But when it came before the king, he commanded by letter that the wicked scheme which Haman had devised against the Jews should come back upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.
Parallel translations
- WEB but when this became known to the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he had devised against the Jews, should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.
- KJV But when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.
- NKJV but when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letter that this wicked plot which Haman had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.
- NASB But when it came to the king’s attention, he commanded by letter that his wicked scheme which he had devised against the Jews was to return on his own head, and that he and his sons were to be hanged on the wooden gallows.
- NLT But when Esther came before the king, he issued a decree causing Haman’s evil plot to backfire, and Haman and his sons were impaled on a sharpened pole.
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
When the plot came before the king, he decreed that Haman's evil scheme should fall back on his own head, and he and his sons were hanged. The plotter perished by the very fate he planned for others.
Overview
Haman's downfall embodies the biblical principle that the wicked fall into the pit they dig for others (Psalm 7:15-16; Proverbs 26:27). His own gallows, built for Mordecai, became his instrument of death. This poetic justice displays God's moral order quietly governing events, assuring His people that schemes against them ultimately recoil on their authors.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Ps 7:16His trouble recoils on himself, and his violence falls on his own head.
- Esth 9:13–14Esther replied, “If it pleases the king, may the Jews in Susa also have tomorrow to carry out today’s edict, and may the bodies of Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the gallows.”
- Matt 21:44He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”
- Ps 140:9May the heads of those who surround me be covered in the trouble their lips have caused.
- Ps 141:10Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.
- Esth 7:5Then King Xerxes spoke up and asked Queen Esther, “Who is this, and where is the one who would devise such a scheme?”
- Ps 109:17–18The cursing that he loved, may it fall on him; the blessing in which he refused to delight, may it be far from him.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 9:25 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.