EsterKapitel 7

Dieses Kapitel ist noch nicht auf Deutsch verfügbar — Originaltext wird angezeigt.

+ Zweittext Urtext ← Zurück Weiter →Beitragen

So the king and Haman came to feast with Queen Esther.

And again on this second day, as they drank their wine, the king said to Esther, "What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. What is your request? Up to half the kingdom, and it shall be done."

Queen Esther answered, "If I have found favor in your eyes, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be granted me as my petition, and my people as my request.

For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, killed, and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as slaves and servant girls, I would have kept silent, for such trouble would not be worth disturbing the king."

Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, "Who is he? Where is the man who has dared to do such a thing?"

Esther said, "The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman!" And Haman stood terrified before the king and queen.

In his fury the king rose from the wine banquet and went out into the palace garden, while Haman stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life, for he saw that the king had already determined his ruin.

When the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman had thrown himself on the couch where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, "Will he even assault the queen while she is with me in my own house?" As the words left the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face.

Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, "Look, the gallows Haman made for Mordecai, who spoke up for the king's good, is standing at Haman's house, fifty cubits high."[fn] The king said, "Hang him on it."

So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai, and the king's fury subsided.

Nachschlagen

Zusammenfassung2

Kapitel 7

Main Theme: Haman’s evil plan is exposed, and he is executed on his own gallows.

Content: During the second feast, Queen Esther asks the king to spare her life and the lives of her people, revealing that they have been sold for destruction. She identifies Haman as their enemy. The king goes out in anger into the garden, and when he returns, he finds Haman fallen over Esther’s couch. The court official Harbona mentions the gallows Haman had built for Mordecai, and the king orders Haman to be hanged there.

Key Words/Images:

The Feast (מִשְׁתֵּה הַיַּיִן): A drinking banquet where truth is revealed and destinies are decided.
The Gallows (הָעֵץ): Fifty cubits high, built for Mordecai but used against Haman—ironic justice.
The King’s Wrath (חֲמַת הַמֶּלֶךְ): An expression of divine justice through human authority.

Historischer Kontext

Historical and Cultural Context for Esther 7

People

Harbonah (חַרְבוֹנָה) is mentioned here as one of the eunuchs who served before the king. He was previously named in 1:10 as one of the seven court officials serving King Ahasuerus. His role in this chapter is crucial—he draws the king’s attention to the gallows Haman had prepared for Mordecai. As a court official, Harbonah had direct access to the king and could influence events at a decisive moment.

Places

The palace garden (גִּנַּת הַבִּיתָן) is mentioned as the place where the king went in his anger. Persian palaces were known for their elaborate gardens, called pairidaeza (the origin of our word "paradise"). Archaeological excavations at Persepolis and Susa have uncovered remains of such garden complexes with water channels and plantings. The king’s retreat to this place was likely both to find space to think and to preserve his dignity—displaying open rage in the presence of guests would have been inappropriate for a Persian great king.

Events and Customs

Falling on the couch where the queen lay (verse 8) was interpreted by the king as an assault against the queen. In Persian court etiquette, any physical closeness to the king’s women was strictly forbidden, and even seemingly innocent actions could be punished with death. Haman probably threw himself down to beg for mercy, but his action was—consciously or unconsciously—misinterpreted. Covering the face (וּפְנֵי הָמָן חָפוּ) was done by servants as a sign that he was condemned to death. Greek sources describe how Persians covered the faces of those sentenced to die.

Key Terms

The expression "sold" (נִמְכַּרְנוּ) in verse 4 refers back to the ten thousand talents of silver Haman offered the king (3:9). Esther deliberately uses economic language to appeal to the king’s self-interest—the enemy harms not only the Jews but also the king’s wealth. The verb לִכְבּוֹשׁ ("to subdue/abuse") in verse 8 carries strong connotations of sexual assault in biblical Hebrew (cf. Est 7:8; Neh 5:5), which explains the king’s violent reaction.

The tree/gallows (הָעֵץ) fifty cubits high (about 23 meters) was likely a stake for impalement or public display of the body, not hanging in the Western sense. Persians often used impalement as an execution method, and the enormous height was intended to make the shame maximally visible.

Personen5

Ahasuerus1 Haman (son of Hammedatha)6 Harbona1 Esther6 Mordecai2

Alle personen →

Schlüsselwörter7

Esther — A Jewish woman who became queen of Persia and the main character in the book of Esther.
Mordecai — Esther's adoptive father and a central figure in the story, who helps her save the Jewish people.
Haman — A high-ranking Persian official who seeks to destroy the Jews but is ultimately punished for his evil plans.
Ahasuerus — The king of Persia, also known as Xerxes, who is married to Esther and plays a key role in the story.
Purim — A Jewish festival celebrated in remembrance of the events in the book of Esther, when the Jews were saved from Haman's wicked plot.
Decree — An official order or law, especially one issued by a king or other authority.
Gallows — A tall pole or structure used to hang people as a form of execution. In the book of Esther, it is Haman who is hanged on the gallows he had built for Mordecai.