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Esther

Chapter 7

{Chapters 6-10: Jews Deliverance and Prosperity - Continued}

{Chapter 7: Public Hanging of Haman}
1~~~Now the king and Haman
came to drink wine with Esther the queen.

2a~~~And the king said again unto Esther
on the second day also
at the banquet of wine,
"What is your petition, queen Esther?"

2b~~~"And it shall be granted you."

2c~~~"And what is your request?"

2d~~~"And it shall be performed . . .
even to the half of the kingdom."

{Time has Come - Esther Takes a Deep Breath and Answers}
3~~~Then Esther the queen answered and said,
"If I have found grace/favor in your sight, O king,
and if it please the king,
  {Esther is still observing strict protocol}
let my life be given me . . . as my petition,
and my people . . . as my request."

{Note: When Divine Viewpoint replaces Fear in one's thinking, the result is poise. Esther is poised under great pressure. This request will shock the king! She requests her life! Who in this world would take the life of his beloved queen! This must flabbergast the king! But, Esther has handled the situation beautifully.}

4a~~~"For we have been sold, I and my people,
to be destroyed, to be killed, and to perish."
  {idiom again for complete and utter destruction}

{Note: The reference to being sold is the bribe that Haman offered the king if he could destroy 'the people' he hated.}

4b~~~ "Now if we had only been sold
for slaves . . . men and women,
I would have held silent,
for the trouble would not have been
commiserate with the trouble to the king."

{Note: Here is a statement of grace to the king. Esther is saying if only her enemy had wanted to enslave the Jews, that would not have been sufficient to bother even mentioning to the king, but genocide, well she must bother the king with this. Her logic is to use the King's greed. She will imply that by killing the Jews he will lose more in his economy than the amount of direct money Haman has offered him.}

5~~~Then the king {Xerxes}'/'Achashverowsh answered
and said unto Esther the queen,
"Who is he . . .
and where is he . . .
who would presume in his heart to do so?"

6a~~~And Esther said,
  {probably pointing dramatically at Haman}
"The foe/adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman."

6b~~~Then Haman became terrified before the king and the queen.

7a~~~And the king arose
from the banquet of wine
in his anger/wrath
and went into the palace garden.

{Note: Remember the king was in charge. He is ultimately responsible for letting this death edict happen. Yet, in his self-righteous arrogance, he will become furious with Haman and neatly forget his own culpability. And, anger consumes people in proportion with their arrogance/'sense of themselves'.}

7b~~~But Haman stayed to beg for his life
from Esther the queen
for he saw that harm/evil
was determined against him by the king.

8a~~~Now when the king returned
from the palace garden
into the place where they were drinking wine,
Haman was fallen upon the couch where Esther was.

{Note: Haman is right on top of Esther in his desperate pleading with her to have her intercede with the king on his behalf. The Persians reclined at dinner on a couch similar to what the ancient Romans did.}

8b~~~And the king said,
"Will he {Haman}
even assault the queen also before me in the palace?"

8c~~~As the word went out of the king's mouth,
they covered Haman's face.

9a~~~Then Harbonah/Harbona,
one of the eunuchs,
said before the king,
"Behold also, the gallows/'impaling pole'
fifty cubits high {75 feet},
which Haman had made for Mordecai,
who had spoken good for the king,
stands in the house of Haman."

{Note: Harbona was mentioned in Chapter 1, verse 10. He was one of the 7 aristocrats who were top advisors of the king. Apparently, when Haman was promoted, the 7 were pushed into the background. Harbona is very anxious to be 'helpful' now!}

9b~~~Then the king said, "Impale/Hang him thereon."

{Note: Now the king knew why Haman was previously at the palace early. He had wanted to impale Mordecai when the king wanted to honor Mordecai! This revelation just adds to his fury.}

10a~~~So they impaled/hanged Haman
on the gallows/'impaling pole'
that he had prepared for Mordecai.

10b~~~Then the king's wrath/anger
subsided/'was pacified'.