Haman is introduced in Esther 3:1 as the son of Hammedatha the Agagite. He was promoted by King Ahasuerus to a position above all the other princes. The king commanded that all who were in the king’s gate bow and pay homage to Haman, but Mordecai, a Jew, refused to bow or show him reverence.
Haman, filled with wrath at Mordecai’s defiance, sought not only to punish Mordecai but to destroy all the Jews in the entire kingdom (Esther 3:5–6). He cast lots (Pur) to determine the day of their destruction and persuaded the king to issue a decree for their annihilation, offering to pay ten thousand talents of silver into the king’s treasury (Esther 3:8–9). The king agreed, and the edict went out, causing great mourning among the Jews.
Haman’s hatred for Mordecai intensified when he saw him still not bowing. Encouraged by his wife and friends, he built a gallows fifty cubits high to hang Mordecai (Esther 5:14). However, that same night, the king could not sleep and had the chronicles read to him, discovering Mordecai’s earlier act of loyalty in saving him from an assassination plot. When the king asked who had honored Mordecai, the answer was that nothing had been done (Esther 6:1–3).
Ironically, Haman was commanded by the king to honor Mordecai publicly, leading him through the city dressed in royal garments, declaring, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!” (Esther 6:11). This event marked the beginning of Haman’s downfall.
At Queen Esther’s second banquet, she revealed her Jewish identity and exposed Haman as the enemy who had plotted to destroy her people. The king, enraged, ordered Haman to be hanged on the very gallows he had prepared for Mordecai (Esther 7:9–10).
Haman’s fate illustrates the justice of God and the downfall of the wicked. Though he sought to exalt himself and destroy the people of God, he was brought low and destroyed by the very devices he had intended for others. His legacy is one of pride, deceit, and divine judgment.