The name Aspatha is found within one of the most dramatic and pivotal narratives in the Old Testament: the book of Esther. Aspatha is not a hero or a villain, but rather an individual whose fate was tied directly to the great decree of extermination orchestrated by the wicked Haman.
The name Aspatha is of Persian origin, as is common for names in the book of Esther, which is set in the capital city of Shushan during the reign of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I). The exact meaning of the name is uncertain, but it is preserved in the list of Haman’s ten sons.
The Great Deliverance
Aspatha is known solely for his relationship to the chief adversary of the Jews, Haman the Agagite, who plotted to destroy all the Jewish people throughout the vast Persian Empire. Through the courageous intervention of Queen Esther and the wise counsel of Mordecai, this plot was overturned, and the Jews were granted permission by the king to defend themselves against their enemies on the very day intended for their slaughter.
On the appointed day, the Jews successfully defended themselves, and one of the results of their victory was the execution of Haman’s ten sons. Aspatha is listed among them.
The King James Version records the execution of the ten sons:
And Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha, And Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha, And Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vajezatha, The ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, slew they; but on the spoil laid they not their hand. (Esther 9:7–10)
The Significance of the Ten Sons
The detailed listing and subsequent execution of Haman’s ten sons holds significant theological and historical weight within the narrative:
- Completeness of Judgment: The total elimination of Haman’s immediate male lineage symbolized the complete and decisive defeat of the anti-Jewish plot and the end of that specific threat to God’s covenant people. This event demonstrates the principle that “vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Romans 12:19, KJV, referencing the concept of divine justice).
- Protection of Israel: Aspatha and his brothers represent those who were directly aligned with the chief enemy of Israel. Their destruction was a necessary act of national self-defense and deliverance orchestrated by divine providence.
- Foundation for Purim: The slaughter of the ten sons and the subsequent deliverance led to the establishment of the Feast of Purim, a perpetual reminder of God’s hidden but active hand in preserving His people from annihilation.
Aspatha, therefore, stands as a solemn historical marker—a name tied to the devastating consequences faced by those who set themselves against the purposes and people of the Almighty, and a crucial detail in the story of one of the greatest deliverances in biblical history.