Charles Ellicott Commentary Esther 7:8

"Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the couch whereon Esther was. Then said the king, Will he even force the queen before me in the house? As the word went out of the king`s mouth, they covered Haman`s face." — Esther 7:8 (ASV)

The bed — that is, the couch on which she had been reclining at the banquet. This was the customary posture at meals, not only of the Persians, but also of the Greeks and Romans, and of the later Jews. The Last Supper was eaten in this way.

Haman had obviously thrown himself at the queen’s feet to ask for mercy. The king on his return was evidently full of wrath against Haman, and though he was for the time God’s instrument in averting Haman’s wicked design, his own base and worthless character is nevertheless conspicuous.

The attempted massacre had been authorized with the full knowledge and consent of the king, who still utterly ignores his own share of the responsibility. Great and noble ends are at times brought about by the instrumentality of unholy men, blind instruments in a purpose whose end they do not understand. What greater blessing, for example, did God grant to England than the Reformation, whose foremost agent was a bloody and unholy king?

Will he force... —Ahasuerus must have known perfectly well that Haman’s position was that of a suppliant; his words merely indicate his utter anger, as the attendants clearly perceive, for they immediately covered Haman’s face—he must not see the king’s face again. (See above, Esther 1:13.)