וַתֹּ֣אמֶר לֹו֩ זֶ֨רֶשׁ אִשְׁתֹּ֜ו וְכָל־אֹֽהֲבָ֗יו יַֽעֲשׂוּ־עֵץ֮ גָּבֹ֣הַּ חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים אַמָּה֒ וּבַבֹּ֣קֶר אֱמֹ֣ר לַמֶּ֗לֶךְ וְיִתְלוּ אֶֽת־מָרְדֳּכַי֙ עָלָ֔יו וּבֹֽא־עִם־הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ אֶל הַמִּשְׁתֶּ֖ה שָׂמֵ֑חַ וַיִּיטַ֧ב הַדָּבָ֛ר לִפְנֵ֥י הָמָ֖ן וַיַּ֥עַשׂ הָעֵֽץ׃ (Esther 5:14)
Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, “Let them make a tree fifty cubits high, and in the morning say to the king and let them hang Mordokhai on it. Then go with the king to the banquet joyful.” And the thing was pleasing in the eyes of Haman, and he made the tree
Setting the Stage
In this darkly ironic scene from Esther, evil schemes are made to look light-hearted, and verbs do the dirty work. The narrative pivots on action: what Haman is told to do, what he thinks, and what he eventually builds. The binyanim in this verse are deceptively “simple,” but that simplicity is part of the ominous flow: a plan is spoken, accepted, and acted upon—with no resistance. The Qal stem dominates the scene, but its very directness becomes a literary device.
Key Verbs in Focus
1. וַתֹּאמֶר — “she said”
2. יַעֲשׂוּ — “let them make”
3. אֱמֹר — “say”
4. יִתְלוּ — “let them hang”
5. וּבֹא — “and go”
6. וַיִּיטַב — “it was good”
7. וַיַּעַשׂ — “he made”
Binyan Breakdown
| Verb | Root | Binyan | Form | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתֹּאמֶר | אמר | Qal | Wayyiqtol (3fs) | Initiates the plan—Zeresh speaks |
| יַעֲשׂוּ | עשׂה | Qal | Imperfect (3mp, jussive nuance) | Directive suggestion—build the gallows |
| אֱמֹר | אמר | Qal | Imperative (ms) | Haman is told to speak to the king |
| יִתְלוּ | תלה | Qal | Imperfect (3mp, jussive) | Let them hang Mordokhai |
| וּבֹא | בוא | Qal | Imperative (ms) | Encouragement: enjoy the banquet |
| וַיִּיטַב | יטב | Qal | Wayyiqtol (3ms) | It was pleasing—subject is the plan |
| וַיַּעַשׂ | עשׂה | Qal | Wayyiqtol (3ms) | Haman executes the plan |
Qal as Narrative Motor
The entire verse is driven by the Qal binyan. While often described as “basic,” in this passage Qal becomes chillingly effective. It enables swift action:
– Qal as Report: וַתֹּאמֶר begins the speech with no embellishment.
– Qal as Command: יַעֲשׂוּ, אֱמֹר, וּבֹא flow like checklist items.
– Qal as Accomplishment: וַיַּעַשׂ closes the plot: “and he did it.”
There are no intensified binyanim like Piel here, no causatives or passives—just the plain stem, pushing forward a horrific decision in cold clarity.
Literary Function: Simple Stems, Complex Irony
The irony of Esther 5:14 is that Haman is joyfully building his own downfall. The verbs are plain, but the implications are morally grotesque. The Qal stem’s brevity reflects Haman’s blindness to consequence. The language doesn’t scream—it whispers. And that’s more terrifying.
When Simplicity Builds Scaffolds
In this verse, the Qal binyan functions like the wooden structure Haman is told to build—sturdy, stark, and void of ornament. There’s no room for nuance when evil is in motion. The binyanim reflect a world where wickedness appears easy, execution is smooth, and conscience is silent.
And yet, for readers, every verb builds suspense. Every Qal hits with the weight of inevitability. What looks simple is about to collapse into divine reversal.
