Haman הָמָן
A Persian official who plotted to destroy the Jews.
Who is Haman in the Bible?
Haman was a high-ranking Persian official in the court of King Ahasuerus who became the primary antagonist of the book of Esther (Est. 3:1). An Agagite descendant of the Amalekites, Haman was promoted to a position of great authority and demanded that all royal officials bow before him, but the Jewish man Mordecai refused (Est. 3:2-4). Enraged by this defiance, Haman plotted not only Mordecai's death but the extermination of all Jews throughout the Persian Empire, convincing the king to issue a decree for their destruction (Est. 3:5-15). His conspiracy was ultimately exposed by Queen Esther, who revealed both her Jewish identity and Haman's treachery to the king (Est. 7:1-6). Haman's downfall and execution on the gallows he had built for Mordecai (Est. 7:10) exemplify how pride and hatred ultimately bring about one's own destruction, while God's providence preserves His people.
Biography
Haman is the primary antagonist in the book of Esther. He was an Agagite, a descendant of the Amalekite kings, and a high-ranking official in the Persian Empire during the reign of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I). Haman was promoted to a position of authority and commanded all the royal officials to bow down to him (Est.3.1-2). However, Mordecai, a Jew, refused to bow to Haman (Est.3.2-4). Enraged, Haman plotted to destroy not only Mordecai but all the Jews in the empire (Est.3.5-6). He convinced the king to issue a decree ordering the extermination of the Jews (Est.3.8-15). Haman also had a gallows built to hang Mordecai (Est.5.14). However, Haman's plans were thwarted by Queen Esther, who revealed her Jewish identity to the king and exposed Haman's plot (Est.7.1-6). The king ordered Haman to be hanged on the very gallows he had prepared for Mordecai (Est.7.7-10). Haman's ten sons were also executed (Est.9.10-14). The king then issued a new decree, allowing the Jews to defend themselves against their enemies (Est.8.1-14). Haman's story serves as a powerful example of how God can use individuals to protect His people and bring about justice, even in the face of great adversity.
Family
Parents
Offspring
- Parshandatha MaleSon of HamanSon of Haman killed by the JewsView full profile →
- Dalphon MaleSon of HamanSon of Haman, enemy of the JewsView full profile →
- Aspatha MaleSon of HamanOne of the ten sons of HamanView full profile →
- Poratha MaleSon of HamanSon of Haman, enemy of the JewsView full profile →
- Adalia MaleSon of HamanSon of Haman, enemy of the JewsView full profile →
- Aridatha MaleSon of HamanSon of Haman, enemy of the JewsView full profile →
- Parmashta MaleSon of HamanSon of Haman, killed by the JewsView full profile →
- Arisai MaleSon of HamanSon of Haman, enemy of the JewsView full profile →
- Aridai MaleSon of HamanSon of Haman, enemy of the JewsView full profile →
- Vaizatha MaleSon of HamanSon of Haman, enemy of the JewsView full profile →
In Scripture
1 biblical book ; 1 with study contentEsther 5 verses
- Esther 3:1
"After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him to a position above all the princes who were with him."
Study Esther → - Esther 3:2
"All the royal servants at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, because the king had commanded that this be done for him. But Mordecai would not bow down or pay homage."
Study Esther → - Esther 3:4
"Day after day they warned him, but he would not comply. So they reported it to Haman to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, since he had told them he was a Jew."
Study Esther → - Esther 3:5
"When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or pay him homage, he was filled with rage."
Study Esther → - Esther 3:6
"And when he learned the identity of Mordecai’s people, he scorned the notion of laying hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he sought to destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the kingdom of Xerxes."
Study Esther →
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | הָמָן |
Haman
render to him the adoration which was due to him in accordance with Persian custom. Haman's wrath was so inflamed that one man's life seemed too mean a sacrifice, and he resolved that Mordecai's nation should perish with him. This was the cause of Haman's downfall and death. A ridiculous notion, which, though widely accepted, has no better foundation than a rabbinic suggestion or guess, represents him as a descendant of Agag, the king of Amalek, who was slain by Samuel. But the language of Scripture (1Sa 15:33) indicates that when Agag fell, he was the last of his house. Besides, why should his descendants, if any existed, be called Agagites and not Amalekites? Saul's posterity are in no case termed Saulites, but Benjamites or Israelites. But the basis of this theory has been swept away by recent discovery. Agag was a territory adjacent to that of Media. In an inscription found at Khorsabad, Sargon, the father of Sennacherib, says: "Thirty-four districts of Media I conquered and I added them to the domain of Assyria: I imposed upon them an annual tribute of horses. The country of Agazi (Agag) .... I ravaged, I wasted, I burned." It may be added that the name of Haman is not Hebrew, neither is that of Hammedatha his father. "The name of Haman," writes M. Oppert, the distinguished Assyriologist, "as well as that of his father, belongs to the Medo-Persian."
John Urquhart
ha'-math (chamath; Hemath, Haimath; Swete also has Hemath): The word signifies a defense or citadel, and such designation was very suitable for this chief royal city of the Hittites, situated between their northern and