Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and to morrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.

ESTHER 5:14KJV
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Esther 5:14 (KJV)

What does Esther 5:14 mean?

Esther 5:14 describes how Haman’s wife Zeresh and his friends suggest building a very tall gallows, fifty cubits high, so that Haman can ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it the next day. Haman is pleased with this idea and immediately has the gallows constructed.

In this scene, Haman is at home, frustrated by Mordecai’s refusal to honor him. Zeresh, Haman’s wife, and his friends propose a dramatic public execution as a solution to Haman’s anger. The verse highlights how quickly Haman acts on their advice, showing both his eagerness for revenge and the influence of those around him.

The Hebrew behind Esther 5:14

  • The word for “gallows” is עֵץ (‘ets), which literally means “tree” or “wood.” In this context, it refers to a wooden structure for execution, which could be a pole or a scaffold, not necessarily a gallows in the modern sense.
  • “Fifty cubits” uses the words חֲמִשִּׁים (chamishim, “fifty”) and אַמָּה (amah, “cubit”). A cubit is roughly a foot and a half, so the structure would be about 75 feet high—an unusually tall and conspicuous display, emphasizing the intended humiliation.
  • The word for “hanged” is תָּלָה (talah), which means “to hang up” or “to suspend.” In the ancient Persian context, this could mean impalement or hanging, but the main idea is public execution.

Why Esther 5:14 matters

  • Esther 5:14 clarifies that the plan to execute Mordecai was not Haman’s idea alone, but was encouraged by his wife and friends, showing the social pressure and shared hostility toward Mordecai.
  • The extreme height of the gallows underlines the public and humiliating nature of the punishment Haman intended for Mordecai, making the planned execution a spectacle.
  • This verse sets up the dramatic reversal that follows in the story, where the very gallows built for Mordecai become central to Haman’s own downfall.

Where else these words appear

“Zeresh” Hebrew H2238 · used in 3 verses

  • Esther 5:10 Nevertheless Haman refrained himself: and when he came home, he sent and called for his friends, and Zeresh his wife.
  • Esther 6:13 And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every thing that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.

“merrily” Hebrew H8056 · used in 23 verses

  • Deuteronomy 16:15 Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.
  • 2 Chronicles 23:13 And she looked, and, behold, the king stood at his pillar at the entering in, and the princes and the trumpets by the king: and all the people of the land rejoiced, and sounded with trumpets, also the singers with instruments of musick, and such as taught to sing praise. Then Athaliah rent her clothes, and said, Treason, Treason.
  • Proverbs 2:14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;

“hanged” Hebrew H8518 · used in 27 verses

  • Genesis 40:19 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.
  • 2 Samuel 18:10 And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.
  • Esther 9:25 But when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.

“high” Hebrew H1364 · used in 32 verses

  • Genesis 7:19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.
  • Psalms 104:18 The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.
  • Jeremiah 2:20 For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot.