Esther 5:14

14 And Zeresh, his wife, and his friends answered to him, Command thou an high beam, or a gallows tree, to be made ready, having fifty cubits of height; and speak thou tomorrow early to the king, and ask of him, that Mordecai be hanged thereon; and so thou shalt go glad with the king to the queen's feast. And the counsel of them pleased him, and he commanded an high cross, that is a gibbet, to be made ready. (And his wife Zeresh, and his friends, answered to him, Command thou that a gallows be prepared, that is fifty cubits in height; and then early tomorrow speak thou to the king, and ask him to have Mordecai hanged on it; and then thou shalt go with the king to the queen's feast in high spirits. And their counsel pleased him, and he commanded that the gallows be prepared.)

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 And he said after these things, Also the queen Esther called none other man with the king to the feast, except me, with whom I shall eat also tomorrow with the king. (And after these things he said, And Queen Esther called no other man to the feast with the king, except me, and tomorrow I shall also eat with her and the king.)

13 And though I have all these things, I guess that I have nothing, as long as I see Mordecai, the Jew, sitting before the king's gates. (And yet, even though I have all these things, I feel like I have nothing, as long as I see that Jew Mordecai, in attendance at the royal court.)

14 And Zeresh, his wife, and his friends answered to him, Command thou an high beam, or a gallows tree, to be made ready, having fifty cubits of height; and speak thou tomorrow early to the king, and ask of him, that Mordecai be hanged thereon; and so thou shalt go glad with the king to the queen's feast. And the counsel of them pleased him, and he commanded an high cross, that is a gibbet, to be made ready. (And his wife Zeresh, and his friends, answered to him, Command thou that a gallows be prepared, that is fifty cubits in height; and then early tomorrow speak thou to the king, and ask him to have Mordecai hanged on it; and then thou shalt go with the king to the queen's feast in high spirits. And their counsel pleased him, and he commanded that the gallows be prepared.)