Esther 7 10

Esther 7:10 kjv

So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified.

Esther 7:10 nkjv

So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king's wrath subsided.

Esther 7:10 niv

So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai. Then the king's fury subsided.

Esther 7:10 esv

So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the wrath of the king abated.

Esther 7:10 nlt

So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai, and the king's anger subsided.

Esther 7 verses

Esther 7 10 Meaning

Esther 7:10 signifies the swift and ironic downfall of Haman. The verse describes Haman being executed on the very gallows he had constructed for Mordecai, an act of precise poetic justice. This immediate punishment satisfies the enraged King Ahasuerus, whose anger consequently subsides, marking a critical turning point in the narrative and bringing resolution to the intense tension of the preceding events.

Esther 7 10 Context

Esther 7:10 concludes a tense dramatic confrontation that reached its peak at Esther's second banquet. Having subtly created the perfect setting, Queen Esther dramatically reveals Haman's genocidal plot against her people and implicates Haman directly before the king. This accusation ignites King Ahasuerus's volatile wrath, leading him to momentarily withdraw. During his absence, Haman desperately pleads with Esther. Upon the king's return, he misinterprets Haman's posture, further fueling his rage. Prompted by one of the eunuchs, Harbona, who reminds the king of the towering gallows Haman had prepared for Mordecai, the king immediately orders Haman's execution on that very structure. The verse marks the immediate and ultimate consequence of Haman's hatred and schemes, effectively ending the direct threat he posed to Mordecai and the Jewish people. Historically, this type of swift and public execution was common in the Persian Empire, reinforcing the absolute power of the king. The specific detail of the gallows’ intended victim and its high stature adds profound dramatic irony and underscores the swift divine reversal, though God is not explicitly mentioned.

Esther 7 10 Word analysis

• So (ויתלו - va-yitlû): This introductory word functions as a conjunction, connecting Haman's fate directly to the king's preceding command and the eunuch's revelation. It implies immediate, direct consequence and the decisive nature of the king's decree.

• they hanged (ויתלו - va-yitlû): From the Hebrew verb talâ (תלה), meaning "to hang," "to suspend," or "to impale." In the ancient Near East, "hanging" could refer to impalement on a sharpened pole or suspension after death as a public display of shame. The plurality "they" refers to the king's immediate servants or executioners, emphasizing the swift execution of royal judgment.

• Haman (המן - Hāmān): The central antagonist of the book, the Agagite, identified as the adversary of the Jews. His execution marks the removal of the primary obstacle to the Jews' survival. His name became synonymous with the archetypal enemy.

• on the gallows (על-העץ - ‘al hā-‘ēṣ): The Hebrew ‘ēṣ (עץ) literally means "tree" or "wood," referring here specifically to the towering wooden structure. This was no small pole but an immense structure of 50 cubits (approx. 75 feet or 23 meters) previously described in Esther 5:14. This extreme height emphasizes Haman's grandiosity, his malicious intent to utterly humiliate Mordecai, and the dramatic scale of his ironic demise.

• that he had prepared (אשר הכין - ‘ăšer hēḵîn): The verb hēḵîn (הכין) means "to prepare," "to make ready," or "to establish." This phrase explicitly highlights Haman's premeditation and deliberate malice in constructing this specific instrument of death for Mordecai. It serves as the fulcrum for the narrative's potent irony.

• for Mordecai (למרדכי - le-Mardaḵay): This crucial detail specifies the intended victim of Haman's wicked plot. Mordecai, the Jew who refused to bow, symbolizes righteousness and God's preserved people. His intended fate is now met by his enemy, showcasing divine reversal and justice.

• Then the king's wrath (וְחֵמַת הַמֶּלֶךְ - wĕḥēmaṯ ham-meleḵ): Ḥēmāh (חֵמָה) denotes "hot anger," "fury," or "wrath." King Ahasuerus's wrath was notoriously impulsive and devastating. The satisfaction of justice against Haman was the immediate and decisive factor in appeasing it.

• abated (שָׁכָכָה - šāḵaḵāh): From the verb šākhaḵ (שכך), meaning "to sink down," "to subside," "to assuage," "to grow quiet," or "to cease." It indicates a complete calming of the king's extreme rage, signaling that the crisis triggered by Haman's offense had found its resolution in his death.

• "they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai": This entire clause is the apex of dramatic irony and divine retribution in the book of Esther. It encapsulates the "reversal" (הפוך - hāphaḵ) theme where the antagonist falls victim to his own malicious design intended for the righteous protagonist. This vivid depiction served as a powerful reminder of how wickedness ultimately turns upon itself.

• "Then the king's wrath abated": This phrase emphasizes the immediate political and emotional consequence of Haman's execution. It signals the complete satisfaction of royal justice, and the calm atmosphere allows for the next stage of the plot – the deliverance of the Jews from the broader edict – to unfold. It reflects that once justice was served, the personal anger of the ruler was appeased.

Esther 7 10 Bonus section

The height of the gallows (50 cubits) prepared by Haman was not arbitrary; it reflected his boundless arrogance and desire for public humiliation and spectacular revenge against Mordecai. The ironic reversal where Haman himself is executed on such a towering structure intensifies the sense of his downfall and shame. This detail amplifies the poetic justice, transforming what Haman intended as a monument to his power and Mordecai's degradation into his own elevated testament of defeat. The swiftness with which the king orders and "they" execute Haman further highlights the immediate and total collapse of his power, from being the king's favorite to a disgraced enemy, all within minutes. The narrative, though silent on divine intervention, brilliantly showcases the principle that pride goes before a fall and that evil plots ultimately self-destruct.

Esther 7 10 Commentary

Esther 7:10 serves as the powerful culmination of Haman's arrogance and malice, demonstrating the immediate and undeniable consequences of his schemes. This verse provides the ultimate display of poetic justice: the very instrument of destruction prepared for the righteous (Mordecai) becomes the means of death for the wicked plotter (Haman). This is not just human justice administered by a king, but an undeniable pattern woven into the fabric of creation, revealing that those who dig a pit for others often fall into it themselves. The text subtly underscores the principle that evil inevitably consumes itself. The immediate abatement of the king's wrath following Haman's execution signifies that justice was served decisively, resolving the intense tension and paving the way for the eventual deliverance of the Jewish people. This verse teaches the folly of human pride and hatred and points to a moral order where malicious intentions boomerang upon their architects.

Examples:

• Warning against pride: A powerful person who schemes to ruin a competitor, only to have their own reputation or career destroyed by the exposure of their deceit.
• Consequences of injustice: One who fabricates lies against another finds themselves discredited when the truth comes to light.