Esther 5:9-14 · Haman’s Rage Against Mordecai

9 Haman went out that day happy and in high spirits. But when he saw Mordecai at the king's gate and observed that he neither rose nor showed fear in his presence, he was filled with rage against Mordecai. 10 Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home. Calling together his friends and Zeresh, his wife, 11 Haman boasted to them about his vast wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials. 12 "And that's not all," Haman added. "I'm the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow. 13 But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king's gate."

14 His wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, "Have a gallows built, seventy-five feet high, and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go with the king to the dinner and be happy." This suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the gallows built.

Haman’s Hatred of Mordecai
Esther 5:9-14
One Volume
by Gary M. Burge
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Full of joy and inebriated, Haman leaves Queen Esther’s banquet and returns home to boast of his great wealth and honored position in the courts of the king. On the way home, Haman encounters his nemesis Mordecai, who refuses once again to bow before him (5:9). Seething with rage, pretentious Haman vows revenge. After bragging to his family and friends about …

Baker Publishing Group, The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary, by Gary M. Burge