Esther 6:6 kjv
So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?
Esther 6:6 nkjv
So Haman came in, and the king asked him, "What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?" Now Haman thought in his heart, "Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?"
Esther 6:6 niv
When Haman entered, the king asked him, "What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?" Now Haman thought to himself, "Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?"
Esther 6:6 esv
So Haman came in, and the king said to him, "What should be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?" And Haman said to himself, "Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?"
Esther 6:6 nlt
So Haman came in, and the king said, "What should I do to honor a man who truly pleases me?" Haman thought to himself, "Whom would the king wish to honor more than me?"
Esther 6 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Est 3:6 | ...seek to destroy all the Jews who were... Mordecai’s people. | Haman's initial desire for Mordecai's destruction. |
| Est 5:14 | ...Let a gallows be made, fifty cubits high, and in the morning suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on it... | Haman's plan for Mordecai just hours before. |
| Prov 16:18 | Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. | Haman's pride leading to his downfall. |
| Prov 27:2 | Let another praise you, and not your own mouth... | Haman's desire for self-praise and honor. |
| Prov 21:1 | The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes. | God's sovereignty over the king's decisions. |
| Dan 2:21 | And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings... | God's ultimate control over earthly rulers and their fates. |
| 1 Sam 2:7 | The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. | Divine reversal of fortune, exalting the humble. |
| Job 5:12 | He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise. | God's ability to thwart wicked schemes like Haman's. |
| Ps 75:6-7 | For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one and exalts another. | God as the ultimate source of promotion and demotion. |
| James 4:6 | ...God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. | Principle of divine opposition to pride, exemplified by Haman. |
| Luke 14:11 | For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. | Jesus' teaching on humility and exaltation, echoing OT themes. |
| Est 6:11 | So Haman took the robe and the horse... and led him through the city square, and proclaimed before him, "Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!" | The ironic fulfillment of Haman's own counsel for Mordecai. |
| Est 7:9-10 | ...Look, the gallows, fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai... And the king said, "Hang him on it!" So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. | The ultimate poetic justice and divine irony for Haman. |
| Ps 35:8 | Let destruction come upon him unexpectedly... and let him fall into that very destruction. | The wicked falling into their own trap. |
| Ps 57:6 | They have prepared a net for my steps; My soul is bowed down; They have dug a pit before me; Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. | Plotters falling into their own traps. |
| Eccl 9:11 | I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift... but time and chance happen to them all. | Acknowledging divine "chance" and timing in events. |
| Gen 40:20-22 | Now it came to pass on the third day... Pharaoh lifted up the head of the chief butler and the head of the chief baker... the chief butler he restored to his office... but he hanged the chief baker... | Pharaoh's unexpected acts of judgment and mercy mirroring themes of reversal. |
| Matt 6:6 | But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. | God rewards faithfulness, though sometimes hiddenly for a time. |
| Acts 12:7-11 | ...and immediately the chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, "Dress yourself and put on your sandals..." Peter followed him out... and recognized it was truly from the Lord. | Unexpected divine intervention for God's people. |
| Rom 8:28 | And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. | God's overarching purpose in all circumstances, even chaotic ones. |
Esther 6 verses
Esther 6 6 Meaning
Esther chapter 6 verse 6 captures a pivotal moment of dramatic irony within the book of Esther. As Haman enters the king's court, eager to obtain permission to hang Mordecai, King Ahasuerus, restless and prompted by divine providence, coincidentally asks Haman for counsel on how to bestow the highest honor upon someone whom the king wishes to reward. Unbeknownst to Haman, he is unknowingly advising on the glorification of his nemesis, Mordecai. This verse highlights the profound reversal of fortunes that is characteristic of the book, demonstrating the subtle yet powerful hand of God orchestrating events behind the scenes.
Esther 6 6 Context
Esther 6:6 occurs at a dramatic turning point in the book of Esther, a night initiated by King Ahasuerus's sleeplessness. This divine intervention causes the king to command the royal chronicles to be read, which reminds him of Mordecai's loyal act in uncovering a plot against his life (Est 2:21-23), a deed for which Mordecai had received no reward. This realization coincides with Haman's early morning arrival at the king's gate, having come to present his request to hang Mordecai on the gallows he specifically built for him. The immediate context of chapter 6 sets the stage for a masterful display of divine irony where Haman’s ambitious plans for his adversary turn into his own undoing. Historically, the story is set in the Persian Empire during the reign of Xerxes I (Ahasuerus) around 486-465 BC. The Persian court was characterized by its absolute monarchy and intricate bureaucracy. The absence of direct references to God in the book highlights a hidden but unmistakable divine providence at work through human decisions and seemingly coincidental events, securing the deliverance of the Jewish people from their enemies.
Esther 6 6 Word analysis
- And Haman came in: The phrase underscores Haman’s swift, eager arrival, immediately upon being summoned, implying his readiness to pursue his malevolent scheme against Mordecai. This arrival at such a precisely orchestrated moment highlights divine timing and irony. The Hebrew word for "came in" (בָּא, ba') signifies a direct entrance into the king’s inner court, emphasizing Haman’s privileged position, which he uses for wicked intentions.
- when the king called for him: This denotes the king's summons. Haman believed the call was for his own honor or some royal business, completely unaware of the true purpose.
- And the king said to him: This highlights the royal authority initiating the conversation, with the king posing a question that would unknowingly seal Haman’s ironic fate.
- What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour?: This is the core of the ironic twist. The king's question is general, allowing Haman to project his own ambition onto it. The phrase "delighteth to honour" is crucial:
- delighteth (חָפֵץ, chaphets): Implies deep pleasure, desire, or favor. It's not a superficial wish but a profound inclination to bless and reward. This sets up the high stakes of Haman's response, as he believes the king feels this deep favor towards himself.
- to honour (יָקָר, yaqar): To make glorious, precious, or to treat with high esteem and value. In Persian culture, honoring by the king was paramount and came with significant public display and tangible rewards, cementing a person’s status and influence.
- The king’s choice to ask Haman, his chief minister, demonstrates Haman's prominent position and supposed wisdom in such matters. This query, however, cleverly extracts the very plan for Mordecai's public exaltation from the lips of his greatest enemy. This strategic choice by the king further emphasizes the hand of providence.
- Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "And Haman came in, when the king called for him": This clause sets the precise moment of intersection between Haman's evil design and divine orchestration. Haman, eager to condemn, enters into a situation where he himself will unknowingly contribute to a divine reversal. The divine hand is unseen but evident in this specific timing, illustrating how God aligns seemingly coincidental human actions with His perfect plan.
- "And the king said to him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour?": This phrase signifies a turning point in the narrative. The king's inquiry is presented as a problem of finding the appropriate honor, not punishment. This immediately signals to the informed reader the profound irony at play. The specificity of "whom the king delighteth to honour" elevates the intended act from mere recognition to a heartfelt desire, which Haman immediately, and mistakenly, attributes to himself, reflecting his colossal pride and self-absorption. This precise wording forces Haman to articulate the pinnacle of earthly glory he craves, unaware he is outlining the fate of his detested foe.
Esther 6 6 Bonus section
The subtle yet profound display of divine intervention in Esther 6:6 resonates with the concept of God's "hidden face" (hester panim), a theological theme some scholars attribute to the Book of Esther given the absence of God's direct mention. While not explicitly named, God's orchestration of the king's insomnia, the choice of the specific chronicle, Haman's precisely timed arrival, and the king's perfectly worded question demonstrate a precise, meticulous providence. This highlights that God's presence and activity are not contingent on explicit revelation but can be profoundly evident in the intricate web of seemingly natural circumstances. The very timing of Haman’s arrival—literally moments before he would have asked for Mordecai's death—underscores the meticulousness of divine intervention, thwarting human evil and fulfilling God's purposes in protecting His people.
Esther 6 6 Commentary
Esther 6:6 is the turning point in the book's narrative, showcasing divine providence at its finest through powerful dramatic irony. Haman, filled with pride and driven by a genocidal hatred, arrives in the royal court, consumed by his wicked agenda against Mordecai. Yet, precisely at this moment, the king, due to a sleepless night providentially leading him to the chronicles, poses a question about honoring a worthy individual. Haman, blinded by his own towering ego and self-delusion, immediately assumes the king intends to honor him, leading him to describe the most lavish display of royal commendation imaginable. This verse powerfully illustrates the principle that God often uses the very plans and desires of the wicked to achieve His righteous purposes and deliver His people. It highlights Haman’s catastrophic misjudgment of the situation and the king's unexpected attention to Mordecai’s forgotten act, setting in motion a divine reversal that ultimately leads to Haman’s demise and Mordecai’s exaltation. It underscores that while God's name is not explicitly mentioned, His sovereignty powerfully orchestrates seemingly random events to protect and vindicate His covenant people.