Haman in the Bible: Eight Signs of a Narcopath

Narcopath is a pop psychology term, but a useful one in that it refers to a person who exhibits not only the typical symptoms of a narcissist but also two or more symptoms of an anti-social personality disorder. As one reads the book of Esther, the full impact of Haman’s narcopathic tendencies reveal themselves. But before we take a look at the long list of Haman’s character flaws, it is useful to understand him on a more metaphorical level within the book of Esther.

Haman was an Agagite. This meant that he descended from King Agag of the Amalekites, a tribe that God commanded King Saul to wipe out in its entirety. Descended from Esau, the Edomites eventually became the Amalekites, kin to the Hebrews and yet their enemies.  A deeper look into Scripture shows us that the Amalekites were a vicious nomadic tribe, universally hated by many of the surrounding nations for their regular predations on travelers.

The Amalekites first appear in the Bible when they attacked the Hebrews while they were weary from long travel in the wilderness. You will recall Moses’ companions holding up Moses’ arms during the Battle of Rephidim; the Hebrews won the fight only while his arms were upraised. The Amalekites took turns aiding each of Israel’s enemies, from the Moabites to the Philistines. Rabbis associate them with the very spirit of anti-Semitism, seeing them as the fore-runners of the Nazis, Stalin, and now, modern-day radical Islam.

So it should come as no surprise that Haman should symbolize so clearly that hatred of the Jews with which we associate Hitler. So as I read and reread Esther, my first thought was that he was merely another wicked narcissist. But upon reflection, I began to realize that he embodied the cruel and anti-social tendencies exhibited by narcopaths.

1: A narcopath feels entitled to honor without achievement.

Haman ascends to favor with no reference to any accomplishments. The narrative in Esther is sparse, but the king elevates Haman suddenly. Esther 3:1 reads, “King Xerxes honored Haman, son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles.” I find it curious that no explanation is given. After all, Mordecai saves the life of King Xerxes and receives credit only years later.

But the sudden elevation of a narcopath to a position of power is not uncommon. I think of Epstein, the pedophile recently in the news, hired as a teacher despite the lack of a college degree. He then became a prominent financial advisor despite a lack of experience or accomplishment. Sound familiar? Narcopaths can often charm, lie, and insinuate themselves into close relationships with powerful people. It’s what they do best.

2:  A narcopath expects absolute compliance with their expectations.

Haman is outraged when Mordecai, a Jew, refuses to bow down to him. Mordecai did not bow because, as a Jew, he was only permitted to worship God. Mordecai’s actions were not about Haman, but about his devotion to Yahweh. It takes very little to earn the enmity of a narcopath. Mordecai had no thoughts of disrespecting Haman, but for a narcopath, the entire world must revolve around them. Any slight to their dignity, whether real or imagined, deserves serious punishment.

3: Anti-Social Personality Disorder comes with an absolute lack of a sense of right and wrong.

Haman’s response to the imagined insult by Mordecai is to plot the deaths of all of the Jews, men, women, and children. In other words, genocide. Because one man did not recognize him as a god in front of others, Haman’s response is to murder millions of people. That response is unhinged. It also points to a long-standing cultural hatred. Haman obviously recalled his ancestors’ hatred of the Israelites. The Amalekites had long declared their end goal of eradicating Israel.

4: A narcopath is supremely arrogant.

When the king asks Haman how he ought to honor someone in the best way possible, Haman’s first thought is “It must be me!” And his idea of honor included wearing the king’s clothes and being paraded around for everyone to see. His chagrin when he discovers that he must give Mordecai this honor he imagined for himself is humorous.

Equally humorous to me is how Mordecai, an essentially humble man, must have disliked having such a big deal made. After all, Mordecai could have recalled to the king’s mind that he saved the king from assassination through Esther. Mordecai, however, was not an arrogant boaster like Haman. Instead, God arranges for King Xerxes to have a sleepless night and discover it in the histories.

5: Sociopaths manipulate without hesitation.

Haman spins a tale of a people who defy the king by refusing to bow to him. He asks the king to allow him to deal with the rebellious people. I doubt that King Xerxes really understood the full matter presented to him. It just sounded as if Haman were zealous for the dignity of the king. And yet,  in Esther 3 we see, ‘Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews—young and old, women and children—on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.”

The Nazis didn’t invent the genocide of the Jews. They were merely better at it. This section of Esther reminds me of my visit to the Holocaust Museum in Israel. The piles of shoes, the gold teeth, the eyeglasses, all plundered from the men, women, and children descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

6: A narcopath surrounds themselves with acolytes.

⁹ Haman went out that day happy and in high spirits. But when he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate and observed that he neither rose nor showed fear in his presence, he was filled with rage against Mordecai. ¹⁰ Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home. Calling together his friends and Zeresh, his wife, ¹¹ Haman boasted to them about his vast wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials. ¹² “And that’s not all,” Haman added. “I’m the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow. ¹³ But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.” Esther 3:9-13

In this section of Esther, we see how shallow Haman really is. He wants everyone to know how great he is and how much honor he deserves. Notice in verse 9, Haman is enraged by Mordecai’s lack of fear. Nothing infuriates a narcopath more than not having the upper hand.

7: Sociopaths enjoy cruelty and intimidation.

Imagine, if you will, constructing an electric chair outside your house.  What would serve as a better warning to your neighbors to leave you alone? What kind of sadistic enjoyment would one get out of having a place of execution on one’s front steps? And yet, that is what Haman did. Some translations say that he built a gallows, but really it was an enormous pole on which he intended to impale Mordecai.

This is serial killer territory, to be blunt. He absolutely enjoys the thought of seeing Mordecai’s lifeless body on his front lawn. I have no words for this, except that Haman is murderous in the worst of ways.

8: A narcopaths is impulsive, even to his or her own detriment.

Once the jig is up and Esther has so courageously outed Haman to the king, he flings himself on Esther’s couch. I do not mistake this as remorse. But given the deeply conservative customs of ancient Persia, to fling oneself onto the couch on which the queen is reclining is foolish in the extreme. I think Haman might have been able to finagle his way out of the whole deal had he been more circumspect. After all, the king didn’t want to look foolish. Haman’s reaction merely gave him an excuse to get rid of him.

I sometimes wonder if it is possible for an entire group of people to become narcopaths. Certainly, history can make some convincing cases for such an event, from wicked slave owners to the various genocides in history. Murder began with brother murdering brother and I believe in God’s eyes, all murder remains just that. We are all created in the image of God, but some of our hearts become irretrievably dark.

   If you have someone you suspect to be a narcopath in your life, please know that no treatment currently exists. The only safe contact is no contact. Paul instructed Christians to have nothing to do with such men as he describes in 1 Timothy 3. Indeed, his advice should be heeded.

 

Five Signs of a Covert Narcissist: Judas Iscariot

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