingdom it shall be done."
3 Then Queen Esther replied, "3If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me as my petition, and my people as my request;
4 for 4we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, 5to be killed and to be annihilated. Now if we had only been sold as slaves *, men and women, I would have remained silent, for the trouble would not be commensurate with the annoyance to the king."
5 Then King Ahasuerus asked Queen Esther, "Who is he, and where is he, who would presume * to do thus?"
6 Esther said, "6A foe and an enemy is this wicked Haman!" Then Haman became terrified before * the king and queen.

Haman Is Hanged

7 The king arose 7in his anger from drinking wine and went into 8the palace garden; but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm had been determined against him by the king.
8 Now when the king returned from the palace garden into the place where they were drinking wine, Haman was falling on 9the couch where * Esther was. Then the king said, "Will he even assault the queen with me in the house?" As the word went out of the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face.
9 Then Harbonah, one of the eunuchs who were before the king said, "Behold indeed, 10the gallows standing at Haman's house fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai 11who spoke good on behalf of the king!" And the king said, "Hang him on it."
10 12So they hanged Haman on the gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai, 13and the king's anger subsided.

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 13

Footnotes 8

  • [a]. Lit "at the banquet of wine"
  • [b]. Or "enemy could not compensate for the loss"
  • [c]. Or "damage"
  • [d]. Lit "said and said to"
  • [e]. Lit "whose heart has been filled"
  • [f]. Lit "the banquet of wine"
  • [g]. Lit "house of the banquet of wine"
  • [h]. Lit "tree"

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

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