In the original, the verb said
is repeated (King Ahasuerus said and he said to Queen Esther
). It is as if the king was stuttering from fury. Who would dare to threaten the lives of the queen and her people? Literally, he asked, Who would fill his heart to do such a thing?
This is a surprising question, since the king had only days before given Haman permission to destroy an entire people group (not caring to ask which people group Haman had in mind). Moreover, the king had received tons of silver in exchange for this permission. This should have suggested to him that he was the one who had sold
Esther’s people (Esther 7:4).
5 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has dared to do this?”