Sold as … slaves (7:4). Slavery was practiced throughout the ancient Mediterranean world. Bound workers composed a fairly large segment of ancient society. In the era when slavery was at its peak in the Near East (first millennium B.C.), they may have composed almost half the population of major urban areas. They were employed in almost every area of human endeavor—from agriculture to domestic duties to clerical work.162
Slaves were considered movable property, and their legal rights were restricted. Often, their owners would brand them in various ways—usually with an initial or other mark on the hand.163 Attractive male slaves could be made into eunuchs, and females could become concubines.164 The quality of their lives was largely dependent on the dispositions of their masters. Historians often note features of ancient slavery that made it far superior to slavery in the New World during the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries. While attitudes differed from place to place, there was generally no racial/ethnic rationale behind Near Eastern slavery. Slaves could own property (even other slaves), and sometimes became quite wealthy. They were sometimes well educated, perhaps even better educated than their masters. Finally, there were frequent opportunities for emancipation. Nonetheless, the lot of a slave was typically not pleasant.165
There were a number of ways in which a person could become a slave. Most commonly, slaves were prisoners of war, conscripted into forced labor or sold on international slave markets (1 Kings 9:21; Joel 3:4–8). The impoverished could sell themselves as slaves (Lev. 25:39), or they might sell their children or wives (Ex. 22:2; 2 Kings 4:1; Neh. 5:5–8). If the Jews were indeed rebellious vassals, as Haman claimed (Est. 3:8), they might well have been sold as slaves, as other insurrectionists had been.166 Esther’s comment invites the king to consider whether the Jews were truly worthy of such a fate—and if they did not deserve to be sold into slavery, how much more undeserving were they of the far worse penalty of genocide?
The palace garden (7:7). See comments on 1:5.
Falling on the couch (7:8). The Persian nobles dined reclining on couches rather than sitting.167 Each guest would have his or her own couch, which would be decorated in ways befitting their ranks.168 It is unclear if Haman threw himself on the queen or if he merely fell. In either case, he had committed an egregious error: According to some authors, touching the king’s wife was penalized with death.169 In Assyrian law, no man was allowed to draw within more than seven paces of a member of the king’s harem.170
Covered Haman’s face (7:8). In ancient Greece and Rome, it was customary to cover the head of someone condemned to death.171 However, there is no evidence for this practice among the Persians. It has also been argued that this phrase is a figure of speech simply meaning “to faint,” but this suggestion is based on a questionable reading of an Arabic expression.172 Thus, the meaning of this gesture remains uncertain.