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הָמָן

𐤄𐤌𐤍

Haman

H2001 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Proper name referring to a high-ranking official at the Persian court, identified in the Book of Esther as an 'Agagite,' who serves as the primary antagonist in the narrative. The term functions exclusively as a personal name with no other lexical usage in the Hebrew Bible.

Semantic Range

proper name of a Persian official; personal name only

Root / Etymology

Of foreign (Persian or Elamite) derivation; the etymology is uncertain, and the name does not derive from an identifiable Hebrew root. The Hebrew spelling is a phonetic adaptation of a non-Hebrew name, likely reflecting the individual's foreign origin in the narrative.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The name הָמָן (Hâmân) appears exclusively in the Book of Esther as the senior minister to King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I). Described as an 'Agagite,' the name's ethnic or ancestral significance has been debated—possibly implying an adversarial connection to Israelite history (see Agag, king of the Amalekites), but no contextual evidence confirms genealogical continuity. The Hebrew text presents הָמָן as a foreigner at the Persian court, and this is consistent with the narrative's setting during the Achaemenid Empire. English translations regularly render the name as 'Haman.' The word is used only as a proper name and has no broader lexical field in Hebrew. Later Jewish tradition identified Haman as a prototype of anti-Israelite adversaries, but this is post-biblical interpretive development. The Book of Esther uses Persian names for several key figures, indicating the influence of the Persian imperial context.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of foreign derivation; Haman, a Persian vizier; Haman.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

uncertain (Baleadan) — uncertain

Root uncertain uncertain; proper name
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1002 בִּירָה the citadel
H105 אֲגַרְטָל bowls of
H1081 בַּלְאֲדָן Baladan
H1085 בִּלְדַּד Bildad
H1095 בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר Belteshatsar

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H2001-01 הָמָ֧ן haman HNp Haman Haman Haman 38
H2001-04 וְ/הָמָן֙ vehaman HC/Np and Haman and Haman and Haman 10
H2001-02 לְ/הָמָ֔ן lehaman HR/Np to Haman to Haman to Haman 5
H2001-03 מֵֽ/הָמָ֔ן mehaman HR/Np from Haman from Haman from Haman 1

Occurrences in Scripture

54 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H2001-01 Esther 3:1 הָמָ֧ן haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-02 Esther 3:2 לְ/הָמָ֔ן lehaman HR/Np to Haman to Haman to Haman
H2001-02 Esther 3:4 לְ/הָמָ֗ן lehaman HR/Np to Haman to Haman to Haman
H2001-01 Esther 3:5 הָמָ֔ן haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-01 Esther 3:5 הָמָ֖ן haman-2 HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-01 Esther 3:6 הָמָ֗ן haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-01 Esther 3:7 הָמָ֗ן haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-01 Esther 3:8 הָמָן֙ haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-02 Esther 3:10 לְ/הָמָ֧ן lehaman HR/Np to Haman to Haman to Haman
H2001-02 Esther 3:11 לְ/הָמָ֔ן lehaman HR/Np to Haman to Haman to Haman
H2001-01 Esther 3:12 הָמָ֡ן haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-04 Esther 3:15 וְ/הָמָן֙ vehaman HC/Np and Haman and Haman and Haman
H2001-01 Esther 4:7 הָמָן֙ haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-04 Esther 5:4 וְ/הָמָן֙ vehaman HC/Np and Haman and Haman and Haman
H2001-01 Esther 5:5 הָמָ֔ן haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-04 Esther 5:5 וְ/הָמָ֔ן vehaman HC/Np and Haman and Haman and Haman
H2001-04 Esther 5:8 וְ/הָמָ֗ן vehaman HC/Np and Haman and Haman and Haman
H2001-01 Esther 5:9 הָמָן֙ haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-01 Esther 5:9 הָמָ֨ן haman-2 HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-01 Esther 5:9 הָמָ֛ן haman-3 HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-01 Esther 5:10 הָמָ֔ן haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-01 Esther 5:11 הָמָ֛ן haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-01 Esther 5:12 הָמָן֒ haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-01 Esther 5:14 הָמָ֖ן haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-04 Esther 6:4 וְ/הָמָ֣ן vehaman HC/Np Now Haman and Haman and Haman
H2001-01 Esther 6:5 הָמָ֖ן haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-01 Esther 6:6 הָמָן֒ haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-01 Esther 6:6 הָמָן֙ haman-2 HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-01 Esther 6:7 הָמָ֖ן haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-02 Esther 6:10 לְ/הָמָ֗ן lehaman HR/Np to Haman to Haman to Haman
H2001-01 Esther 6:11 הָמָן֙ haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-04 Esther 6:12 וְ/הָמָן֙ vehaman HC/Np But Haman and Haman and Haman
H2001-01 Esther 6:13 הָמָ֜ן haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-01 Esther 6:14 הָמָ֔ן haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-04 Esther 7:1 וְ/הָמָ֔ן vehaman HC/Np and Haman and Haman and Haman
H2001-01 Esther 7:6 הָמָ֥ן haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-04 Esther 7:6 וְ/הָמָ֣ן vehaman HC/Np and Haman and Haman and Haman
H2001-04 Esther 7:7 וְ/הָמָ֣ן vehaman HC/Np and Haman and Haman and Haman
H2001-04 Esther 7:8 וְ/הָמָן֙ vehaman HC/Np and-Haman and Haman and Haman
H2001-01 Esther 7:8 הָמָ֖ן haman HNp Haman's Haman Haman
H2001-01 Esther 7:9 הָמָ֟ן haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-01 Esther 7:9 הָמָ֔ן haman-2 HNp of Haman Haman Haman
H2001-01 Esther 7:10 הָמָ֔ן haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-01 Esther 8:1 הָמָ֖ן haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-03 Esther 8:2 מֵֽ/הָמָ֔ן mehaman HR/Np from Haman from Haman from Haman
H2001-01 Esther 8:2 הָמָֽן haman HNp of Haman Haman Haman
H2001-01 Esther 8:3 הָמָ֣ן haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-01 Esther 8:5 הָמָ֤ן haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
H2001-01 Esther 8:7 הָמָ֜ן haman HNp of Haman Haman Haman
H2001-01 Esther 9:10 הָמָ֧ן haman HNp Haman Haman Haman
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