Bible Person

Zeresh

Meaning: misery; strange; dispersed inheritance · Female · 3 cross references

Zeresh is the wife of Haman in Esther, remembered for encouraging his plot against Mordecai and then later recognizing the direction of his downfall. This figure belongs to the domestic and political atmosphere of pride, scheming, and reversal in the Persian court. First appears in Esth 5:10.1

AI summary: Zeresh matters because the cross references place her first as a voice feeding Haman's vindictive ambition and later as one who can already see the collapse overtaking him. Her counsel sharpens the moral tone of the story by showing how private encouragement can fuel public injustice. Taken together, the material presents Zeresh as a courtly spouse whose words help intensify Haman's arrogance before his reversal.1

Central Figure

Zeresh

Meaning: misery; strange; dispersed inheritance

Star of Venus, the wife of Haman, whom she instigated to prepare a gallows for Mordecai (Esther 5:10).