Esther Chapter 3

“After these things, etc.] After the marriage of Esther, and the discovery of the conspiracy to take away the king’s life, five years after, as Aben Ezra observe, at least more than four years, for so it appears from (<170307>Esther 3:7) did King Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite; whom both the Targums make to descend from Amalek, and to be of the stock or family of Agag, the common name of the kings of Amalek; and so Josephus f105; but this is not clear and certain; in the apocryphal Esther he is said to be a Macedonian; and Sulpitius the historian says f106 he was a Persian, which is not…”

“HAMAN, ADVANCED BY THE KING, AND DESPISED BY MORDECAI, SEEKS REVENGE ON ALL THE JEWS. (Est 3:1-15) After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman . . . set his seat above all the princes--that is, raised him to the rank of vizier, or prime confidential minister, whose pre-eminence in office and power appeared in the elevated state chair appropriated to that supreme functionary. Such a distinction in seats was counted of vast importance in the formal court of Persia.”

“The name, Haman, is probably the same as the Classical Omanes, and in ancient Persian, “Umana”, an exact equivalent of the Greek “Eumenes.” Hammedatha is perhaps the same as “Madata” or “Mahadata”, an old Persian name signifying “given by (or to) the moon.” The Agagite - The Jews generally understand by this expression “the descendant of Agag,” the Amalekite monarch of 1 Samuel 15:0. Haman, however, by his own name, and the names of his sons Esther 9:7-9 and his father, would seem to have been a genuine Persian. The Classical writers make no mention of Haman’s advancement; but their notices of the reign of Xerxes…”

“Agagite - An Amalekite of the royal seed of that nation, whose kings were successively called Agag. All the princes - Gave him the first place and seat, which was next to the king. Esther 3:2”

“3:1-15 Haman’s hatred for Mordecai develops into a plot to kill all the Jewish people.”

“am 3551, bc 453 promote Haman: Est 7:6; Psa 12:8; Pro 29:2 Agagite: Num 24:7; Sa1 15:8, Sa1 15:33 above all the princes: Est 1:14; Gen 41:40, Gen 41:55; Ezr 7:14; Dan 6:2 Esther 3:2”

“The elevation of Haman above all the princes of the kingdom is said in a general manner to have taken place "after these things," i.e., after the matters related in Est 2. גּדּל, to make great, to make any one a great man; נשּׂא, elevated, is more precisely defined by the sentence following: he set his seat above all the princes that were with him, i.e., above the seat of all the princes about the king; in fact, advanced him to the highest post, made him his grand vizier. Haman is called the son of Hammedatha האגגי, the Agagite, or of the Agagites. אגגי recalls אגג kings of the Amalekites, conquered and taken…”