Esther 5:1–14
5 On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the 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, she won favor in his sight, and 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 to the half of my kingdom.” 4 And Esther said, “If it please the king,1 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 And as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king said to Esther, “What is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.”2 7 Then Esther answered, “My wish and my request is: 8 If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king3 to grant my wish and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.”
9 And Haman went out that day joyful and glad of heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, that 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 his wife Zeresh. 11 And Haman recounted to them the splendor of his riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king had honored him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and the servants of the king. 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 gallows4 fifty cubits5 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.
1 Hebrew If it is good to the king 2 Or done 3 Hebrew if it is good to the king 4 Or wooden beam; twice in this verse (see note on 2:23) 5 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
Section Overview
After raising our expectations in the last chapter, the story stalls somewhat as Esther delays her petitioning the king on behalf of her people while Haman furthers his plans to avenge himself on Mordecai. Although the Jews’ fortunes will soon turn around, their situation looks even grimmer by the end of this chapter.
Section Outline
V. Esther Begins Her Appeal to the King (5:1–14)
A. Esther Holds a Feast for the King and Requests a Second Feast (5:1–8)
B. Haman Plots Mordecai’s Hanging (5:9–14)
Response
As we will soon see, the next chapter is the turning point in the story; after the king’s sleepless night, things will get steadily better for the Jews and worse for their enemies. But the narrator does not get us to that point too quickly. Esther has set her plan in motion, but so far Haman seems only to have strengthened his victory over the Jews by plotting the degrading death of one of their leaders. Haman and Zeresh’s ironic misinterpretation of Esther’s feast hints at a coming reversal, but these are only hints. Behind all these events, the wheels of God’s providence are in motion, but they are moving slowly. So we too, as we take risks to work in the world on behalf of God’s people, especially when they are in danger for their lives, may have to wait as our situations perhaps worsen. But God’s providential deliverance—in whatever form it takes—is not hindered.
Hebrew If it is good to the king
Or done
Hebrew if it is good to the king
Or wooden beam; twice in this verse (see note on 2:23)
A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
5:1–2 With the three days of fasting completed, Esther literally “puts on royalty” (v. 1). She is coming before the king as “Queen Esther” (v. 2). Like Mordecai in the previous chapter, she positions herself as close as possible to the royal throne in the heart of the palace (v. 1). As soon as Ahasuerus sees her, he extends his scepter and bids her draw near (v. 2). This not only contradicts her expectation of being executed but also bodes well for her request: extending his scepter recalls Ahasuerus’s giving his signet ring in response to Haman’s request in 3:10, suggesting Esther will be given what she asks. And if Ahasuerus has already broken the law about executing unannounced visitors, perhaps he will contravene his agreement with Haman as well.
5:3–8 The king knows Esther is bringing some request before him. In the exaggerated style of the Persian court, he not only asks her what her request is but essentially commits himself before hearing it: “even to the half of my kingdom” means he will not refuse her wish as being too difficult. After hearing this from the king, a first-time reader probably expects Esther to launch into her petition (4:8). Instead, Esther surprises us by asking only that the king come to a feast. Very well, the reader thinks; Ahasuerus loves to eat and drink, and what better context for a wife to wheedle and coax her husband than at the dinner table? Furthermore, each feast so far has been the occasion of a significant shift in power; this raises our expectations for a similar upset at this feast.
But if a night of charming her husband is all she intends, why does Esther invite Haman as well? Surely he would disrupt anything she tried to say? Then another surprise meets us: Ahasuerus again commits himself during the meal, twice saying that whatever Esther wants will be done. But instead of taking advantage of what appears to be a perfect opportunity to beg for the lives of her people, Esther asks only that the king come to a second feast, promising to tell him then what she wants (5:8). Why these delays? Is Esther flummoxed and nervous, unable to say what she really wants?
Although the text is silent on this question, a moment’s reflection will help us appreciate the difficulty of Esther’s position and reveal her strategy. Ahasuerus has already shown himself to be fickle and unstable. Esther cannot appeal to his common sense about the coming atrocity, for the king has almost none. Even if she were to win a commitment not to exterminate the Jews, Haman, who has already shown his rhetorical prowess, might be able to guide the king back to his original course at some later time. Furthermore, the king’s ego is highly sensitive to any slight, perceived or real, so any direct confrontation of the king about his approval of Haman’s deplorable scheme will probably only provoke him. Vashti has, after all, already learned how the king deals with assertive women, even when they are right and he is wrong. Esther must somehow convince the king not to support Haman’s decree without reminding him too much of his own role in it. Weak-willed as he is, it probably would have been easy for Ahasuerus to compromise by promising Esther special protection inside the palace while letting Haman murder every other Jew in Persia. Esther must somehow deal Haman a permanent defeat without offending her hypersensitive, childish husband.
This is probably why Esther holds two feasts before revealing what she wants. She is exploiting her husband’s love of food and wine and raising his curiosity without satisfying it. By the time she finally reveals her request, in chapter 7, the king will have already bound himself to it three times; she can represent herself as giving in to the king’s wish instead of insisting on her own way. Her requesting Haman to be present also shows an admirable shrewdness on her part—she likely wants to keep an eye on him and prevent him from manipulating the king once she has left. Furthermore, if she accuses Haman behind his back, he would probably be able to talk his way out of it. When read together with chapter 7, Esther’s request for two feasts suggests a calculated plan.
5:9 Haman leaves the queen’s banquet in high spirits, oblivious to the fact that the revelation Esther has promised at the second banquet directly concerns his nefarious plot. We learn why in verse 12: Haman loves honor and respect from others as much as the king, and is singularly flattered to be the only other guest at the banquet with the king and queen. His complete misinterpretation of the queen’s intention is darkly humorous.
But Haman’s good cheer is instantly spoiled. As he moves through the city, many are eager to genuflect before the king’s second-in-command, but among all the attention, there again was Mordecai, not standing to attention nor giving the slightest indication of any fear before this great man (cf. 3:1–6). And instantly Haman is in a fury.
5:10–13 Haman reveals to his friends (and the reader) the reason for his anger. In this revelation, Haman is still terrifying but appears a little pathetic as well. From his own perspective, Haman has led a charmed life; there is no other honor or promotion or glory he can receive without becoming king (v. 11). To top it off, he alone was invited to a royal banquet—not just once, but again tomorrow (v. 12). Haman’s ego is palpable in the phrase “no one but me.” Haman has already won his revenge against his enemy Mordecai—and not only that, but Mordecai’s entire people are about to be annihilated. But, as Haman waits for the decree to come into effect, as long as Mordecai is still alive, everything Haman has gained might as well not exist. He cannot enjoy one single part of his life if Mordecai continues to live.
We have noted the insatiable nature of Haman’s evil (cf. comment on 3:5–6). This aspect of his personality seems to have infected his whole soul. What else does Haman need, in order to be happy? The self-pity of this man is half frightening, half pathetic. The person Haman hates the most has come to dominate his thoughts and happiness. Haman turns to others to tell him what to do when his limitless pride is slighted, just as Ahasuerus does; even if Ahasuerus is not as evil as his servant, Haman resembles his king in more ways than one.
5:14 Zeresh, Haman’s wife, has an idea: Haman has already won permission for Mordecai’s execution, but Zeresh shows Haman a way to humiliate and degrade Mordecai in his death. The exposure of a corpse without burial was regarded in the ancient world as an unmitigated tragedy (note the courage and risk of the soldiers of Jabesh-gilead to prevent this from happening to Saul’s corpse; 1 Sam. 31:11–13). Ahasuerus has already (unwittingly) condemned Mordecai to death; surely it will be a small thing to specify the means of his death by being hung on the gallows and left there for all to see. Only then can Haman’s terrifying neediness be satisfied and his life of luxury begin again.
The irony of Haman’s interpretation of Esther’s feast is heightened in Zeresh’s speech in Esther 5:14, as she advises Haman to request Mordecai be hanged before attending Esther’s feast in good cheer. Without their knowing it, Haman is walking directly into the trap Esther has prepared.