Definition

Proper noun * Haman: In the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), a high-ranking official (vizier) of the Persian king Ahasuerus (Xerxes I). He is the primary antagonist in the Book of Esther, known for his hatred of the Jews and his plot to annihilate them throughout the Persian Empire. His plan was foiled by Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai, leading to Haman's execution on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.

Usage Examples

• Proper noun:
  • The story of Esther details how Haman sought to destroy the Jewish people.
  • Haman's anger toward Mordecai led him to devise a genocidal decree.
  • In the end, the king ordered that Haman be hanged on the very gallows he had built.

Advanced Usage

• "Haman's plot": Refers specifically to the failed plan to exterminate the Jews as described in the Book of Esther.
  • The holiday of Purim celebrates the foiling of Haman's plot.
• "Haman's gallows": Symbolizes a situation where a person's own malicious plans lead to their downfall.
  • The corrupt official was caught in his own web of lies; it was a case of being hoisted on Haman's gallows.

Variants and Related Words

• Purim (noun): The Jewish festival that commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people from Haman's plot.
  • During Purim, the story of Esther is read, and Haman's name is drowned out with noise.
• Haman-tashen (noun, also ): A triangular filled pastry eaten during Purim, said to resemble Haman's hat or ears.
  • We baked poppy seed and prune haman-tashen for the Purim celebration.

Synonyms

• Antagonist: A person who is opposed to, struggles against, or competes with another; opponent.
• Persecutor: Someone who subjects a group of people to hostility and ill-treatment, especially because of their ethnicity or religion.

Related Phrases and Concepts

• "The lot of Haman" / "Purim lot": Refers to the (lot) that Haman cast to determine the date for the planned massacre (Esther 3:7).
  • The name of the holiday, Purim, comes from the "pur" or lot cast by Haman.
• "To blot out the name of Haman": A symbolic act during Purim where noise-makers () are used to drown out the name of Haman when the Megillah (Scroll of Esther) is read.
  • The children eagerly waited with their graggers to blot out the name of Haman.

Noun

1. (Old Testament) the minister of the Persian emperor who hated the Jews and was hanged for plotting to massacre them