haman

Haman is a figure in the Hebrew Bible, described as a high-ranking Persian official under King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I). He is identified as an Agagite, a lineage associated in the text with the Amalekites, a traditional foe of the Israelites. Haman rises to power and becomes enraged when Mordecai, Esther’s cousin, refuses to bow to him.

Haman persuades the king to issue a royal edict ordering the destruction of all Jews in the Persian Empire on a single day, the 13th of Adar. The decree is sealed with the king’s signet ring and cannot be revoked. In response, Esther, the Jewish queen, reveals her identity to the king and pleads for her people. The king supports Esther, but a new edict is issued allowing the Jews to defend themselves on the appointed day. Haman’s plot is exposed, and he is confronted in the king’s court.

In a reversal of fortune, Haman is hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai, and his ten sons are also killed. The Jews survive, and Mordecai rises to prominence in the palace. The festival of Purim is established to commemorate the deliverance of the Jews, marked by feasting, charitable giving, and the public reading of Esther’s story. In Jewish tradition, Haman is remembered as the archvillain of the narrative, while the events emphasize themes of identity, survival, and communal memory.