what honour. The Greek historian Herodotus noted that it was a point of honor among Persian kings to grant some special honor to those who had voluntarily aided them.

Haman standeth. The remarkable sixth and seventh chapters of Esther contain one of the most incisively ironical narratives in all literature, not to mention an amazing testimony of providential ordering of events. Haman, swollen with both pride and hatred of those who refused to pander to his pride, appears at the king's court just as the king is preparing special honor for the very man Haman is preparing to hang! He is then forced to proclaim publicly for Mordecai the ritual of honor he had composed with himself in mind. Finally, he was hanged on his own gallows, and the Jewish nation he almost annihilated was stronger and more unified than ever, even making many new converts (Esther 8:17). In accord with Persian practice, the hanging on gallows probably meant impaling on a stake.

more than to myself. The inordinate pride of Haman (like that of Satan) contributed to his humiliation (Proverbs 16:18; 18:12; compare Ezekiel 28:17).

set upon his head. That is, the royal crown (or crest) was to be placed on the head of the royal steed! Stone carvings of horses so arrayed have been found in Persepolis one of ancient Persia's capitals.