hanged on the gallows: Thought this phrase has often been translated as hanged on a gallows, inscriptions from ancient Persia show that impalement was a common execution method. Xerxes’ father, Darius I, claimed he impaled 3,000 Babylonians when he conquered Babylon. Sometimes, authorities executed criminals first and then displayed them on a stake, as with the execution of Haman’s sons (Esther 9:5–14).
This was all recorded, but Mordecai was not rewarded until much later (Esther 6:1–14).
While various records of Xerxes’ reign have been found, the specific book mentioned here no longer exists.