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Esther 7:8

KJV

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.

Read it in context The Hanging of Haman
Start reading at Esther 7:7 (Esther 7:7 to Esther 7:10). An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.

This unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. Esther's petitions and the king's remembrance of Mordecai reverse the positions of Mordecai and Haman.

  1. 7:7 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.
  2. 7:8 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.
  3. 7:9 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 him thereon.
  4. 7:10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified.

Who

What

When

Where

How

Cited: Esther 7:7, Esther 7:10, Esther 9:1, Matthew 1:1, Matthew 1:17

Who wrote it, and how we know

Uncertain; traditionally Mordecai From early tradition
What Scripture saysThe book does not name its author. It records that Mordecai wrote these things. Esther 9:20
Early traditionJewish tradition has suggested Mordecai.
What is debatedAuthorship is genuinely unknown. The book never names God directly.

Related passages

Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).

Macro-Structure

See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.

Macro-Structure of Esther

Esther is set in the Persian court and provinces during Ahasuerus' reign. The text does not name its author. God's name is not explicitly used in the Hebrew-book narrative as represented here in the KJV; claims about providence are interpretive conclusions from the story.

Esther 1:1 Esther 4:14 Esther 9:26

Esther enters the royal household
Esther 1:1–2:23

FocusThe court and an unrecognized service

Connection to the wholeThe change of queen and Mordecai's discovery of a plot establish circumstances important to the later reversal.
interpretation
The threat against the Jews
Esther 3:1–4:17

FocusHaman's decree and Esther's decision

Connection to the wholeThe planned destruction of the Jews brings Mordecai's appeal and Esther's decision to approach the king.
interpretation
The reversal begins
Esther 5:1–7:10 You are here · 7:8

FocusBanquets, remembrance, and Haman's fall

Connection to the wholeEsther's petitions and the king's remembrance of Mordecai reverse the positions of Mordecai and Haman.
interpretation
Deliverance and remembrance
Esther 8:1–10:3

FocusA counter-decree and Purim

Connection to the wholeThe danger is addressed through a new decree, and the events become the basis for the observance of Purim.
interpretation

Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.

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