And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the Jews who are in Susa be allowed tomorrow also to do according to this day's edict. And let the ten sons of Haman be hanged on the gallows.”
The king has just told Esther how many of her enemies died in Shushan, and he offers her whatever she asks. She asks for one more day of the same, and for ten dead men to be hung up in public.
Why a second day was needed
The Jews had already killed five hundred men in Shushan. So why does Esther ask for a second day there? One writer answers from a single word:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinBut had they not already killed 500 in Shushan? The 500 were killed in the palace — or, as that word should be rendered, citadel, fortress. She asked for the extra day to continue the work of retribution in the city itself.
Hanging men who were already dead
Haman's ten sons had died in the fighting the day before. So why ask for their bodies to be hung up? One writer gives the reason:
Leslie M. GrantShe asked for another day to rid Shushan of the Jews' enemies, and also to have Haman's ten sons hanged (v. 13). Of course, this was after they had been killed, so it was meant to impress the people with how great Haman's guilt was. The king gave his consent. Haman's sons were hanged, and the Jews gathered together the next day, killing 300 enemies of the Jews. It must have been that those 300 had before shown themselves to be the Jews' enemies.
Nothing taken for themselves
Three times the record notes that the Jews took no plunder, though the decree allowed it. One writer sees in the whole scene a preview of a judgment still to come:
H. L. RossierThe oppressor of the Jews is judged, along with his family (vv. 6-10). In the same way the apostate race of the Antichrist will perish in a future day, for the hour of vengeance has struck. Only, the people "laid no hand on the plunder" (vv. 10, 15, 16). That was in keeping with what had been laid down about Amalek or the enemies of Israel (1 Samuel 15:9; Joshua 6:19-20). It is only a matter of carrying out God's judgment, without any profit for those who carry it out. Ahasuerus accepts this vengeance as a necessity. His capital is the place where the plot against the Jews was hatched. It is handed over to the judgment of God for one day more than the other cities of the kingdom.
Commentators differ on why the Jews held back. Another writer points to a practical reason:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThey did not touch the spoil, the goods and possessions of those killed, probably to avoid false accusations, though the decree gave them permission to plunder their enemies.
The line of Haman ended
Why did Esther ask for the whole family? One writer traces where Haman came from:
Leslie M. GrantKing Ahasuerus promoted Haman, an Agagite, to a position above all the princes. Agag had been the king of the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:8). They were bitter enemies of Israel from the time Israel came out of Egypt (Exodus 17:8-16). God said He would completely blot out the memory of them from under heaven (Exodus 17:8-14). King Saul had later spared Agag when destroying the Amalekites, but "Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the LORD" (1 Samuel 15:32-33).
Against that background, the ten sons matter as a family line. One writer notes the result:
C E StuartEsther's disclosure of the plot to Ahasuerus led to Haman's execution, and to the execution of his ten sons. That wiped out his family in the direct male line.
Why the blow falls twice
Some commentators read the whole chapter as a picture of a future day when God settles accounts on earth. One writer ties the second blow to the way the Lord will act in that day:
William KellyOnce this is understood, the execution of the ten sons of Haman is not the smallest difficulty. The Lord will not only strike at the beginning; the blow will fall a second time. There will be a thorough clearance of the adversary, and of all who render only pretended obedience. The Lord will deal with them in that day that is coming.
Not a pattern for Christians
The same writer warns against reading Esther as a model for the church. The two run on different principles:
William KellyThere are many who cannot understand this. And no wonder! They take Esther as the type of the Lord's dealings with the church. One sees at once what profound confusion that makes. Not so… righteousness will be the character of the reign of the kingdom by and by. Grace is what suits the church now. To carry out righteous vengeance would be completely out of keeping with the calling of the Christian — with the church's place.
Summary
- Fortress, then city. The first day cleared the citadel. Esther's request carried the judgment into the streets of the city where the plot began.
- Display, not execution. Haman's sons were already dead; hanging them showed the city the size of their father's crime.
- Judgment, not profit. Three times the record notes that the Jews took no plunder — the work was God's, and they gained nothing by it.
- Root, not branch. Haman was an Agagite, from the nation Saul failed to finish. His male line ends here.
- Righteousness, not grace. Commentators see the second blow as a picture of a coming day of reckoning. They also warn that vengeance has no place in the Christian's calling now.