After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. (Esther 3:1)
An indefinite lapse of time is thus indicated, perhaps of considerable duration. The events of this chapter fell in the year 474 B.C., the 12th year of Ahasuerus’ reign (see v. 7).
Haman.
Ahasuerus was introduced first (ch. 1), then Mordecai and Esther (ch. 2); now Haman appears on the scene, as grand vizier, or prime minister. According to Jewish tradition, Haman was a direct descendant of Agag, king of the Amalekites (see 1 Sam. 15:8), in the 16th generation (Targum Sheni; Josephus Antiquities xi. 6. 5).