Esther 5:14

Esther 5:14 in other versions

• King James Version (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.
• New International Version (NIV)His wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a pole set up, reaching to a height of fifty cubits, and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai impaled on it. Then go with the king to the banquet and enjoy yourself.” This suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the pole set up.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, "Let a gallows fifty cubits high be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast." This idea pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows be made, fifty cubits high, and in the morning suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on it; then go merrily with the king to the banquet.” And the thing pleased Haman; so he had the gallows made.

Context of Esther 5:14

12Haman said to them, ‘Queen Esther asked me to go with the king to a special meal that she had prepared. We were the only people who ate with her. Now the queen has asked me to go with the king to another meal tomorrow. 13But even all these things do not make me happy. I am angry when I see that Jewish man Mordecai. He is sitting at the king's gate.’ Haman's wife and all his friends said to him, ‘This will make you happy. Tell your men to build a wooden tower that is 22 metres high. In the morning, tell the king to hang Mordecai on the tower to kill him. Then you will enjoy Queen Esther's special meal.’ Haman liked their idea very much. So he told his men to build the tall tower.

Esther 5:14 word by word

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׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Zereshזֶ֫רֶשׁzeresh · ZereshH2238
• his wifeאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
• and all his friendsאָהֵב'âhab 'âhêb · to love: friendH157
• unto him, Let a gallowsעֵץ‛êts · tree: stakeH6086
• be madeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• of fiftyחֲמִשִּׁיםchămishshîym · fiftyH2572
• cubitsאַמָּה'ammâh · cubitH520
• highגָּבֹהַּgâbôhha gâbôhha · highH1364
• and to morrowבֹּ֫קֶרbôqer · morningH1242
• thou unto the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• that Mordecaiמׇרְדֳּכַיmordekay · MordecaiH4782
• may be hangedתָּלָהtâlâh · to hangH8518
• thereon: then goבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• thou in merrilyשָׂמֵחַώâmêach · gladH8056
• unto the banquetמִשְׁתֶּהmishteh · feastH4960
• And the thingדָּבָרdâbâr · word: thingH1697
• pleasedפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• pleasedיָטַבyâţab · be goodH3190
• Hamanהָמָןhâmân · HamanH2001

Cross-references for Esther 5:14

• 2 Samuel 13:3Amnon had a friend called Jonadab. He was the son of David's brother, Shimeah. Jonadab was a clever man.
• 1 Kings 21:7Jezebel said, ‘You are the king who rules Israel! Now get up from your bed and eat something. Do not be upset! I will get Naboth's vineyard for you.’
• 2 Chronicles 22:3Ahaziah lived in the same bad way that Ahab's family had done. His mother taught him to do wicked things.
• Mark 6:19So Herodias was angry with John. She wanted to kill him. But she could not do that,
• Esther 7:9One of the king's eunuchs, Harbona, said, ‘There is a wooden tower near Haman's home. It is 22 metres high. His men built it so that he could hang Mordecai on it. Mordecai is the man who saved the king's life.’ The king said, ‘Hang Haman on the tower until he is dead.’
• Esther 3:8Then Haman said to King Xerxes, ‘There is a group of people who live in many regions of your kingdom. They have different customs to all the other people. They refuse to obey the laws of your kingdom. It is not good for you to let them live among all the other people in your kingdom.
• Esther 6:4The king said, ‘Who is now in the palace yard?’ Haman had just arrived at the palace. His men had built the wooden tower. Now he wanted to ask the king to hang Mordecai on it to kill him.
• Esther 3:15King Xerxes told his men to take the letters quickly to all the people. They also read the law to the people in Susa city. Then Haman and the king sat down to drink wine together. But the people in the city were very upset.
• Amos 6:4You lie on beautiful, expensive beds. You do not work, but you rest all the time. You eat fat young sheep and cows.
• Revelation 11:10The people who live on the earth will be very happy because the two servants of God are now dead. They will send gifts to each other because they are so happy. These two prophets of God had caused bad trouble for them, but now they have died.
• 2 Samuel 16:21Ahithophel answered, ‘Sleep with your father's slave wives that are here. He left them to take care of his palace. Then all the people in Israel will know that you have insulted your father. They will know that he must now hate you. That will help your own men to be strong.’
• 2 Samuel 17:1Ahithophel said to Absalom, ‘Please let me choose 12,000 men so that I can go and attack David tonight.
• Mark 14:10Then Judas Iscariot went to the leaders of the priests. He said that he would help them to catch Jesus. (Judas was one of Jesus' 12 apostles.)
• Acts 23:14They went to the leaders of the priests and the important Jews. They said to them, ‘We have agreed together to make a serious promise to God. We will not eat anything until we have killed Paul.
• Romans 1:32These people understand God's message about what is right. They know that people who do bad things like this ought to die. But they still continue to do those bad things. They are even happy when other people do those bad things too.
• Esther 7:10So they took Haman and they hanged him on the tower until he was dead. It was the same tower that Haman had wanted to kill Mordecai on. After that, the king did not feel so angry.

Commentaries on Esther 5:14

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14Let 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, Esther 2:23; (note). In former times the Jews were accustomed to burn Haman in effigy; and with him a wooden cross, which they pretended to be in memory of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14A gallows, in the ordinary sense, is scarcely intended, since hanging was not a Persian punishment. The intention, no doubt, was to crucify (see the Esther 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.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-14Verses 9-14 This account of Haman is a comment upon Pr 21:24. Self-admirers and self-flatterers are really self-deceivers. Haman, the higher he is lifted up, the more impatient he is of contempt, and the more enraged at it. The affront from Mordecai spoiled all. A slight affront, which a humble man would scarcely notice, will torment a proud man, even to madness, and will mar all his comforts. Those disposed to be uneasy, will never want something to be…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14A sharpened pole was a common execution device (see also Esther 2:23; Genesis 40:19, 22; Joshua 8:29). Seventy-five feet (fifty cubits) is very high, but Haman wanted to make an example of Mordecai, allowing everyone to see his body. The number might be an exaggeration for effect—fifty cubits is a round number—or it might mean a stake placed high on the city wall for public viewing.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-141. Esther put on her royal apparel--It was not only natural, but, on such occasions, highly proper and expedient, that the queen should decorate herself in a style becoming her exalted station. On ordinary occasions she might reasonably set off her charms to as much advantage as possible; but, on the present occasion, as she was desirous to secure the favor of one who sustained the twofold character of her husband and her sovereign, public as well as…Read the comment

Topics related to Esther 5:14

• Gallows
• Malice
• Women
• Zeresh

In the dictionaries

• Mordecai
• Banquet
• Esther, the Rest of
• Faint
• Hanging
• Punishments
• Relationships, Family
• Zeresh

Commentaries on Esther 5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings