Esther 7:8

Esther 7:8 in other versions

• King James Version (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.
• New International Version (NIV)Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, “Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?” As soon as the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the king returned from the palace garden to the place where they were drinking wine, as Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was. And the king said, "Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?" As the word left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman's face.
• New King James Version (NKJV)When the king returned from the palace garden to the place of the banquet of wine, Haman had fallen across the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, “Will he also assault the queen while I am in the house?” As the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.

Context of Esther 7:8

6Esther replied, ‘The enemy of our people is this wicked man Haman!’ Then Haman became very afraid, as he sat there with the king and the queen. 7The king was very angry and he stood up. He left his wine and he went into the palace garden. Haman realized that the king wanted to destroy him. So he stayed with Queen Esther and he asked her to save his life. Queen Esther was lying down on a bed. Haman threw himself down beside her. At that moment, the king returned from the garden. The king shouted, ‘What is this man doing? He even attacks the queen when she is with me in my palace!’ While the king was still saying this, his servants covered Haman's head. 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.’ 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.

Esther 7:8 word by word

וְהַמֶּ֡לֶךְ שָׁב֩ מִגִּנַּ֨ת הַבִּיתָ֜ן אֶל־בֵּ֣ית׀ מִשְׁתֵּ֣ה הַיַּ֗יִן וְהָמָן֙ נֹפֵ֔ל עַל־הַמִּטָּה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶסְתֵּ֣ר עָלֶ֔יהָ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ הֲ֠גַם לִכְבּ֧וֹשׁ אֶת־הַמַּלְכָּ֛ה עִמִּ֖י בַּבָּ֑יִת הַדָּבָ֗ר יָצָא֙ מִפִּ֣י הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ וּפְנֵ֥י הָמָ֖ן חָפֽוּ׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• returnedשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
• out of the palaceבִּיתָןbîythân · palaceH1055
• gardenגִּנָּהginnâh · gardenH1594
• into the placeבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
• of the banquetמִשְׁתֶּהmishteh · feastH4960
• of wineיַ֫יִןyayin · wineH3196
• and Hamanהָמָןhâmân · HamanH2001
• was fallenנָפַלnâphal · to fall: fallH5307
• upon the bedמִטָּהmiţţâh · bedH4296
• whereon Estherאֶסְתֵּר'estêr · EstherH635
• Then saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Will he forceכָּבַשׁkâbash · to subdueH3533
• the queenמַלְכָּהmalkâh · queenH4436
• As the wordדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
• went outיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: speakH3318
• mouthפֶּהpeh · lipH6310
• they coveredחָפָהchâphâh · to coverH2645
• faceפָּנֶהpânîym · faceH6440

Cross-references for Esther 7:8

• Esther 1:6The gardens had curtains made of expensive white linen and purple material. They hung from silver rings on white stone pillars. White and purple strings held the curtains. There were seats made from gold and silver. The floor had many kinds of valuable stones to make it beautiful.
• Isaiah 49:23The kings of those nations will take care of your children. The kings' daughters will feed them. The rulers will bend down low in front of you, so that their faces touch the ground. They will taste the dirt by your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord. I will not disappoint people who wait for me to help them.
• Esther 6:12After this, Mordecai returned to sit at the king's gate. But Haman hurried back home. He covered his face because he was ashamed and upset.
• Job 9:24A wicked man may have power to rule a nation. Then God stops the judges from being fair. It must be God who does that. Who else could it be?
• Isaiah 22:17But look! The Lord will catch you and he will throw you out! You are just a man. He will take hold of you with all his strength.

Commentaries on Esther 7:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8Will he force the queen - On the king's return he found him at the queen's knees; and, professing to think that he intended to do violence to her honor, used the above expressions; though he must have known that, in such circumstances, the thought of perpetrating an act of this kind could not possibly exist. They covered Haman's face - This was a sign of his being devoted to death: for the attendants saw that the king was determined on his destruction…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8Like the Greeks and Romans, the Persians reclined at their meals on sofas or couches. Haman, in the intensity of his supplication, had thrown himself upon the couch at Esther‘s feet. They covered Haman‘s face - The Macedonians and the Romans are known to have commonly muffled the heads of prisoners before executing them. It may have also been a Persian custom.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-10Verses 7-10 The king was angry: those that do things with self-will, reflect upon them afterward with self-reproach. When angry, we should pause before we come to any resolution, and thus rule our own spirits, and show that we are governed by reason. Those that are most haughty and insolent when in power and prosperity, commonly, like Haman, are the most abject and poor-spirited when brought down. The day is coming when those that hate and persecute God's…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining: This was a major mistake because no one should touch the queen or be on the same couch with her. Would he actually assault the queen while I am in the palace?: This exaggerated rhetorical question suggests Haman has the worst possible motives.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was--We do not know the precise form of the couches on which the Persians reclined at table. But it is probable that they were not very different from those used by the Greeks and Romans. Haman, perhaps, at first stood up to beg pardon of Esther; but driven in his extremity to resort to an attitude of the most earnest supplication, he fell prostrate on the couch where the queen was recumbent. The king…Read the comment

Topics related to Esther 7:8

• Readings, Select

In the dictionaries

• Esther
• Esther, Hadassah
• Banquet
• Esther, Book of
• Face
• Garden
• Head
• Persians

Commentaries on Esther 7

• 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