Esther 5 explained: Esther Risks Her Life, Haman Plots

Esther approaches the king (vv. 1-3)

On the third day of the fast she had asked her people to keep, Esther goes to the king without being summoned, which by Persian law could mean death. By holding out his gold scepter he spares and welcomes her, and "up to half the kingdom" was a generous figure of speech, not a literal offer.

A banquet, then another (vv. 4-8)

Instead of stating her real request, Esther invites the king and Haman, the official who arranged the order to wipe out the Jews, to a private dinner, and then to a second one the next day. The text never says why she waits; readers guess she was building the king's goodwill or gathering courage, and the delay sets up what happens overnight in the next chapter.

Haman's pride and rage (vv. 9-13)

Haman leaves delighted at being the queen's only other guest, then sees Mordecai, Esther's cousin, still refusing to stand or show fear before him. At home he boasts of his wealth, his many sons and his high rank, yet admits none of it satisfies him while Mordecai sits at the king's gate.

A pole for Mordecai (v. 14)

His wife Zeresh and his friends urge him to set up a pole about 75 feet (23 meters) tall and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai executed on it. Older translations say "gallows," but impaling was a known Persian punishment, so the exact method is uncertain, and the text gives no reason for the extreme height.

Key verse: Esther 5:2

Where Christians differ

Because God is never named in Esther, Christians differ on whether to read events like the king's favor and Esther's delay as God quietly steering things or simply as human courage, cleverness and chance.

Something to think about

What do you think makes it possible for someone to have a great deal and still feel it is not enough?