Esther 7:7-10

Esther 7:7-10

[7] And the king  arising  from the banquet  of wine  in his wrath  went into the palace  garden:  and Haman  stood up  to make request  for his life  to Esther  the queen;  for he saw  that there was evil  determined  against him by the king.  [8] Then the king  returned  out of the palace  garden  into the place  of the banquet  of wine;  and Haman  was fallen  upon the bed  whereon Esther  was. Then said  the king,  Will he force  the queen  also before me in the house?  As the word  went out  of the king's  mouth,  they covered  Haman's  face.  [9] And Harbonah,  one  of the chamberlains,  said  before  the king,  Behold also, the gallows  fifty  cubits  high,  which Haman  had made  for Mordecai,  who had spoken  good  for the king,  standeth  in the house  of Haman.  Then the king  said,  Hang  [10] So they hanged  Haman  on the gallows  that he had prepared  for Mordecai.  Then was the king's  wrath  pacified. 

What does Esther 7:7-10 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The fact that his enemy sat in his presence at that very moment evidently made the king pause before issuing his obvious verdict. He wanted to think about it and walked out into his garden to do so. Upon returning, what he saw confirmed his decision. Haman found himself trapped between an angry king and an offended queen. Ironically, this enemy of the Jews ended up pleading for his life with a Jewess! [1] Haman fell at Esther"s feet to beg as she reclined, but the king misunderstood his intentions when he reentered the banquet room unexpectedly ( Esther 7:8).
". . . one must remember that in antiquity very strong feelings and strict regulations centered on the harem.... Had Haman knelt as much as a foot away from the queen"s couch, the king"s reaction could still have been justified." [2]
"A Targum adds that the angel Gabriel pushed Haman as the king entered the room!" [3]
Esther"s words had so predisposed Ahasuerus against Haman that the king viewed Haman"s posture in the worst possible light. Covering the face of a condemned person was evidently customary in such cases ( Esther 7:8; cf. Esther 6:12). [4]
Harbonah"s suggestion that they hang Haman on the gallows he had built for Mordecai drove the final nail in Haman"s coffin ( Esther 7:9). Certainly Ahasuerus had not known of Haman"s plan to execute the king"s savior. We do not know if Esther asked for mercy for Haman or not. In either case, the king carried out his execution ( Esther 7:10). Thus ended the life of one of the most hostile anti-Semitic Jew-haters that ever walked the stage of history (cf. Psalm 9:15-16).