“What is more,” Haman added, “Queen Esther invited no one but me to join the king at the banquet she prepared, and I am invited back tomorrow along with the king.
Parallel translations
- WEB Haman also said, “Yes, Esther the queen let no man come in with the king to the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and tomorrow I am also invited by her together with the king.
- KJV Haman said moreover, Yea, Esther the queen did let no man come in with the king unto the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and to morrow am I invited unto her also with the king.
- NKJV Moreover Haman said, “Besides, Queen Esther invited no one but me to come in with the king to the banquet that she prepared; and tomorrow I am again invited by her, along with the king.
- NASB Haman also said, “Even Esther the queen let no one except me come with the king to the banquet which she had prepared; and tomorrow also I am invited by her with the king.
- NLT Then Haman added, “And that’s not all! Queen Esther invited only me and the king himself to the banquet she prepared for us. And she has invited me to dine with her and the king again tomorrow!”
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 crowns his boast by claiming Esther invited him alone with the king to her banquets. He reads royal favor as proof of his greatness.
Overview
Haman interprets Esther's invitation as a unique mark of distinction, deepening his self-deception. The very banquet he prizes is the snare that will undo him, a heavy irony the reader perceives. His misplaced confidence shows how the proud are blind to the judgment drawing near.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Prov 27:1Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
- Ps 37:35–36I have seen a wicked, ruthless man flourishing like a well-rooted native tree,
- Job 8:12–13While the shoots are still uncut, they dry up quicker than grass.
- Luke 21:34–35But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.
- 1 Th 5:3While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
- Job 20:5–8the triumph of the wicked has been brief and the joy of the godless momentary?
- Prov 7:22–23He follows her on impulse, like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer bounding into a trap,
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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 5:12 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
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