Arisai

Background and Family

Arisai was a son of Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha. While his mother is not explicitly named in the verse mentioning his death (Esther 9:9), the biblical narrative elsewhere identifies Haman’s wife as Zeresh. Arisai was part of a large household, listed alongside his nine brothers: Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Aridai, and Vaizatha.

The family’s heritage is significant in the context of biblical history. As an "Agagite," Arisai belonged to a lineage often associated with the Amalekites, a traditional enemy of Israel. This ancestral tension underscores the conflict described in the Book of Esther, positioning Arisai and his siblings not merely as political casualties, but as the final remnants of an ancient enmity.

Major Life Events

Arisai’s presence in the biblical text is confined to the events following the reversal of Haman’s genocidal plot. After Haman was executed on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai, the king granted the Jews the right to assemble and protect themselves on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar.

On this day, the Jews in the citadel of Susa killed five hundred men, including the ten sons of Haman. Esther 9:9 explicitly lists Arisai as one of those killed. Following their death, Queen Esther requested that the bodies of the ten sons be hanged upon the gallows as a public display of the victory over their oppressors and a deterrent against further insurrection. The king granted the request, and Arisai’s body was publicly displayed in Susa.

Relationship to Other Biblical Figures

Arisai’s primary relationship is to his father, Haman. As the child of a high Persian official, he likely enjoyed a position of significant status and privilege within the royal court of Susa before Haman's fall from grace. He is also defined by his relationship to his nine brothers; the biblical text lists them in a grouping that emphasizes their collective fate.

Spiritual Significance

The account of Arisai serves a specific purpose in the narrative of Purim. The meticulous listing of his name, alongside his brothers, highlights the completeness of the judgment against Haman’s house. In the Jewish tradition, the names of the ten sons are often read in a single breath during the reading of the Megillah (the Scroll of Esther) to signify that they all perished together. Arisai represents the finality of the deliverance of the Jewish people from their enemies during the Persian exile.