PURIM'S HIDDEN TREES
by Jeremy Chance Springfield
The book of Esther is arguably one of the most curious books in the canon of Scripture. In its pages is found the commandment for the Jewish people, and for all who join themselves to the Jewish people in faith, to perform the festival of Purim every year – the one festival shared by the Jewish and Protestant canon not explicitly commanded by the Holy One. The book of Esther is also scandalously unique in that the name and title of the Holy One is entirely missing from the readable Hebrew text of the story. He is nowhere to be seen on the surface of the story. It is a puzzling piece of Scripture, and yet, the book has many amazing concealed facets underneath the translation that, when uncovered, show the depth of spiritual value poured into the text. The submerged realities preserve a truth spoken of in the beginning of the Word, and reaches all the way to man's final position before the Holy One. This study will address one of these hidden features and the merit we can glean from looking deeper into the text and appreciating it from the Hebrew side.
The predicament facing the Jewish people of Persia in the book of Esther is that of a destruction desired by the wicked Haman and surprisingly sanctioned by the King, Ahasuerus, himself. At the insistence of Haman and the positioning of the PUR (lot), the people would perish at the hands of the Persian populace. The true terror of this trauma is realized firstly toward Haman’s hatred toward Mordechai, and his building of a gallows upon which to hang the Jewish man. This grim gallows would be the face of the fatality looming over the Jewish people in all the provinces of Persia. It stood tall for the complete lack of regard the Persians held towards the covenant people. While intended for Mordechai, the morbid gallows cast a symbolic shadow of death over all the YEHUDIM (Jews).
The symbolic identity of the gallows is the basis for this study on revealing the hidden in the book of Esther. Most English translations of the book render the term as “gallows,” as I have so done up to this point. It is the popular presentation, but others will sometimes translate it as “pole.” Only a very, very few treat the text with integrity and translate the term as it is in the Hebrew text: EYTZ.
Tree.
The gallows upon which Mordechai was intended to die was not a hangman’s noose, nor merely a pole of some sort, but a “tree,” as the inspired Word desired to convey. This doesn’t mean that it was a growing, living tree, but that it was made directly from a tree. It may well have taken the form of a pole or pike or stake, but the point that needs to be understood is that the death of Mordechai was to be enacted on a tree.
The method of the slaughter of the Jewish people by the Persian populace was not explicitly stated when Haman made request for such to King Ahasuerus, and so the death of Mordechai upon the tree fell well within the decree of destruction to which the King was complicit. What is important in all this is that this destruction on the tree came straight from Haman. His hatred and move to destroy the Jewish people came with his knowledge of Mordechai’s Israelite heritage. From Haman’s knowledge was born the plan to hang Mordechai upon the tree and destroy his people with equal prejudice.
Tree.
The gallows upon which Mordechai was intended to die was not a hangman’s noose, nor merely a pole of some sort, but a “tree,” as the inspired Word desired to convey. This doesn’t mean that it was a growing, living tree, but that it was made directly from a tree. It may well have taken the form of a pole or pike or stake, but the point that needs to be understood is that the death of Mordechai was to be enacted on a tree.
The method of the slaughter of the Jewish people by the Persian populace was not explicitly stated when Haman made request for such to King Ahasuerus, and so the death of Mordechai upon the tree fell well within the decree of destruction to which the King was complicit. What is important in all this is that this destruction on the tree came straight from Haman. His hatred and move to destroy the Jewish people came with his knowledge of Mordechai’s Israelite heritage. From Haman’s knowledge was born the plan to hang Mordechai upon the tree and destroy his people with equal prejudice.
The threat of the tree and the destruction it embodies for the people is the dark centerpiece of the book of Esther. It is the symbol for the judgment of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, from which man ate in the Garden and by which he was destroyed. This reality is revealed when we look at the hidden name of Haman in the Hebrew. Haman’s name likely has the Persian meaning of “Magnificent,” and perhaps also refers to the planet Mercury. However, we are dealing with a Hebrew book, and if his name is looked at from the Hebrew, an amazing hidden meaning arises.
The first time it appears in the Hebrew text of Scripture is in the account of the fall of man in the Garden. In Genesis 3:11, we read the following, spoken by the Holy One Himself:
And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? From the tree which I commanded you to not eat from have you eaten?”
In this question we find the Hebrew phrase HAMIN HAEYTZ, that is, “From the tree.” The Hebrew term HAMIN “from” is spelled identically to the Persian name HAMAN. This detail portrays the link of Haman to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Haman is thus “from” the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and in the book of Esther, it is upon his acquiring the knowledge of Mordechai’s Jewish identity that he brings the tree into the picture!
The first time it appears in the Hebrew text of Scripture is in the account of the fall of man in the Garden. In Genesis 3:11, we read the following, spoken by the Holy One Himself:
And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? From the tree which I commanded you to not eat from have you eaten?”
In this question we find the Hebrew phrase HAMIN HAEYTZ, that is, “From the tree.” The Hebrew term HAMIN “from” is spelled identically to the Persian name HAMAN. This detail portrays the link of Haman to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Haman is thus “from” the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and in the book of Esther, it is upon his acquiring the knowledge of Mordechai’s Jewish identity that he brings the tree into the picture!
This link is further established by the fact that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is mentioned specifically eight times in the Garden account, and Haman’s tree in the book of Esther is also spoken of eight times.
There is also the telling fact that although there are two trees in the Garden – the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, only the forbidden tree is ever called in the actual Hebrew text HA’EYTZ – “the tree.” Similarly, in the book of Esther, the deadly tree Haman had constructed for Mordechai is also repeatedly called HA’EYTZ. Thus, what Haman devised was nothing more than a continuation of the curse of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil: death!
This central threat of the tree in the book of Esther and the accompanying hidden meaning of Haman’s name finds an opposing presence in Mordechai – the man for whom the tree was built in the first place. Mordechai’s name is one of similar significance in a hidden way. The popular scholarly opinion is that it likely stems from the Persian MARDUKU, meaning “Servant of Marduk,” that is, an idol. Such an assertion makes complete sense, as exiled people are prone to be assimilated into the culture to where they are taken. We see from the book of Daniel that such changing of names to reflect the pagan deities of the new culture did, in fact, happen, as was done with Daniel himself, and the three Hebrew youths who resisted bowing to the king's image and were cast into the furnace. However, the rabbis of old put forth an opinion that Mordechai’s name is actually derived from two Aramaic terms: MURRA DAKA, meaning “Pure Myrrh.”
What is myrrh? It is the resin from the Commiphora myrrha tree. The myrrh tree was one of several Biblical trees which were utilized for their medicinal and healing properties. This positive detail in regards to Mordechai’s “hidden” name is in stark contrast to the negative aspects of Haman’s hidden name meaning. His diligence and keen awareness of what was happening around him served in a truly “healing” manner by protecting King Ahasuerus from a deadly plot developed in his own courts. It is also Mordechai’s desire to be of aide to his fellow Jews that causes him to reach out to Esther when he finds out about Haman’s wicked wrangling of the king’s authority. The alternate, life-affirming meaning of the name of Mordechai thus stands as a testament against Haman and his tree of death.
Standing defiantly against Haman’s horrific plans to persecute the Jews of Persia was just one woman – the unlikely Queen, Esther. Spurred by the sage advice of Mordechai, it was her actions that unveiled to the king Haman’s selfish conspiracy to slaughter her people. Her willingness to stand up and place herself in a position of possible self-sacrifice in the face of King Ahasuerus for the lives of her countrymen parallels another facet in the symbolism of the threat of the tree and Haman’s and Mordechai’s hidden name meanings. Just as the hidden meaning of Mordechai’s name stands in opposition to the work of Haman and the deadly gallows tree, so too, do we see that Esther has such a secret about her.
While her Persian name is Esther, her given Hebrew name is Hadassah. This name HADASSAH simply means “Myrtle Tree.” Thus, her “secret” name has an arboreal aspect, just as Haman’s and Mordechai’s do, as well.
While her Persian name is Esther, her given Hebrew name is Hadassah. This name HADASSAH simply means “Myrtle Tree.” Thus, her “secret” name has an arboreal aspect, just as Haman’s and Mordechai’s do, as well.
The myrtle is another tree of Biblical importance. Not only is it one of the trees to be used in celebrating the festival of Tabernacles, the myrtle tree has a unique reaction to severe pruning attention. Jewish cultivators are known to actually set fire to the branches of the myrtle tree, which is not intended to result in lasting damage, but rather, the amazing opposite: new and prolific growth takes place in the areas directly damaged by the flames. The tree uses the experience of danger to grow and ensure new life!
This exactly matches the witness of Esther as she was presented with the threat of Haman’s knowledge of her people’s true identity. She could have seen Mordechai die on the tree prepared for him, and her people slain around her without mercy, or choose to risk it all and focus the heat directly on her by being the first to admit her Israelite identity. This act of selfless presentation to King Ahasuerus altered the course of Haman’s intent, and brought everything crashing down on him. Again, we see that a “hidden” name directly opposes the work of the tree of death.
This exactly matches the witness of Esther as she was presented with the threat of Haman’s knowledge of her people’s true identity. She could have seen Mordechai die on the tree prepared for him, and her people slain around her without mercy, or choose to risk it all and focus the heat directly on her by being the first to admit her Israelite identity. This act of selfless presentation to King Ahasuerus altered the course of Haman’s intent, and brought everything crashing down on him. Again, we see that a “hidden” name directly opposes the work of the tree of death.
King Ahasuerus was directly involved in the trouble that came upon the Jewish population of Persia. He was, however, rather duped into this position of acquiescing to Haman’s veiled acrimonious intentions. As the king of Persia, Ahasuerus was the law. His decree of death for the people initially referred to by Haman could not be rescinded. It could only be defended against. The revelation of Haman’s reviling of the Queen’s people caused King Ahasuerus to act in all his power to prove that his decree against the Jewish population was not personal, but rather, came about from another man’s vendetta. The knowledge of Haman’s true purposes in all of it made Ahasuerus act in a manner that would display the heartfelt connection he carried toward Esther and to her people. Not only would she not die from Haman’s devices, but her people would be given the means necessary to defend them from any attack.
He had Haman hanged upon that tree of death, and eventually, at the behest of Queen Esther, so too, were Haman’s ten sons. These actions displayed his namesake: Ahasuerus comes from the original Persian name Khshwershe, which literally means “Lion King.” The Hebrew form preserved in the book of Esther is very similar: AKHASHWEYROSH. The name appears thirty times in the book. However, there is one instance in the end, in chapter 10:1, when the king is at last fully in support of Queen Esther and the Jewish population of Persia, where his name is spelled in a very odd way: instead of being spelled fully as it is the other twenty-nine times it appears, it is missing in that one instance two letters that are vital for it to be pronounced anything close to correct.
A detail should be brought up at this point before going any further: The spelling of Hebrew names in the Hebrew text of Scripture is not always constant. Sometimes a letter will be left out here or there, as we see here with the letter Waw / Vav in the name of the king. When this happens, it is called KHASER spelling, which simply means a defective spelling, as opposed to its majority MALEY "full" spelling. This doesn't mean the name is spelled wrong, but that it is simply not spelled with all the letters which it normally would contain.
There is typically no problem when this happens in a name, however, because when the letter Waw / Vav is removed, it is functioning as a vowel sound, and if it comes at the end of a word, it just disappears altogether from the pronunciation, as we see happen with the Hebrew name of the prophet Elijah in several places in the Word, as expressed in the accompanying graphic. The verses where Elijah's name is spelled without the Waw / Vav are 2nd Kings 1:3, 1:4, 1:8, 1:12, and Malachi 3:23. The letter Waw / Vav at the end of the name holds the pronunciation of "OO," and when it is removed, that "OO" ending disappears. The name still means exactly what it did before - no root change has occurred there. It is only the spelling and pronunciation that have changed just slightly. Several Hebrew names experience such variant spelling in the Word.
There is typically no problem when this happens in a name, however, because when the letter Waw / Vav is removed, it is functioning as a vowel sound, and if it comes at the end of a word, it just disappears altogether from the pronunciation, as we see happen with the Hebrew name of the prophet Elijah in several places in the Word, as expressed in the accompanying graphic. The verses where Elijah's name is spelled without the Waw / Vav are 2nd Kings 1:3, 1:4, 1:8, 1:12, and Malachi 3:23. The letter Waw / Vav at the end of the name holds the pronunciation of "OO," and when it is removed, that "OO" ending disappears. The name still means exactly what it did before - no root change has occurred there. It is only the spelling and pronunciation that have changed just slightly. Several Hebrew names experience such variant spelling in the Word.
However, sometimes when the letter disappears, it is within a name. When that happens with the letter Waw / Vav, it is also functioning as a vowel sound, so that it is still pronounced when read aloud, as in this solely unique instance from Deuteronomy 32:17 -
They sacrificed to destructive spirits, not Eloah, elohim they did not know, new familiar [ones] who came, that your fathers did not fear.
Here, the title ELOAH is spelled as ELAH, but pronounced as ELOAH. The vowel-point that makes the letter Waw / Vav to be vocalized as an "O" is left, even though the letter itself is no longer present in the name.
They sacrificed to destructive spirits, not Eloah, elohim they did not know, new familiar [ones] who came, that your fathers did not fear.
Here, the title ELOAH is spelled as ELAH, but pronounced as ELOAH. The vowel-point that makes the letter Waw / Vav to be vocalized as an "O" is left, even though the letter itself is no longer present in the name.
That said, the very special instance of the spelling of King Ahasuerus’ name in Esther chapter 10:1 leaves the reader with a puzzling predicament: the name is spelled missing two Waw / Vav letters – one that functions as a vowel, which is no problem to maintain a correct pronunciation, and one functioning as a consonant, which is most definitely a problem for pronunciation. It is not just a scribal error that has occurred here, either. Rather, it is a known unique spelling among scribes, so recognized that even when a new scroll of Esther is being handwritten, the scribe is forced to spell the name of Ahasuerus at this point in precisely such entirely wrong manner, or else the scroll is considered unfit for use by the congregation. The reader of the Hebrew is directed to ignore this odd spelling and instead pronounce the name as if it were spelled as it is the other twenty-nine times it appears in the book of Esther. Although it cannot rightly be pronounced here as it is elsewhere in the Hebrew as AKHASHWEYROSH, the Hebrew reader is supposed to disregard this fact and pronounce it normally.
Therefore, it must be asked: What is the purpose of this strange spelling? The answer comes when the new spelling is approached from a Hebrew perspective. While it essentially does not spell anything in its normal spelling in the Hebrew language, but is instead a transliteration of a foreign name, this defective spelling of King Ahasuerus’ name yields an interesting result if finally looked at from the Hebrew for the symbolic truth contained in it.
The name of the king also has a “hidden” meaning, just like Esther, just like Mordechai, and just like Haman! The hidden meaning of his name, again, just like Haman, Esther, and Mordechai, is also related to trees. Haman's unique meaning of his name is linked straight to the death of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. King Ahasuerus was certainly involved in Haman's wicked plot, so one might readily expect a similar meaning to be found with his alternate version of AKH'SHORESH, but this time there is a twist – “Brother Root” is the meaning of the odd spelling of Ahasuerus' name, and that displays his newly-kindred attitude and spirit towards the Jewish people! Whereas before he had no concern, once he married into the family, so to speak, his name becomes altered one time to show a hint of the engrafting that took place. Even the two Waw / Vav letters that disappear from his name can be addressed in this respect: the letter Waw / Vav has as its original meaning a "linking" concept: it connects two things together. With those letters missing, one could say that King Ahasuerus no longer has any link to Haman and to his tree of death, but instead, is a "Brother Root" to his queen and her people!
Therefore, it must be asked: What is the purpose of this strange spelling? The answer comes when the new spelling is approached from a Hebrew perspective. While it essentially does not spell anything in its normal spelling in the Hebrew language, but is instead a transliteration of a foreign name, this defective spelling of King Ahasuerus’ name yields an interesting result if finally looked at from the Hebrew for the symbolic truth contained in it.
The name of the king also has a “hidden” meaning, just like Esther, just like Mordechai, and just like Haman! The hidden meaning of his name, again, just like Haman, Esther, and Mordechai, is also related to trees. Haman's unique meaning of his name is linked straight to the death of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. King Ahasuerus was certainly involved in Haman's wicked plot, so one might readily expect a similar meaning to be found with his alternate version of AKH'SHORESH, but this time there is a twist – “Brother Root” is the meaning of the odd spelling of Ahasuerus' name, and that displays his newly-kindred attitude and spirit towards the Jewish people! Whereas before he had no concern, once he married into the family, so to speak, his name becomes altered one time to show a hint of the engrafting that took place. Even the two Waw / Vav letters that disappear from his name can be addressed in this respect: the letter Waw / Vav has as its original meaning a "linking" concept: it connects two things together. With those letters missing, one could say that King Ahasuerus no longer has any link to Haman and to his tree of death, but instead, is a "Brother Root" to his queen and her people!
When the effects of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were set to destroy his Queen and her people in his own land, he showed with whom he was planted! His roots were entwined with the righteous! This unique meaning of the single odd spelling of the king's name points to his unity with Esther and the Jewish people.
While the world might still be reeling from the choice of Adam to eat of the forbidden tree, the Father has in this world people He will raise up to stand as righteous trees of life who fight for life, and life eternal. The hidden "tree" meaning of the names of the key players of Purim in the book of Esther show how He has His people in the world and in the right places as trees of life to stand against all that comes from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
To establish for the mourners of Zion, to give them beauty instead of ashes, oil of rejoicing instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of a spirit of heaviness, and call them, “Trees of Righteousness, the Planting of YHWH,” for His glory. ~ Isaiah 61:3
While the world might still be reeling from the choice of Adam to eat of the forbidden tree, the Father has in this world people He will raise up to stand as righteous trees of life who fight for life, and life eternal. The hidden "tree" meaning of the names of the key players of Purim in the book of Esther show how He has His people in the world and in the right places as trees of life to stand against all that comes from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
To establish for the mourners of Zion, to give them beauty instead of ashes, oil of rejoicing instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of a spirit of heaviness, and call them, “Trees of Righteousness, the Planting of YHWH,” for His glory. ~ Isaiah 61:3
All study contents Copyright Jeremy Chance Springfield, except for graphics and images, which are Copyright their respective creators.