Esther 7 · Verse 8

Esther 7:8

Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.
Esther 7:8, King James Version

Esther 7:8 in other translations

BSBJust as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, “Would he actually assault the queen while I am in the palace?” As soon as the words had left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.
WEBThen the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman had fallen on the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, “Will he even assault the queen in front of me in the house?” As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.
ASVThen the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the couch whereon Esther was. Then said the king, Will he even force the queen before me in the house? As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.
YLTAnd the king hath turned back out of the garden of the house unto the house of the banquet of wine, and Haman is falling on the couch on which Esther is, and the king saith, ‘Also to subdue the queen with me in the house?' the word hath gone out from the mouth of the king, and the face of Haman they have covered.
DARBYAnd the king returned out of the palace garden into the house of the banquet of wine, and Haman was fallen upon the couch on which Esther was. And the king said, Will he even force the queen before me in the house? The word went forth out of the king's mouth, and they covered Haman's face.
BBEThen the king came back from the garden into the room where they had been drinking; and Haman was stretched out on the seat where Esther was. Then the king said, Is he taking the queen by force before my eyes in my house? And while the words were on the king's lips, they put a cloth over Haman's face.
WebsterThen the king returned out of the palace-garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman had fallen upon the bed on which Esther was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face.

What does Esther 7:8 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
8. 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 consigned to their doom in Persia, the first thing is to cover the face with a veil or napkin.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 8 Will he force the queen - On the king's return he found him at the queen's knees; and, professing to think that he intended to do violence to her honor, used the above expressions; though he must have known that, in such circumstances, the thought of perpetrating an act of this kind could not possibly exist. They covered Haman's face - This was a sign of his being devoted to death: for the attendants saw that the king was determined on his destruction. When a criminal was condemned by a Roman judge, he was delivered into the hands of the serjeant with these words: I, lictor; caput obnubito, arbori infelici suspendito. "Go, serjeant; cover his head, and hang him on the accursed tree."

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Esther 7:7-10

The king was angry: those that do things with self-will, reflect upon them afterward with self-reproach. When angry, we should pause before we come to any resolution, and thus rule our own spirits, and show that we are governed by reason. Those that are most haughty and insolent when in power and prosperity, commonly, like Haman, are the most abject and poor-spirited when brought down. The day is coming when those…

Read the full comment on Esther 7:7-10 →

Esther 7:8 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְהַמֶּ֡לֶךְve.ha.Me.lekhand the kingH4428
שָׁב֩shavhe returnedH7725
מִגִּנַּ֨תmi.gi.Natfrom [the] garden ofH1594
הַבִּיתָ֜ןha.bi.Tanthe palaceH1055
אֶל\־'el-toH413
בֵּ֣ית\׀beit[the] house ofH1004
מִשְׁתֵּ֣הmish.Teh[the] feast ofH4960
הַיַּ֗יִןhai.Ya.yin<the> wineH3196
וְהָמָן֙ve.ha.Manand HamanH2001
נֹפֵ֔לno.Fel[was] fallingH5307
עַל\־'al-onH5921
הַמִּטָּה֙ha.mi.Tahthe couchH4296
אֲשֶׁ֣ר'a.SherwhichH834
אֶסְתֵּ֣ר'es.TerEstherH635
עָלֶ֔יהָ'a.Lei.ha[was] on itH5921
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428
הֲ֠גַםHa.gam¿ alsoH1571
לִכְבּ֧וֹשׁlikh.Bo.oshto violateH3533
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
הַמַּלְכָּ֛הha.mal.Kahthe queenH4436
עִמִּ֖י'i.Miwith meH5973
בַּבָּ֑יִתba.Ba.yitin the houseH1004
הַדָּבָ֗רha.da.Varthe wordH1697
יָצָא֙ya.Tza'it came outH3318
מִפִּ֣יmi.Pifrom [the] mouth ofH6310
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428
וּפְנֵ֥יu.fe.Neiand [the] face ofH6440
הָמָ֖ןha.ManHamanH2001
חָפֽוּ\׃\ \סcha.Fupeople coveredH2645

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Esther 7:8

  • Esther 1:6

    Where were white, green, and blue, hangings, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble: the beds were of gold and silver, upon a pavement of red, and blue, and white, and black, marble.

  • Esther 6:12

    And Mordecai came again to the king’s gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered.

  • Isaiah 22:17

    Behold, the Lord will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee.

  • Job 9:24

    The earth is given into the hand of the wicked: he covereth the faces of the judges thereof; if not, where, and who is he?

  • Isaiah 49:23

    And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the bed.
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."
6:12; Job 9:24; Isa 22:17

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Esther 7:7

    And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king.

  • Esther 7:8

    Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.

  • Esther 7:9

    And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon.

Read all of Esther 7

Esther 7:8 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Volvió después el rey del huerto del palacio al aposento del banquete del vino, y Amán había caído sobre el lecho en que estaba Esther. Entonces dijo el rey: ¿También para forzar la reina, estando conmigo en casa? Como esta palabra salió de la boca del rey, el rostro de Amán fué cubierto.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et le roi revint du jardin du palais dans la maison du festin. Et Haman était tombé sur le divan sur lequel était Esther. Et le roi dit: Veut-il encore faire violence à la reine, chez moi, dans la maison? La parole sortit de la bouche du roi, et on couvrit la face d’Haman.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und als der König aus dem Garten des Palastes in das Haus des Weingelages zurückkam, da war Haman auf das Polster gesunken, auf welchem Esther saß. Da sprach der König: Will er gar der Königin Gewalt antun bei mir im Hause? Das Wort ging aus dem Munde des Königs, da verhüllte man das Angesicht Hamans.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Qui cum reversus esset de horto nemoribus consito, et intrasset convivii locum, reperit Aman super lectulum corruisse in quo jacebat Esther, et ait: Etiam reginam vult opprimere, me præsente, in domo mea. Necdum verbum de ore regis exierat, et statim operuerunt faciem ejus.