Esther 5:14

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

Haman’s wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him,“Have a gallows seventy-five feet high built, and in the morning tell the king that Mordecai should be hanged on it. Then go with the king to the banquet contented.” It seemed like a good idea to Haman, so he had the gallows built.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַתֹּ֣אמֶר לוֹ֩ זֶ֨רֶשׁ אִשְׁתּ֜וֹ וְכָל־אֹֽהֲבָ֗יו יַֽעֲשׂוּ־עֵץ֮ גָּבֹ֣הַּ חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים אַמָּה֒ וּבַבֹּ֣קֶר ׀ אֱמֹ֣ר לַמֶּ֗לֶךְ וְיִתְל֤וּ אֶֽת־מָרְדֳּכַי֙ עָלָ֔יו וּבֹֽא־עִם־הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ אֶל הַמִּשְׁתֶּ֖ה שָׂמֵ֑חַ וַיִּיטַ֧ב הַדָּבָ֛ר לִפְנֵ֥י הָמָ֖ן וַיַּ֥עַשׂ הָעֵֽץ

Transliteration

And wattōʾmer to-him zereš ʾištô and-all-ʾōhăbāyw, let-them-yaʿăśû-ʿēṣ gābōah fifty ʾammâ, and-in-the-bōqer ʾĕmōr to-the-melek and-yitlû ʾet-mordŏkay upon-it, and-bōʾ-with-the-melek to the-mišteh śāmēaḥ, and wayyîṭab the-dābār before hāmān and wayyaʿaś the-ʿēṣ

Grammar Details

• *wattōʾmer*: waw-consecutive imperfect, 3fs - and she said
• *zereš*: proper noun - Zeresh
• *ʾištô*: noun, feminine singular + 3ms suffix - his wife
• *ʾōhăbāyw*: participle, masculine plural + 3ms suffix - his friends/lovers
• *yaʿăśû*: imperfect, 3mp - they should make
• *ʿēṣ*: noun, masculine singular - tree/gallows/wood
• *gābōah*: adjective, masculine singular - high/tall
• *ʾammâ*: noun, feminine singular - cubit
• *bōqer*: noun, masculine singular - morning
• *ʾĕmōr*: imperative, ms - say/speak
• *melek*: noun, masculine singular - king
• *yitlû*: imperfect, 3mp - they will hang
• *mordŏkay*: proper noun - Mordecai
• *bōʾ*: imperative, ms - come/go
• *mišteh*: noun, masculine singular - feast/banquet
• *śāmēaḥ*: adjective, masculine singular - joyful
• *wayyîṭab*: waw-consecutive imperfect, 3ms - and it was good
• *dābār*: noun, masculine singular - word/matter
• *hāmān*: proper noun - Haman
• *wayyaʿaś*: waw-consecutive imperfect, 3ms - and he made

Word Meanings

• *yaʿăśû-ʿēṣ*: let them make gallows/prepare wooden pole
• *gābōah ḥămišîm ʾammâ*: fifty cubits high/tall (75-80 feet)
• *yitlû*: hang/impale/execute
• *bōʾ-ʿim-hammelek ʾel-hammišteh śāmēaḥ*: go with the king to the banquet joyful/attend the feast happily
• *wayyîṭab haddābār*: the matter pleased/the suggestion was good
• *wayyaʿaś hāʿēṣ*: he had the gallows made/prepared the wooden structure

Referenced Verses

• Esth 6:4 : 4 Then the king said,“Who is that in the courtyard?” Now Haman had come to the outer courtyard of the palace to suggest that the king hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had constructed for him.
• Esth 7:9-9 : 9 Harbona, one of the king’s eunuchs, said,“Indeed, there is the gallows that Haman made for Mordecai, who spoke out in the king’s behalf. It stands near Haman’s home and is seventy-five feet high.”The king said,“Hang him on it!” 10 So they hanged Haman on the very gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. The king’s rage then abated.
• 1 Kgs 21:7 : 7 His wife Jezebel said to him,“You are the king of Israel! Get up, eat some food, and have a good time. I will get the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you.”
• Ps 7:13-16 : 13 He has prepared deadly weapons to use against him; he gets ready to shoot flaming arrows. 14 See the one who is pregnant with wickedness, who conceives destructive plans, and gives birth to harmful lies– 15 he digs a pit and then falls into the hole he has made. 16 He becomes the victim of his own destructive plans and the violence he intended for others falls on his own head.
• Ps 37:14 : 14 Evil men draw their swords and prepare their bows, to bring down the oppressed and needy, and to slaughter those who are godly.
• Ps 37:32 : 32 Evil men set an ambush for the godly and try to kill them.
• Prov 1:18 : 18 but these men lie in wait for their own blood, they ambush their own lives!
• Prov 4:16 : 16 For they cannot sleep unless they cause harm; they are robbed of sleep until they make someone stumble.
• Amos 6:4-6 : 4 They lie around on beds decorated with ivory, and sprawl out on their couches. They eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the middle of the pen. 5 They sing to the tune of stringed instruments; like David they invent musical instruments. 6 They drink wine from sacrificial bowls, and pour the very best oils on themselves. Yet they are not concerned over the ruin of Joseph.
• Mark 6:19-24 : 19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against him and wanted to kill him. But she could not 20 because Herod stood in awe of John and protected him, since he knew that John was a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard him, he was thoroughly baffled, and yet he liked to listen to John. 21 But a suitable day came, when Herod gave a banquet on his birthday for his court officials, military commanders, and leaders of Galilee. 22 When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl,“Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you.” 23 He swore to her,“Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.” 24 So she went out and said to her mother,“What should I ask for?” Her mother said,“The head of John the baptizer.”
• Mark 14:10-11 : 10 The Plan to Betray Jesus Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus into their hands. 11 When they heard this, they were delighted and promised to give him money. So Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray him.
• Acts 23:14-15 : 14 They went to the chief priests and the elders and said,“We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath not to partake of anything until we have killed Paul. 15 So now you and the council request the commanding officer to bring him down to you, as if you were going to determine his case by conducting a more thorough inquiry. We are ready to kill him before he comes near this place.”
• Rom 1:32 : 32 Although they fully know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them.
• Rom 3:15 : 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood,
• Rev 11:10 : 10 And those who live on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate, even sending gifts to each other, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
• Ps 9:15 : 15 The nations fell into the pit they had made; their feet were caught in the net they had hidden.
• 1 Kgs 21:25 : 25 (There had never been anyone like Ahab, who was firmly committed to doing evil in the sight of the LORD, urged on by his wife Jezebel.
• 2 Chr 22:3-4 : 3 He followed in the footsteps of Ahab’s dynasty, for his mother gave him evil advice. 4 He did evil in the sight of the LORD like Ahab’s dynasty because, after his father’s death, they gave him advice that led to his destruction.
• Esth 3:8-9 : 8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus,“There is a particular people that is dispersed and spread among the inhabitants throughout all the provinces of your kingdom whose laws differ from those of all other peoples. Furthermore, they do not observe the king’s laws. It is not appropriate for the king to provide a haven for them. 9 If the king is so inclined, let an edict be issued to destroy them. I will pay 10,000 talents of silver to be conveyed to the king’s treasuries for the officials who carry out this business.” 10 So the king removed his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, who was hostile toward the Jews. 11 The king replied to Haman,“Keep your money, and do with those people whatever you wish.” 12 So the royal scribes were summoned in the first month, on the thirteenth day of the month. Everything Haman commanded was written to the king’s satraps and governors who were in every province and to the officials of every people, province by province according to its script and people by people according to its language. In the name of King Ahasuerus it was written and sealed with the king’s signet ring. 13 Letters were sent by the runners to all the king’s provinces stating that they should destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jews, from youth to elderly, both women and children, on a particular day, namely the thirteenth day of the twelfth month(that is, the month of Adar), and to loot and plunder their possessions. 14 A copy of this edict was to be presented as law throughout every province; it was to be made known to all the inhabitants, so that they would be prepared for this day. 15 The messengers scurried forth with the king’s order. The edict was issued in Susa the citadel. While the king and Haman sat down to drink, the city of Susa was in an uproar!
• 2 Sam 13:3-5 : 3 Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah. Jonadab was a very crafty man. 4 He asked Amnon,“Why are you, the king’s son, so depressed every morning? Can’t you tell me?” So Amnon said to him,“I’m in love with Tamar the sister of my brother Absalom.” 5 Jonadab replied to him,“Lie down on your bed and pretend to be sick. When your father comes in to see you, say to him,‘Please let my sister Tamar come in so she can fix some food for me. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I can watch. Then I will eat from her hand.’”
• 2 Sam 16:21-17:4 : 21 Ahithophel replied to Absalom,“Sleep with your father’s concubines whom he left to care for the palace. All Israel will hear that you have made yourself repulsive to your father. Then your followers will be motivated to support you.” 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom slept with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel. 23 In those days Ahithophel’s advice was considered as valuable as a prophetic revelation. Both David and Absalom highly regarded the advice of Ahithophel. 1 The Death of Ahithophel Ahithophel said to Absalom,“Let me pick out twelve thousand men. Then I will go and pursue David this very night. 2 When I catch up with him he will be exhausted and worn out. I will rout him, and the entire army that is with him will flee. I will kill only the king 3 and will bring the entire army back to you. In exchange for the life of the man you are seeking, you will get back everyone. The entire army will return unharmed.” 4 This seemed like a good idea to Absalom and to all the leaders of Israel.