Bible Strands
Esther 2:23
After the report had been investigated and verified, both officials were hanged on the gallows. And all this was recorded in the Book of the Chronicles in the presence of the king.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative concludes the investigation of a royal conspiracy after Mordecai’s warning. The king’s officials execute the plotter officials following the verification of the report.
The words — וַ/יִּכָּתֵ֗ב (va/i.yi.ka.Tev) translates literally as "and it was written," marking official documentation. עֵ֑ץ ('Etz) denotes "a gallows" or tree, specifying the method of execution.
The thread — The execution by hanging on a tree echoes Joseph’s interpretation in Genesis 40:19 and 40:22. The recording of the event anticipates the later inclusion of Mordecai’s deeds in Esther 10:2.
Why it lands — The text states that verified reports are documented in the royal chronicles for public record. Readers must recognize that divine preservation operates through administrative verification and historical accounting.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And when inquisition was made of the matter, it was found out; therefore they were both hanged on a tree: and it was written in the book of the chronicles before the king.
Cross-references
- Genesis 40:19 Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree. Then the birds will eat the flesh of your body.”
- Genesis 40:22 But Pharaoh hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had described to them in his interpretation.
- Esther 10:2 And all of Mordecai’s powerful and magnificent accomplishments, together with the full account of the greatness to which the king had raised him, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia?
- Deuteronomy 21:22 If a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is executed, and you hang his body on a tree,
- Joshua 8:29 He hung the king of Ai on a tree until evening, and at sunset Joshua commanded that they take down the body from the tree and throw it down at the entrance of the city gate. And over it they raised a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day.
- Esther 5:14 His wife Zeresh and all his friends told him, “Have them build a gallows fifty cubits high, and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go to the banquet with the king and enjoy yourself.” The advice pleased Haman, and he had the gallows constructed.
- Esther 7:10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the fury of the king subsided.
- Malachi 3:16 At that time those who feared the LORD spoke with one another, and the LORD listened and heard them. So a scroll of remembrance was written before Him regarding those who feared the LORD and honored His name.