Esther 5

Esther's First Banquet

¹Now on the third day, Esther put on her royal clothing and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, next to the king’s house. The king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, next to the entrance of the house.

²When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she obtained favor in his sight; and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. So Esther came near and touched the top of the scepter.

³Then the king asked her, “What would you like, queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you even to the half of the kingdom.”

⁴Esther said, “If it seems good to the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.”

⁵Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, so that it may be done as Esther has said.” So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared.

⁶The king said to Esther at the banquet of wine, “What is your petition? It shall be granted you. What is your request? Even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed.”

⁷Then Esther answered and said, “My petition and my request is this.

⁸If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I will prepare for them, and I will do tomorrow as the king has said.”

Haman's Rage and the Gallows

⁹Then Haman went out that day joyful and glad of heart, but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, that he didn’t stand up nor move for him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai.

¹⁰Nevertheless Haman restrained himself, and went home. There, he sent and called for his friends and Zeresh his wife.

¹¹Haman recounted to them the glory of his riches, the multitude of his children, all the things in which the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king.

¹²Haman also said, “Yes, Esther the queen let no man come in with the king to the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and tomorrow I am also invited by her together with the king.

¹³Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”

¹⁴Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows be made fifty cubits high, and in the morning speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on it. Then go in merrily with the king to the banquet.” This pleased Haman, so he had the gallows made.

Previous Esther 4

Next Esther 6

Esther courageously approaches King Ahasuerus uninvited, risking her life to begin her plan to save the Jewish people. When granted an audience, she wisely invites the king and Haman to a banquet, then extends the invitation to a second banquet the following day, building suspense and positioning herself strategically. Meanwhile, Haman's joy over his privileged access to the queen is overshadowed by his consuming hatred for Mordecai, leading him to construct a massive gallows for his enemy's execution.

Context

This chapter follows Esther's three-day fast and sets up the dramatic reversal that will unfold in chapters 6-7.

Key Themes

Outline

1-2
Esther's Risky Approach Esther enters the king's presence uninvited and receives his favor through the golden scepter.
3-5
The First Banquet Invitation The king offers Esther anything she desires, but she requests only that he and Haman attend her banquet.
6-8
Strategic Delay At the banquet, Esther again defers her real request and invites them to a second banquet.
9-10
Haman's Mixed Emotions Haman leaves joyful but becomes enraged when Mordecai refuses to bow to him.
11-14
The Gallows Constructed Haman boasts to his family about his honors but obsesses over Mordecai, leading to the construction of execution gallows.

Esther's First Banquet

5:1–5:8

narrative narration hopeful

Esther successfully approaches King Ahasuerus and receives his favor. She invites the king and Haman to a banquet, strategically delaying her actual request until a second banquet.

person_contrast

Esther's strategic delay—inviting Haman to two consecutive banquets rather than making her request immediately—mirrors ancient Near Eastern diplomatic protocol where major petitions required ceremonial buildup.

Haman's Rage and the Gallows

5:9–5:14

narrative narration wrathful

Despite his honor at Esther's banquet, Haman's rage toward Mordecai consumes him. His wife and friends advise him to build gallows to hang Mordecai, which Haman does.

person_contrast

Haman's emotional volatility shifts from "joyful and glad of heart" to "filled with wrath" within a single verse, revealing how quickly honor can transform into murderous rage when pride encounters defiance.

Insight Character Study

Cross-References

Connected passages across Scripture

Esther 5:1 5 references

Lexicals 5

Ezekiel 42:3 Lexical

Opposite the twenty cubits which belonged to the inner court, and opposite the pavement which belonged to the outer cour…

Esther 5

Esther's First Banquet

Haman's Rage and the Gallows

Esther's First Banquet

Haman's Rage and the Gallows

Insights

Cross-References

Esther 5:1 5 references

Esther 5:2 4 references

Esther 5:3 3 references

Esther 5:4 3 references

Esther 5:5 3 references

Esther 5:6 5 references

Esther 5:7 3 references

Esther 5:8 4 references

Esther 5:9 5 references

Esther 5:10 1 reference

Esther 5:11 4 references

Esther 5:12 5 references

Esther 5:13 2 references

Esther 5:14 5 references

Interlinear