Original Word: הָמָן
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Haman
Pronunciation: hah-MAHN
Phonetic Spelling: (haw-mawn')
KJV: Haman
Word Origin: [of foreign derivation]
1. Haman, a Persian vizier
Of foreign derivation; Haman, a Persian vizier -- Haman.
המס (√ of following; meaning dubious).
[フレーム]
Haman, designated throughout the Book of Esther as "the son of Hammedatha the Agagite," is the highest-ranking courtier of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I, 486–465 BC). Although resident in the Persian Empire, Scripture links him to Agag, the royal line of the Amalekites, Israel’s ancient foe (1 Samuel 15:8). This ancestral note is critical for understanding his hatred of the Jews and frames the entire narrative of Esther.
Biblical Occurrences
All fifty-four Hebrew occurrences are confined to the Book of Esther, spanning Esther 3:1 to 9:25. They trace a rapid rise to power, an attempted genocide, and a dramatic downfall. Key texts include:
• Esther 3:1 – "After these events King Ahasuerus promoted Haman... and advanced him and placed his seat above all the officials who were with him."
• Esther 3:8 – Haman presents his murderous decree.
• Esther 5:9 – Haman’s pride and rage against Mordecai.
• Esther 7:10 – "So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided."
• Esther 9:24-25 – The formal record of his plot and its reversal, providing the basis for Purim.
Historical Background
Ahasuerus’ empire encompassed "one hundred twenty-seven provinces from India to Cush" (Esther 1:1). Persian kings commonly delegated vast authority to favorites, explaining how Haman could issue an empire-wide edict (Esther 3:12-13). The reference to "lots" (Pur) reflects Persian and Mesopotamian divination practices (Esther 3:7), which the Lord overruled in His providence.
Character Profile
1. Ambition: He covets royal honor (Esther 6:6-9) and is infuriated when one man, Mordecai, refuses to bow (Esther 3:5).
2. Malice: Instead of targeting Mordecai alone, Haman seeks to destroy "all the Jews" (Esther 3:6).
3. Manipulation: He offers ten thousand talents of silver to the royal treasury (Esther 3:9), a bribe roughly two-thirds of the annual Persian revenue.
4. Pride’s Collapse: The pivot comes when he must parade Mordecai through Susa (Esther 6:11), a humiliation signaling divine reversal.
Relationship to Amalek
Exodus 17:16 declares perpetual war between the Lord and Amalek. Saul’s failure to annihilate Agag (1 Samuel 15) left a surviving line that resurfaces in Haman. Mordecai, a Benjaminite descended from Kish (Esther 2:5), thus confronts the unfinished business of his forefather Saul. The clash in Esther is the last biblical episode in that centuries-long conflict, ending with Amalek’s extinction.
Theological Significance
Providence: God’s name is absent from Esther, yet His sovereignty permeates the plot. Timing—the king’s sleepless night (Esther 6:1) or Esther’s unscheduled audience (Esther 5:2)—reveals an unseen Hand.
Covenant Preservation: Haman’s decree threatens the Messianic line. By overturning it, God safeguards His redemptive promises, culminating in Jesus Christ (Matthew 1).
Retributive Justice: Haman is executed on the very gallows he built (Esther 7:10). His ten sons are likewise hanged (Esther 9:13-14), illustrating Proverbs 26:27 in narrative form.
Purim
Haman’s plot and its reversal are memorialized annually on the fourteenth and fifteenth of Adar (Esther 9:20-22). Purim celebrates divine deliverance, highlighting joy, feasting, generosity to the poor, and reading the Megillah (Esther).
Typological Foreshadowing
Many expositors view Haman as a prototype of the ultimate adversary, prefiguring both Antiochus IV, Roman oppression, and the eschatological Antichrist. His genocidal ambition, manipulation of governmental power, and final downfall mirror future patterns foretold in Daniel and Revelation.
Lessons for Ministry
• Spiritual vigilance: Ancient enmities may resurface in new guises; believers must remain watchful.
• Humility: Haman’s ruin warns against pride, while Mordecai’s exaltation reflects James 4:6.
• Courageous intercession: Esther’s advocacy models sacrificial leadership.
• Confidence in providence: Even in diasporic settings under pagan rule, God’s plan is unstoppable.
Jewish and Christian Reception
In Jewish liturgy, Haman’s name is drowned out by noisemakers during Purim readings. Christian commentators—from Josephus to the Reformers—underscore God’s faithfulness. Modern missions literature employs Esther’s reversal as a paradigm for kingdom advance in hostile contexts.
Conclusion
Haman stands as Scripture’s archetypal enemy of God’s people. His narrative exposes the futility of opposing the Lord’s covenant purposes and offers enduring assurance that divine providence turns intended evil into blessing.
Esther 3:2
HEB: כֹּרְעִ֤ים וּמִֽשְׁתַּחֲוִים֙ לְהָמָ֔ן כִּי־ כֵ֖ן
NAS: homage to Haman; for so
KJV: and reverenced Haman: for the king
INT: bowed and paid to Haman for so
Esther 3:4
HEB: אֲלֵיהֶ֑ם וַיַּגִּ֣ידוּ לְהָמָ֗ן לִרְאוֹת֙ הֲיַֽעַמְדוּ֙
NAS: to them, that they told Haman to see
KJV: not unto them, that they told Haman, to see
INT: to told Haman to see stand
Esther 3:5
HEB: וַיַּ֣רְא הָמָ֔ן כִּי־ אֵ֣ין
NAS: When Haman saw that Mordecai
KJV: And when Haman saw that Mordecai
INT: saw Haman for neither
Esther 3:5
HEB: ל֑וֹ וַיִּמָּלֵ֥א הָמָ֖ן חֵמָֽה׃
NAS: paid homage to him, Haman was filled
KJV: not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full
INT: paid was filled Haman rage
Esther 3:6
HEB: מָרְדֳּכָ֑י וַיְבַקֵּ֣שׁ הָמָ֗ן לְהַשְׁמִ֧יד אֶת־
NAS: of Mordecai [were]; therefore Haman sought
KJV: of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought
INT: of Mordecai sought Haman to destroy all
Esther 3:7
HEB: הַגּוֹרָ֜ל לִפְנֵ֣י הָמָ֗ן מִיּ֧וֹם ׀ לְי֛וֹם
NAS: was cast before Haman from day to day
KJV: before Haman from day
INT: is the lot before Haman day to day
Esther 3:8
HEB: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר הָמָן֙ לַמֶּ֣לֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵר֔וֹשׁ
NAS: Then Haman said to King
KJV: And Haman said unto king
INT: said Haman to King Ahasuerus
Esther 3:10
HEB: יָד֑וֹ וַֽיִּתְּנָ֗הּ לְהָמָ֧ן בֶּֽן־ הַמְּדָ֛תָא
NAS: and gave it to Haman, the son
KJV: and gave it unto Haman the son
INT: his hand and gave to Haman the son of Hammedatha
Esther 3:11
HEB: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ לְהָמָ֔ן הַכֶּ֖סֶף נָת֣וּן
NAS: said to Haman, The silver
KJV: said unto Haman, The silver
INT: said the king to Haman the silver is yours
Esther 3:12
HEB: אֲשֶׁר־ צִוָּ֣ה הָמָ֡ן אֶ֣ל אֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנֵֽי־
NAS: just as Haman commanded
KJV: and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded
INT: who commanded Haman about satraps
Esther 3:15
HEB: הַבִּירָ֑ה וְהַמֶּ֤לֶךְ וְהָמָן֙ יָשְׁב֣וּ לִשְׁתּ֔וֹת
NAS: and while the king and Haman sat down
KJV: And the king and Haman sat down
INT: the citadel the king and Haman sat to drink
Esther 4:7
HEB: אֲשֶׁ֨ר אָמַ֤ר הָמָן֙ לִ֠שְׁקוֹל עַל־
NAS: of money that Haman had promised
KJV: of the money that Haman had promised
INT: after had promised Haman to pay and
Esther 5:4
HEB: יָב֨וֹא הַמֶּ֤לֶךְ וְהָמָן֙ הַיּ֔וֹם אֶל־
NAS: may the king and Haman come
KJV: let the king and Haman come
INT: come may the king and Haman day to
Esther 5:5
HEB: מַהֲרוּ֙ אֶת־ הָמָ֔ן לַעֲשׂ֖וֹת אֶת־
NAS: Bring Haman quickly
KJV: said, Cause Haman to make haste,
INT: the king Bring Haman may do desires
Esther 5:5
HEB: וַיָּבֹ֤א הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ וְהָמָ֔ן אֶל־ הַמִּשְׁתֶּ֖ה
NAS: So the king and Haman came
KJV: So the king and Haman came
INT: came the king and Haman to the banquet
Esther 5:8
HEB: יָב֧וֹא הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ וְהָמָ֗ן אֶל־ הַמִּשְׁתֶּה֙
NAS: may the king and Haman come
KJV: let the king and Haman come
INT: come may the king and Haman to the banquet
Esther 5:9
HEB: וַיֵּצֵ֤א הָמָן֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא
NAS: Then Haman went out that day
KJV: Then went Haman forth that day
INT: went Haman day he
Esther 5:9
HEB: לֵ֑ב וְכִרְאוֹת֩ הָמָ֨ן אֶֽת־ מָרְדֳּכַ֜י
NAS: of heart; but when Haman saw
KJV: heart: but when Haman saw
INT: of heart saw Haman Mordecai gate
Esther 5:9
HEB: מִמֶּ֔נּוּ וַיִּמָּלֵ֥א הָמָ֛ן עַֽל־ מָרְדֳּכַ֖י
NAS: before him, Haman was filled
KJV: nor moved for him, he was full
INT: before was filled Haman against Mordecai
Esther 5:10
HEB: וַיִּתְאַפַּ֣ק הָמָ֔ן וַיָּב֖וֹא אֶל־
NAS: Haman controlled
KJV: Nevertheless Haman refrained
INT: controlled Haman went to his
Esther 5:11
HEB: וַיְסַפֵּ֨ר לָהֶ֥ם הָמָ֛ן אֶת־ כְּב֥וֹד
NAS: Then Haman recounted to them the glory
KJV: And Haman told them of the glory
INT: recounted Then Haman the glory of his riches
Esther 5:12
HEB: וַיֹּאמֶר֮ הָמָן֒ אַ֣ף לֹא־
NAS: Haman also said,
KJV: Haman said moreover, Yea, Esther
INT: said Haman also no
Esther 5:14
HEB: הַדָּבָ֛ר לִפְנֵ֥י הָמָ֖ן וַיַּ֥עַשׂ הָעֵֽץ׃
NAS: pleased Haman, so he had the gallows
KJV: pleased Haman; and he caused
INT: and the advice accept Haman made had the gallows
Esther 6:4
HEB: מִ֣י בֶחָצֵ֑ר וְהָמָ֣ן בָּ֗א לַחֲצַ֤ר
NAS: is in the court? Now Haman had just entered
KJV: Who [is] in the court? Now Haman was come
INT: Who court Haman entered court
54 Occurrences
Strong's Hebrew 2001
54 Occurrences
hā·mān — 38 Occ.
lə·hā·mān — 5 Occ.
mê·hā·mān — 1 Occ.
wə·hā·mān — 10 Occ.