Esther 5:14
in Esther 5His wife Zeresh and all his friends told him, “Have them build a gallows fifty cubits high, and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go to the banquet with the king and enjoy yourself.” The advice pleased Haman, and he had the gallows constructed.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made fifty cubits high, and in the morning speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.
KJV
Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and to morrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.
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This verse in Esther 5
Commentary
6 notes on this verseLet a gallows be made of fifty cubits high - The word עץ ets, which we translate gallows, signifies simply wood, a tree, or pole; and this was to be seventy-five feet high, that he might suffer the greater ignominy, and be a more public spectacle. I believe impaling is here also meant. See the note, Est 2:23 (note).
This site's exposition
Have them build a gallows
Zeresh and Haman's friends supply the instrument: a gallows fifty cubits high, built that same night, so the morning needs only the king's word. Haman builds the reversal engine with his own hands, and the chapter ends with the means of his fall already standing in his own courtyard.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared. 6 And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed. 7 Then answered Esther, and said, My petition and my request is;
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
Then said Zeresh his wife, and all his friends, unto him,....
For the gaining of his point they advise him to go early in the morning to the king, and get an order from him for the hanging of Mordecai, which, they doubted not, would be readily granted to one who was so much the king's favourite and who had so easily obtained an edict for the destruction of the whole nation of the Jews.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
A gallows, in the ordinary sense, is scarcely intended, since hanging was not a Persian punishment. The intention, no doubt, was to crucify (see the Est 2:23 note) or impale Mordecai; and the pale or cross was to be 75 feet high, to make the punishment more conspicuous. Speak thou unto the king ... - Requests for leave to put persons to death were often made to Persian kings by their near relatives, but only rarely by others.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
[This] is meaningless to me. I do not care for all the honor that I have.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
30 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתֹּ֣אמֶר | vatomer | and she said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לוֹ֩ | lo | to him | ||
| זֶ֨רֶשׁ | zeresh | Zeresh | H2238 → | 4 times |
| אִשְׁתּ֜וֹ | ʾishto | wife his | H802 → | 781 times |
| וְכָל־ | vekhol | and all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| אֹֽהֲבָ֗יו | ʾohavav | friends his | H157 → | 211 times |
| יַֽעֲשׂוּ־ | yaasu- | let people make | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| עֵץ֮ | ʾetz | a gallows | H6086 → | 328 times |
| גָּבֹ֣הַּ | gavoah | high | H1364 → | |
| חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים | chamishim | fifty | H2572 → | |
| אַמָּה֒ | ʾamah | cubit[s] | H520 → | |
| וּבַבֹּ֣קֶר׀ | uvaboker | and in the morning | H1242 → | |
| אֱמֹ֣ר | ʾemor | speak | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לַמֶּ֗לֶךְ | lamelekh | to the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| וְיִתְל֤וּ | veyitlu | so people may hang | H8518 → | 27 times |
| אֶֽת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מָרְדֳּכַי֙ | maredokhai | Mordecai | H4782 → | 60 times |
| עָלָ֔יו | ʾalav | on it | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| וּבֹֽא־ | uvo'- | and go | H935 → | 2568 times |
| עִם־ | ʾim- | with | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הַמִּשְׁתֶּ֖ה | hamishteh | the feast | H4960 → | 46 times |
| שָׂמֵ֑חַ | sameach | joyful | H8056 → | |
| וַיִּיטַ֧ב | vaiyitav | and it was good | H3190 → | 117 times |
| הַדָּבָ֛ר | hadavar | the word | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| לִפְנֵ֥י | lifnei | <to> before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| הָמָ֖ן | haman | Haman | H2001 → | 54 times |
| וַיַּ֥עַשׂ | vaiyaas | and he made | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| הָעֵֽץ׃ פ | haetz | the gallows | H6086 → | 328 times |
וַתֹּ֣אמֶרand she said
vatomerH559 →5305 times
לוֹ֩to him
lo
זֶ֨רֶשׁZeresh
zereshH2238 →4 times
אִשְׁתּ֜וֹwife his
ʾishtoH802 →781 times
וְכָל־and all
vekholH3605 →5413 times
אֹֽהֲבָ֗יוfriends his
ʾohavavH157 →211 times
יַֽעֲשׂוּ־let people make
yaasu-H6213 →2628 times
עֵץ֮a gallows
ʾetzH6086 →328 times
גָּבֹ֣הַּhigh
gavoahH1364 →
חֲמִשִּׁ֣יםfifty
chamishimH2572 →
אַמָּה֒cubit[s]
ʾamahH520 →
וּבַבֹּ֣קֶר׀and in the morning
uvabokerH1242 →
אֱמֹ֣רspeak
ʾemorH559 →5305 times
לַמֶּ֗לֶךְto the king
lamelekhH4428 →2525 times
וְיִתְל֤וּso people may hang
veyitluH8518 →27 times
אֶֽת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
מָרְדֳּכַי֙Mordecai
maredokhaiH4782 →60 times
עָלָ֔יוon it
ʾalavH5921 →5755 times
וּבֹֽא־and go
uvo'-H935 →2568 times
עִם־with
ʾim-H5973 →1050 times
הַמֶּ֥לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הַמִּשְׁתֶּ֖הthe feast
hamishtehH4960 →46 times
שָׂמֵ֑חַjoyful
sameachH8056 →
וַיִּיטַ֧בand it was good
vaiyitavH3190 →117 times
הַדָּבָ֛רthe word
hadavarH1697 →1440 times
לִפְנֵ֥י<to> before
lifneiH6440 →2123 times
הָמָ֖ןHaman
hamanH2001 →54 times
וַיַּ֥עַשׂand he made
vaiyaasH6213 →2628 times
הָעֵֽץ׃ פthe gallows
haetzH6086 →328 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 37:14The wicked have drawn the sword and bent the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.
it leads to
- Proverbs 29:27
An unjust man is detestable to the righteous, and one whose way is upright is detestable to the wicked.
- Psalms 11:2
For behold, the wicked bend their bows. They set their arrow on the string to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.
- 1 John 3:12
Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain slay him? Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his brother were righteous.
- Proverbs 29:27
Through
Esther 6:4“Who is in the court?” the king asked. Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace to ask the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows he had prepared for him.
it leads to
- Esther 4:11
“All the royal officials and the people of the king’s provinces know that one law applies to every man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned—that he be…
- Esther 4:11
Through
Psalms 37:32Though the wicked lie in wait for the righteous, and seek to slay them,
it leads to
- Psalms 10:8–10
He lies in wait near the villages; in ambush he slays the innocent; his eyes watch in stealth for the helpless.
- Luke 20:20
So they watched Him closely and sent spies who pretended to be sincere. They were hoping to catch Him in His words in order to hand Him over to the rule and authority of…
- Jeremiah 20:10
For I have heard the whispering of many: “Terror is on every side! Report him; let us report him!” All my trusted friends watch for my fall: “Perhaps he will be deceived so that…
- Luke 19:47–48
Jesus was teaching at the temple every day, but the chief priests, scribes, and leaders of the people were intent on killing Him.
- Psalms 10:8–10
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Esther
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and W. F. Adeney, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther (Expositor's Bible).