Nevertheless Haman restrained himself, and went home. There, he sent and called for his friends and Zeresh his wife.
Parallel translations
- KJV Nevertheless Haman refrained himself: and when he came home, he sent and called for his friends, and Zeresh his wife.
- BSB Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home. And calling for his friends and his wife Zeresh,
- NKJV Nevertheless Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and called for his friends and his wife Zeresh.
- NASB Haman controlled himself, however, and went to his house. But he sent for his friends and his wife Zeresh.
- NLT However, he restrained himself and went on home. Then Haman gathered together his friends and Zeresh, his wife,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Haman restrains himself, goes home, and gathers his friends and his wife Zeresh. He turns to his circle to feed his wounded pride.
Overview
Containing his anger in public, Haman seeks affirmation among intimates, summoning his household and friends. The gathering becomes the setting for boasting and a deadly scheme. His need to rehearse his greatness reveals an emptiness no honor can fill apart from God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Esth 6:13Haman recounted to Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and Zeresh his wife said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, you will not prevail against him, but you will surely fall before him.”
- Eccl 7:9Don’t be hasty in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.
- 2 Sam 13:22–23Absalom spoke to Amnon neither good nor bad; for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar.
- Gen 45:1Then Joseph couldn’t control himself before all those who stood before him, and he cried, “Cause everyone to go out from me!” No one else stood with him, while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
- Gen 43:30–31Joseph hurried, for his heart yearned over his brother; and he sought a place to weep. He entered into his room, and wept there.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Though God is never named, his hidden hand preserves the people from whom the Messiah will come — a deliverance 'for such a time as this' that anticipates the open deliverance of Christ.
How Esther 5:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.