Hatach

Biblical Record

Hatach is named only in Esther 4:5–10. The text introduces him as "one of the king's chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her" (Esther 4:5), that is, one assigned to serve Esther in close attendance. The Hebrew word translated "eunuch" in the Korean Revised Version (and "chamberlain" in the KJV) can refer to a castrated court official or, more broadly, to any official of the royal palace.

When Haman obtained a decree ordering that all the Jews be killed, Mordecai put on sackcloth and wailed in the midst of the city. Hearing of this, Esther sent Hatach to find out what was happening. Hatach went out to the street of the city before the king's gate and met Mordecai. Mordecai told him all that had happened and the exact sum of silver that Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasuries. He also gave him a copy of the decree and asked that Esther go in to the king and make supplication for her people (Esther 4:7–8). When Hatach returned and reported these words, Esther in turn gave him a message to take back to Mordecai (Esther 4:9–10).

Hatach's name does not appear after this point. Esther 4:12 refers in the plural to those who carried Esther's words to Mordecai: "And they told to Mordecai Esther's words."

Significance Within the Bible

Within the narrative, Hatach serves only as a messenger; none of his own words or thoughts are recorded. Yet it is in the exchange carried on through him that Mordecai asks, "who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14), and that Esther declares her resolve, "if I perish, I perish" (Esther 4:16). The New Testament makes no mention of Hatach.

Interpretation and Issues

The biblical text says nothing about Hatach's origins or later life. The Talmud, a body of rabbinic Jewish literature, preserves an interpretation that identifies Hatach with Daniel. This interpretation comes from later Jewish tradition, and the Book of Esther itself provides no basis for it. The meaning of the name is also uncertain; a Persian origin has been suggested, but this remains conjecture.

In the Korean Church

Korean churches seldom treat Hatach as a subject in his own right. He is usually mentioned in sermons or Sunday school lessons on Esther 4 as the messenger who went back and forth between Esther and Mordecai.