Esther 7:8

“Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine, etc.] Being a little cooler, and more composed in his mind, see (see Gill on “<170105>Esther 1:5”) and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was; not the bed she lay on to sleep in the night, (for it cannot be thought that it was a bedchamber in which the banquet was,) but on the bed or couch on which she sat or reclined at the banquet, as was the custom in the eastern countries; now, “by”, or “near” this, as the word may be rendered, Haman fell down, even at the feet of the queen, begging for mercy; and some think he might embrace her feet or knees, as was the custom of the Greeks and Romans as…”

“Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was--We do not know the precise form of the couches on which the Persians reclined at table. But it is probable that they were not very different from those used by the Greeks and Romans. Haman, perhaps, at first stood up to beg pardon of Esther; but driven in his extremity to resort to an attitude of the most earnest supplication, he fell prostrate on the couch where the queen was recumbent. The king returning that instant was fired at what seemed an outrage on female modesty. they covered Haman's face--The import of this striking action is, that a criminal is unworthy any longer to look on the face of the king, and hence, when malefactors are…”

“Like the Greeks and Romans, the Persians reclined at their meals on sofas or couches. Haman, in the intensity of his supplication, had thrown himself upon the couch at Esther’s feet. They covered Haman’s face - The Macedonians and the Romans are known to have commonly muffled the heads of prisoners before executing them. It may have also been a Persian custom. return to 'Top of Page' Footnotes: Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Bibliographical Information Barnes, Albert. "Commentary on Esther 7". "Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/bnb/esther-7.html. 1870. StudyLight.org &copy;&#160;2001-2026 Powered by Lightspeed Technology”

“Bed - On which the queen sat at meat. Force - Will he attempt my queen's chastity, as he hath already attempted her life! He speaks not this out of real jealousy, but from an exasperated mind, which takes all occasions to vent itself against the person who gave the provocation. They - The king's and queen's chamberlains attending upon them. Covered - That the king might not be offended or grieved with the sight of a person whom he now loathed: and because they looked upon him as a condemned person; for the faces of such used to be covered. Next: Esther Chapter 8”

“7:8 he fell on the couch where Queen Esther was reclining: A major mistake, for no one should touch the queen, much less be on the same couch with her. • Will he even assault the queen . . . before my very eyes? This exaggerated rhetorical question implicates Haman with the worst possible motives.”

“the bed: Est 1:6; Isa 49:23 before me: Heb. with me they covered Haman's: When a criminal was condemned by a Roman judge, he was delivered to the serjeant with these words: I, lictor, caput obnubito arbori infelici suspendito, "Go, sergeant, cover his head, and hang him on the accursed tree." Est 6:12; Job 9:24; Isa 22:17 Esther 7:9”