2001. Haman
Lexical Summary
Haman: Haman

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

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Haman

Of foreign derivation; Haman, a Persian vizier -- Haman.

Brown-Driver-Briggs
הָמָן proper name, masculine Haman, favourite of Ahasuerus (etymology dubious; according to JenVOJ 1892, 58 ff. = Elamite proper name, of divinity Humban, or Humman) — Esther 3:1 53t. in Esther.

המס (√ of following; meaning dubious).

Topical Lexicon
Name and Identity

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.

Forms and Transliterations
הָמָ֔ן הָמָ֖ן הָמָ֗ן הָמָ֛ן הָמָ֜ן הָמָ֟ן הָמָ֡ן הָמָ֣ן הָמָ֤ן הָמָ֥ן הָמָ֧ן הָמָ֨ן הָמָֽן׃ הָמָן֒ הָמָן֙ המן המן׃ וְהָמָ֔ן וְהָמָ֗ן וְהָמָ֣ן וְהָמָן֙ והמן לְהָמָ֔ן לְהָמָ֗ן לְהָמָ֧ן להמן מֵֽהָמָ֔ן מהמן hā·mān haMan hāmān lə·hā·mān lehaMan ləhāmān mê·hā·mān mehaMan mêhāmān vehaMan wə·hā·mān wəhāmān
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Englishman's Concordance
Esther 3:1
HEB: אֲחַשְׁוֵר֜וֹשׁ אֶת־ הָמָ֧ן בֶּֽן־ הַמְּדָ֛תָא
NAS: promoted Haman, the son
KJV: promote Haman the son
INT: King Ahasuerus Haman the son of Hammedatha

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.

2000
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