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The Talmud (Megillah 7a) tries to prove that Megillas Esther was composed with Divine Inspiration:

It has been taught: R. Eleazar said: Esther was composed under the inspiration of the holy spirit, as it says, And Haman said in his heart.

This is referring to the part of the story where Haman paid the king a late night visit:

So Haman came in. And the king said to him, What shall be done to the man whom the king delights to honor? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honor more than to myself?

The proof seems to that the authors could not have known what Haman thought in his heart without Divine Inspiration. But even ignoring Haman's internal thoughts, how would the authors have known the conversation that took place in the kings private chambers? Is there any evidence that someone told them the contents of the conversation? If not, shouldn't this itself be the proof of Divine Inspiration?

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  • Is it not in the talmud walls(or birds) have ears,
    – hazoriz
    Commented Mar 1, 2018 at 17:34
  • @hazoriz Your point being?
    – ezra
    Commented Mar 1, 2018 at 17:41
  • @ezra evidence that there is not such a thing as private conversations, (another idea can be that a king usually has servants with him even in his private chambers)
    – hazoriz
    Commented Mar 1, 2018 at 17:43
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    @Alex I do not know, but why do you think it did not? (if you are using something as proof should it not be fullproof?)(For a bird of the sky shall carry the sound, and that which has wings shall tell the matter”(Ecclesiastes 10:20). sefaria.org/Bava_Batra.4a.2 )
    – hazoriz
    Commented Mar 1, 2018 at 18:13
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    @Alex (it is possible that when a king (not a privet person) has visitors it is known)
    – hazoriz
    Commented Mar 1, 2018 at 18:54

2 Answers 2

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the megilla says ….. after haman came home he said to all his friends and zeresh… את כל אשר קרהו

so haman himself announced to all what occurred, so that was “public knowledge “

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Absence of evidence is not positive proof. The better proof is from the record of what went on in Haman's mind.

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