Haman
The proud Agagite minister whose plot to destroy the Jews was foiled by Queen Esther.
Haman (Hebrew: הָמָן Hāmān; also known as Haman the Agagite) is the main antagonist in the Book of Esther, who according to the Hebrew Bible was an official in the court of the Persian empire under King Ahasuerus, commonly identified as Xerxes I (died 465 BCE) but traditionally equated with Artaxerxes I or Artaxerxes II. His epithet, Agagite, indicates that Haman was a descendant of Agag, the king of the Amalekites. Some commentators interpret this descent to be symbolic, due to his similar personality.
- Father
- Hammedatha the Agagite (Esther 3:1)
- Title
- Prince advanced above all other princes (Esther 3:1)
- Role
- The Jews’ enemy (Esther 3:10)
- Wealth
- Boasted of his riches and many children (Esther 5:11)
- Gallows
- Had a gallows fifty cubits high made for Mordecai (Esther 5:14)
Lore & Background
In the narrative of the Book of Esther, Haman was a proud and ambitious man who demanded that everyone bow down to him as a sign of respect. However, a Jewish man named Mordecai refused to bow down to him, which enraged Haman. Seeking revenge, Haman convinced the king to issue a decree that all Jews in the Persian empire be exterminated. Haman's plot was foiled by Queen Esther, who was also Jewish and had concealed her identity from the King. Esther revealed Haman's plan to Ahasuerus and pleaded with him to spare her people. The King was outraged at Haman's treachery and ordered that he be executed instead.
Reader's Guide
Haman is the son of Hammedatha the Agagite. After Haman was appointed the principal minister of the king Ahasuerus, all of the king's servants were required to bow down to Haman, but Mordecai refused. Angered by this, and knowing of Mordecai's Jewish nationality, Haman convinced Ahasuerus to allow him to have all of the Jews in the Persian empire killed. The plot was foiled by Queen Esther, the king's recent wife, who was herself a Jew. Esther invited Haman and the king to two banquets. In the second banquet, she informed the king that Haman was plotting to kill her (and the other Jews). This enraged the king, who was further angered when (after leaving the room briefly and returning) he discovered Haman had fallen on Esther's couch, intending to beg mercy from Esther, but which the king interpreted as a sexual advance. On the king's orders, Haman was hanged from the 50-cubit-high gallows that had originally been built by Haman himself, on the advice of his wife Zeresh, in order to hang Mordecai. The bodies of Haman's 10 sons were also hanged, after they died in battle against the Jews. The Jews also killed about 75,000 of their enemies in self-defense.
Did You Know?
- Some scholars equate Haman with Omanus, a theonym recorded by Strabo.
- Several etymologies have been proposed for Haman, including association with the Persian word Humāyūn, meaning 'illustrious', or with the sacred drink Haoma.
- In the Qur'an, Haman is mentioned six times and is associated with the pharaoh of the Exodus.
- According to the Targum Sheni, Haman killed the prophet Daniel.
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