Chapter 6 is the turning point of the Megillah. Until now, we have witnessed Haman ascending and growing in power, while Mordechai sat in sackcloth and fasting; but in this chapter, over the course of a single night, the tables are completely turned. The Malbim guides us step by step, demonstrating how every minor detail of the story, down to the very manner in which the book of chronicles was written, was orchestrated with precise Divine Providence for the salvation of Israel.
בַּלַּיְלָה הַהוּא נָדְדָה שְׁנַת הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיֹּאמֶר לְהָבִיא אֶת־סֵפֶר הַזִּכְרֹנוֹת דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים וַיִּהְיוּ נִקְרָאִים לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ׃ - On that night, the king's sleep fled, and he ordered to bring the book of records, the chronicles, and they were read before the king.
The Malbim asks two questions. First, why did the king's sleep elude him? After all, the king should be the most tranquil person in the world - everything is under his control, so what did he have to worry about? Second, what is the meaning of the apparent redundancy in "the book of records, the chronicles" (sefer hazichronot divrei hayamim)? Either term alone should have been sufficient.
The Malbim explains: Undoubtedly, when the king saw all the trembling fear with which Esther approached him, and realized that she had a momentous petition and request, yet even after he promised her up to half the kingdom, she postponed making the request until tomorrow, this aroused immense curiosity within him. This was especially true because Esther doubled her expressions: "if I have found favor" and "if it please the king." We have already explained that "if it please the king" means: my request is something that will actually benefit the king himself. Achashverosh deduced: evidently, there is someone who did me a favor and I have not rewarded him, and because of this, people are speaking ill of me; and if I repay the one who benefited me, that itself will be to my advantage. Esther prepared the ground, implying: this might seem like a large request of you, but it will ultimately serve your own good. Hence, the king wondered: who is this person who did me a favor to whom I have not repaid the kindness?
In Chazal, however, we find a different approach. Achashverosh thought to himself: How is it possible that someone is plotting against me and no one reveals it to me? It must be because they see that I do not reward those who do good for me, so there is no point in telling me. According to Chazal, Achashverosh sensed a suspicious conspiracy between Esther and Haman: today she invites him to a feast, and tomorrow she invites him again - something is being hatched against me, yet no one informs me. This was indeed Esther's plan: to bring Haman close in order to arouse Achashverosh's jealousy. But that is the approach of Chazal; the Malbim does not take this route at all. In his view, the king was simply intensely curious to know what the request was, and assumed it pertained to repaying a favor to someone who had benefited him.
And what is "the book of records, the chronicles"? The commentators explain that "the chronicles" (Divrei HaYamim) was the comprehensive book where everything was recorded at length, whereas the "book of records" (Sefer HaZichronot) was like our modern table of contents or index at the back of a book: such-and-such topic, page so-and-so. For instance: "Mordechai saved the king, page 34." One would then turn to page 34 in the chronicles, where the entire narrative was recounted in full.
The Malbim, however, offers a different explanation: there were two distinct books of chronicles. One was the well-known royal chronicles, the official record of the king's reign written as a memorial for future generations; this was held by the viceroy, and special scribes were designated to write it. This is what we find countless times throughout Tanach: "And the rest of his acts and his wars are written in the chronicles," meaning the official annals of that monarch. Very few chronicles from ancient empires have survived, and even their historical reliability is limited, because ancient kings - much like Arab rulers today - routinely rewrote history. In Egyptian chronicles, there is no mention whatever of the Exodus, and were it not for the Ipuwer Papyrus preserved in Leiden, the Netherlands, we would have no secular record of it at all. No king would ever record that he was struck with devastating plagues and that his land was left bleeding and broken by a nation of slaves. To this day, their maps claim they won every war; the Land of Israel does not appear on their globes, only "Palestine," and Jerusalem appears only as "Al-Quds." In just the same way, the monarchs of old recorded only what was convenient for them.
On the other hand, there was another book that was written directly before the king himself: a private diary of his personal memoirs, and this is the "book of records, the chronicles." And why did he specifically ask for this one? Because the book kept in the custody of the royal attendants and the viceroy was vulnerable to tampering - someone might alter or forge entries; but his private diary remained untouched by anyone else, and everything written in it was meticulous and precise.
We have previously mentioned that the king did not remember who had saved him from Bigthan and Teresh. Therefore, as the Malbim explained, he elevated Haman: first, because Haman created the impression that he was the one who had saved him; and second, because Haman was the one who advised that young women be brought so the king could take a new queen after Vashti's death, through which he merited Esther. It was not difficult for Haman to foster such an impression, for Shimshai - whom we will encounter later - was the king's scribe, and he was able to alter the public royal chronicles, though he could not touch the private book of records.
וַיִּמָּצֵא כָתוּב אֲשֶׁר הִגִּיד מָרְדֳּכַי עַל־בִּגְתָנָא וָתֶרֶשׁ שְׁנֵי סָרִיסֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ מִשֹּׁמְרֵי הַסַּף אֲשֶׁר בִּקְשׁוּ לִשְׁלֹחַ יָד בַּמֶּלֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ׃ - And it was found written that Mordechai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's chamberlains, from the keepers of the threshold, who had sought to lay hands on King Achashverosh.
"And it was found written" denotes something unexpected: a finding is always something novel, and "written" is also a novelty - meaning it had not been erased. The Malbim explains: In the chronicles kept by the viceroy and Haman's sons, they had already erased this matter, but in Achashverosh's personal book of chronicles, everything remained written, and the truth was inscribed there: "that Mordechai had told," and not the impression Haman had tried to create, as though he himself had saved the king.
And here the reason for the king's forgetfulness becomes clear: Mordechai himself did not go directly to the king to report the plot to kill him. Had he come in person, the king would likely have remembered. Instead, Mordechai told Esther, and Esther spoke in Mordechai's name, so the king did not clearly recall who uncovered the plot. And since Esther was chosen following Haman's advice - albeit indirectly - the king assumed that Haman was the savior. Now the book of chronicles was opened, and it became clear that Mordechai was the one who had saved him. From this, Achashverosh realized that the entire premise of "After these things King Achashverosh promoted Haman," which we explained took place right after the rescue from the assassination attempt, was a mistake: greatness had been bestowed upon someone who did not deserve it, for it was not Haman who had saved him, but Mordechai the Jew.
Through this, says the Malbim, we are exposed to Divine Providence. For precisely at the moment Haman came to execute his plan and kill Mordechai, right then it was revealed to the king that Haman did not deserve greatness, and that all his greatness rightfully belonged to Mordechai. Such precise timing can only be Providential, for had he read the book of chronicles just one hour later, Mordechai would no longer have been alive, and all would have been lost. Therefore, Chazal interpret "the king's sleep fled" as referring to the King of the Universe, Who, as it were, gave Himself no rest upon seeing what was about to be decreed against the Jewish people, and devised means so that none would be banished, to save Israel.
Notice the name: his name was originally "Bigtan," so how did it become "Bigtana"? There is a beautiful explanation for this. The Gemara in Masechet Megillah states that Shimshai, Haman's son and the royal scribe, would erase the record, and the angel Gavriel would rewrite it. The commentators ask: How did he erase it? Did he dare tamper openly with the royal record? Rather, the text originally read, "which Mordechai had told concerning Bigtana and Teresh." Shimshai separated the letter alef from "Bigtan" and the letter vav from "Teresh," and joined the alef and vav together to form the word o ("or"). It now read: "which he had told concerning Bigtan or Teresh who sought to lay hands on the king." What did he gain by this? It made it appear that Mordechai's information was inaccurate, yet both men were executed; thus, an innocent man was put to death on his account! True, he saved the king, but an innocent person was killed, and through this, Shimshai sought to neutralize all of Mordechai's merit and standing.
And what did Gavriel do? On the contrary, he wrote: he returned the alef and the vav each to its proper place, enlarged the nun of "Bigtan" and drew it close to the alef, and enlarged the tav of "Teresh" and drew it close to the vav. It was then plainly read as "Bigtana and Teresh," proving that both had plotted to assassinate the king, and that Mordechai fully deserved a complete reward. This is how the commentators explain it, though it is not from the Malbim.
וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ מַה־נַּעֲשָׂה יְקָר וּגְדוּלָּה לְמָרְדֳּכַי עַל־זֶה וַיֹּאמְרוּ נַעֲרֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ מְשָׁרְתָיו לֹא־נַעֲשָׂה עִמּוֹ דָּבָר׃ - "The king said, 'What honor and greatness has been done for Mordechai for this?' And the king's servants who attended him said, 'Nothing has been done for him.'"
Two questions arise here. First, why does it say here "honor and greatness," whereas when speaking to Haman, he only said, "What shall be done for the man whom the king desires to honor," without mentioning greatness? Second, the words "for this" seem superfluous; it would have been enough to say, "What honor and greatness has been done for Mordechai?"
The Malbim explains: The king was inquiring about two distinct things owed to Mordechai. "Honor" refers to the immediate public tribute that should have been paid to him at the time, publicly proclaiming his deed of saving the king from death to life. "Greatness" refers to future promotion, that he deserved to be elevated above all the ministers. Although the king knew that Mordechai had been granted a measure of status, since he sat in the king's gate, that position - as we explained - was given merely so that Achashverosh might find favor in Esther's eyes: "Here, the one who raised you, I have given him some importance." But "for this," for the actual salvation of the king's life, Mordechai had received no greatness whatsoever, and that was the king's question.
וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ מִי בֶחָצֵר וְהָמָן בָּא לַחֲצַר בֵּית־הַמֶּלֶךְ הַחִיצוֹנָה לֵאמֹר לַמֶּלֶךְ לִתְלוֹת אֶת־מָרְדֳּכַי עַל־הָעֵץ אֲשֶׁר־הֵכִין לוֹ׃ - "The king said, 'Who is in the courtyard?' Now Haman had just entered the outer courtyard of the king's palace to speak to the king about hanging Mordechai on the gallows he had prepared for him."
Haman used to walk in shoes whose sound could be heard from afar, so that anyone who had not heard would hear, stand up, and bow down to him. Ahasuerus immediately sensed him and asked, "Who is in the courtyard?" And as we noted, they had advised Haman to come specifically early in the morning, so that hanging Mordechai would look like an official state act so that people would see and fear, rather than a private feud. The Malbim observes: see how on that very morning, Mordechai is repaid from Heaven; the Holy One, blessed is He, bestows lovingkindness upon him and does charity with him, and he merits immense honor, his state overturning from lowliness to greatness. And precisely at the moment Haman arrives, the king reads these things; everything is under complete Divine providence.
וַיֹּאמְרוּ נַעֲרֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֵלָיו הִנֵּה הָמָן עֹמֵד בֶּחָצֵר וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ יָבוֹא׃ - The king's attendants said to him, "Behold, Haman is standing in the courtyard." And the king said, "Let him enter."
וַיָּבוֹא הָמָן וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ הַמֶּלֶךְ מַה־לַּעֲשׂוֹת בָּאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הַמֶּלֶךְ חָפֵץ בִּיקָרוֹ וַיֹּאמֶר הָמָן בְּלִבּוֹ לְמִי יַחְפֹּץ הַמֶּלֶךְ לַעֲשׂוֹת יְקָר יוֹתֵר מִמֶּנִּי׃ - So Haman came in, and the king said to him, "What should be done for the man whom the king desires to honor?" And Haman said in his heart, "Whom would the king desire to honor more than me?"
Ahasuerus was no fool, says the Malbim. He knew that Haman, in his immense arrogance, would immediately make the mistake of thinking this referred to himself, and the king wanted whatever honor Haman requested for himself to be given to Mordechai. For it had become clear to Ahasuerus that he had made a mistake and elevated the wrong person: greatness had been given to Haman under the impression that he had saved the king from Bigthan and Teresh, yet in the book of chronicles it turned out that he had not saved him at all, but rather Mordechai.
And why did he ask only "whom the king desires to honor" without mentioning greatness, as he had asked initially? Because Haman was already at the highest possible level of greatness, and had the king mentioned greatness, Haman would have thought to himself: "Surely this does not mean me, for it is impossible to elevate me any further; it must refer to someone else." Therefore, he omitted greatness and mentioned only honor, since much more honor could still be bestowed upon Haman, and Haman would naturally assume they were speaking of him. In this way, Haman would suggest what to do, and the king would order it done for Mordechai; Mordechai would receive what was due him, and Haman would return to his natural proportions, since he had been elevated only by mistake.
וַיֹּאמֶר הָמָן אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הַמֶּלֶךְ חָפֵץ בִּיקָרוֹ׃ - And Haman said to the king, "For a man whom the king desires to honor..."
יָבִיאוּ לְבוּשׁ מַלְכוּת אֲשֶׁר לָבַשׁ־בּוֹ הַמֶּלֶךְ וְסוּס אֲשֶׁר רָכַב עָלָיו הַמֶּלֶךְ וַאֲשֶׁר נִתַּן כֶּתֶר מַלְכוּת בְּרֹאשׁוֹ׃ - "Let royal apparel be brought which the king has worn, and the horse upon which the king has ridden, and upon whose head a royal crown has been set."
The Malbim asks: the verse, "And Haman said to the king, 'For a man whom the king desires to honor,'" seems superfluous; it would have been sufficient to write, "And Haman said, 'Let royal apparel be brought.'" Rather, Haman answered shrewdly. He effectively told him: there is no room for your question of what to do for the man whom the king desires to honor, for the greatest honor a person could aspire to is the very fact that the king desires to honor him. That alone is enough, and any addition is insignificant compared to the fact itself. But if your wish is to publicize the matter, here is the advice: let royal apparel, a horse, and a crown be brought.
And what is the meaning of "and upon whose head a royal crown has been set" - upon whose head? There is a dispute among the commentators on this point. Some say it refers to the head of the horse, just as to this day horses are adorned with red threads, feathers, and a crown, and even in paintings a crown is depicted between the ears of the king's horse. Others explain differently, noting the difficulty with the past-tense phrasing "has been set": rather, he meant the special crown placed upon the king's head on coronation day, which was not the crown he wore regularly, being exceptionally heavy and precious. Haman said to him: if you wish to see to this man's honor, give him the horse upon which the king rode and the crown that was set upon the king's head when he was crowned, which is the greatest splendor that can be bestowed.
וְנָתוֹן הַלְּבוּשׁ וְהַסּוּס עַל־יַד־אִישׁ מִשָּׂרֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ הַפַּרְתְּמִים וְהִלְבִּישׁוּ אֶת־הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הַמֶּלֶךְ חָפֵץ בִּיקָרוֹ וְהִרְכִּיבֻהוּ עַל־הַסּוּס בִּרְחוֹב הָעִיר וְקָרְאוּ לְפָנָיו כָּכָה יֵעָשֶׂה לָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הַמֶּלֶךְ חָפֵץ בִּיקָרוֹ׃ - "And let the attire and the horse be delivered into the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, and let them dress the man whom the king desires to honor, and parade him on the horse through the city square, and proclaim before him: 'Thus shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor!'"
The Malbim notes: Haman understood that this mysterious man was himself, and therefore he sought to enhance his honor through numerous ministers. That is why he spoke in the plural, "and let them dress" and "let them parade him" - that all the ministers should come to dress him and lead him on horseback, and that everything be performed by great and distinguished men, for only then is it a fitting honor.
וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ לְהָמָן מַהֵר קַח אֶת־הַלְּבוּשׁ וְאֶת־הַסּוּס כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתָּ וַעֲשֵׂה־כֵן לְמָרְדֳּכַי הַיְּהוּדִי הַיּוֹשֵׁב בְּשַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ אַל־תַּפֵּל דָּבָר מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתָּ׃ - Then the king said to Haman: "Hurry, take the apparel and the horse, as you have spoken, and do so to Mordechai the Jew who sits at the king's gate; do not omit a single thing of all that you have spoken."
At first glance, a difficulty arises: Haman suggested that noble ministers dress and parade the man ("and let them dress," "and let them lead him on horseback"), yet the king commands him to perform everything himself, while still saying, "do not omit a single thing of all that you have spoken." The Malbim explains: The king realized that Haman's greatness had stemmed from an error and was undeserved, and that all this honor rightfully belonged to Mordechai. Moreover, the king saw just how far Haman's arrogance reached: this man dared to request the royal robes, the very horse the king had ridden on his coronation day, and the royal crown placed upon his head on the day of his accession. Look at the schemes he harbored - an absolute megalomaniac.
In this respect, the situation is comparable to what Shlomo said when Adonijah son of Haggith sent Batsheva to ask for Avishag the Shunammite: "Ask for him the kingdom as well!" In other words: Mother, do you not understand his scheme? One who requests the king's consort, even if the king never fully took her as a wife, is touching upon royal prerogatives that no commoner may touch; he is effectively declaring himself the successor: "She belonged to David, and I have taken her, not Shlomo." It clearly signaled an ambition for the throne. Achashverosh likewise understood that Haman was virtually committing treason, seeing the grandiose ambitions he harbored.
Therefore, the king said to him in fury: Hurry, go and do so for Mordechai! For Mordechai deserves this honor, and he also deserves to receive this honor through your hands. You are the one who profited unlawfully all this time, seizing the greatness that rightfully belonged to Mordechai and creating the impression that it was you who saved my life. Therefore, you will be forced to honor him, and you will serve as the runner before him. And "do not omit a single thing" means: everything will be done here with absolute justice. Since you usurped this honor, it is fitting that it come at your personal expense. You will dress him, you will parade him on horseback, you will run before him, and you will perform the dressing with your own hands.
It is related that when Mordechai was about to mount the horse, he said he lacked the strength to do so because it was so tall. Haman bent down and Mordechai climbed onto his back, giving him a solid kick as he bounded onto the horse. Haman said to him: "Is it not written in your scriptures, 'Do not rejoice when your enemy falls'?" Mordechai replied: "That was not said regarding you; regarding you it is written, 'and you shall tread upon their high places.'"
וַיִּקַּח הָמָן אֶת־הַלְּבוּשׁ וְאֶת־הַסּוּס וַיַּלְבֵּשׁ אֶת־מָרְדֳּכָי וַיַּרְכִּיבֵהוּ בִּרְחוֹב הָעִיר וַיִּקְרָא לְפָנָיו כָּכָה יֵעָשֶׂה לָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הַמֶּלֶךְ חָפֵץ בִּיקָרוֹ׃ - So Haman took the apparel and the horse, dressed Mordechai, paraded him through the city square, and proclaimed before him: "Thus shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor!"
וַיָּשָׁב מָרְדֳּכַי אֶל־שַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ וְהָמָן נִדְחַף אֶל־בֵּיתוֹ אָבֵל וַחֲפוּי רֹאשׁ׃ - And Mordechai returned to the king's gate, but Haman hurried home, mourning and with his head covered.
The text portrays how Mordechai returned to his stature while Haman plunged downward into the pit of destruction. Come and see how futile the thoughts of man are: just a few verses earlier, he boasted of the glory of his wealth, his many sons, and how the king had elevated and promoted him; yet a few verses later, he is a servant running before the very man he had plotted day and night to eliminate, a man who was so contemptible in his eyes that he had considered it beneath his dignity to strike him alone. Beneath you? You will be the one to elevate and exalt him.
וַיְסַפֵּר הָמָן לְזֶרֶשׁ אִשְׁתּוֹ וּלְכָל־אֹהֲבָיו אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר קָרָהוּ וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ חֲכָמָיו וְזֶרֶשׁ אִשְׁתּוֹ אִם מִזֶּרַע הַיְּהוּדִים מָרְדֳּכַי אֲשֶׁר הַחִלּוֹתָ לִנְפֹּל לְפָנָיו לֹא־תוּכַל לוֹ כִּי־נָפוֹל תִּפּוֹל לְפָנָיו׃ - Haman recounted to his wife Zeresh and to all his friends all that had befallen him. Then his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him: "If Mordechai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, you will not prevail against him, but will surely fall before him."
Three questions arise here. First, why did Haman see fit to recount his failure to his wife and friends? It is a well-known rule: share your successes with your wife, but keep your failures to yourself. This does not mean hiding things or acting deceitfully, but there is no reason to run and broadcast every blunder so as not to appear degraded in her eyes. It would have been better for him to remain silent and erase the incident from the record. Second, why does the verse use the phrase "that had befallen him" (asher karahu), an expression of happenstance (mikreh)? Third, Scripture calls them "his wise men" - yet where is the wisdom? When someone is in crisis, is this how one consoles him: "Know that you have begun to fall, and now you will fall all the way down, and the next blows will be even harsher"? They ought to have told him: "The world is a revolving wheel - today you are down, tomorrow you are up. After all, you too were once destitute, a barber in the village of Kartzum, yet you rose to greatness." Speaking as they did seems like pure foolishness!
The Malbim cites the Abarbanel, whose words the Malbim often quotes because the Abarbanel frequently takes the same approach (or more accurately, the Malbim follows the Abarbanel's approach, as the Abarbanel preceded him): Haman feared that when his household heard about the day's events, they would be terrified, assuming that because he had gone to ask Achashverosh to hang Mordechai, and during their exchange the king discovered Haman had lied to him, this decree resulted, meaning his wound was incurable. They feared his entire scheme had been exposed - the elaborate scheme Haman had woven when telling the king there was a certain people that needed to be destroyed, where the king understood this as abolishing their religion, while Haman secretly planned to murder them all, a plan the king never harbored, as explained in previous chapters.
Therefore, Haman came to reassure them, saying: It was all mere coincidence. I have not even presented my request yet, and this has nothing to do with the plan to kill the Jews or the request to hang Mordechai. By chance, exactly when I walked in, they were reading from the chronicles. Thus, there is still hope; tomorrow or the next day I will present my petition and the king will grant it. After all, what happened here? Mordechai received his reward; the debt has been settled. Now I will come and prove that he committed a grave offense - does he have immunity? For his crime, he will be punished!
To this, his wise men and his wife Zeresh replied, not with a bleak prediction, but with strategic advice: If Mordechai is of Jewish descent, know that this is a nation over whom Hashem's providence always hovers - Divine providence (hashgachah pratit) - and with this nation, there is no such thing as coincidence. Drop the idea of "what had befallen" and do not delude yourself.
They brought him two proofs from the words "before whom you have begun to fall." First, no one pushed you. If a person is walking and someone shoves him from behind, there is a clear cause and effect; but here, you walked in and fell on your own. Had you claimed they set a trap for you, ambushed you, or informed on you, you would have a natural explanation. But you began to fall - the fall started from within you. This is a sign that the One Who sits in Heaven caused you to fall before him. Second, "before him" (lefanav): had he fallen first and you afterward, there might still be hope; but you fell before he did. You came to make him fall, and the moment you came to topple him, you yourself fell. This is proof that the matter is guided by Divine providence, for Mordechai the Jew is of the seed of the Jews, sitting and praying all day in sackcloth and fasting, and you have no chance against such a person.
Therefore, "you will not prevail against him." And what was their advice? "You will surely fall before him" (ki nafol tipol lefanav). There is no other way but to cast yourself down before him and humble yourself before him, until he becomes complacent, feels secure, and abandons his sackcloth, fasting, and prayers; only then will your hand prevail against him. But as long as you fight him while he clings to his sackcloth and prayer, you have no chance, for "when Mordechai lifts his hands, Israel prevails." What must you do? Put his guard down. Tell him: "Mordechai, you are great and mighty; I humble myself before you and bow to you." Then he will relax, believing the danger has passed, and then you can strike him down. Thus, their words were practical counsel for him, not a statement of despair.
עוֹדָם מְדַבְּרִים עִמּוֹ וְסָרִיסֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ הִגִּיעוּ וַיַּבְהִלוּ לְהָבִיא אֶת־הָמָן אֶל־הַמִּשְׁתֶּה אֲשֶׁר־עָשְׂתָה אֶסְתֵּר׃ - While they were still speaking with him, the king's chamberlains arrived, and they hurried to bring Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared.
Why the emphasis on "while they were still speaking with him"? It would have been enough to state that the king's chamberlains arrived and hurried him to the banquet, since the banquet awaited him that evening. The Malbim explains: Observe Hashem's providence! While they were still talking, the chamberlains arrived and became witnesses to the entire conversation. They heard Haman telling Zeresh and his friends that the plan was still in effect, that he had a gallows fifty cubits high upon which Mordechai would yet hang, and that everything that had happened that day was merely an accident.
And why was this so significant? Because later on, "Charvonah, one of the chamberlains, said: Behold, the gallows stands at Haman's house, prepared for Mordechai who spoke good for the king." Therefore, it had to happen "while they were still speaking with him," so that the chamberlain would overhear, and by overhearing, he would later be able to step forward and act against Haman.
Chapter 6 in its entirety is a chain of precise timing: the king's sleeplessness; the request specifically for the private chronicles where no tampering had occurred and the truth had not been erased; the realization that greatness had been mistakenly given to Haman while Mordechai was the true savior; Haman's entrance at that exact moment; the phrasing of the question in a way that misled Haman to magnify his own honor; and the witnesses who arrived precisely "while they were still speaking with him." Haman sought to hang Mordechai, yet ended up running before him like a servant, mourning and head covered. And whatever Haman tried to attribute to "chance," his wise men and Zeresh themselves refuted: with the seed of the Jews, there is no chance, only Divine providence. "Before whom you have begun to fall" is the unmistakable sign that Heaven's hand is here, and as long as Mordechai holds fast to his sackcloth, fasting, and prayer, the enemy has no power over him.