Mordecai מׇרְדֳּכַי
Esther's cousin, a Jewish leader in the Persian court.
Biography
Mordecai, a prominent figure in the book of Esther, was a Jewish man living in the Persian capital of Susa during the reign of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I). He was the son of Jair, from the tribe of Benjamin, and had been taken into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon (Est.2.5-6).
Mordecai is best known for his role as the cousin and guardian of Esther, who became queen of Persia. When Esther's parents died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter and raised her (Est.2.7). He later advised her to keep her Jewish identity secret when she was taken into the king's harem (Est.2.10).
Mordecai's loyalty to the king was demonstrated when he uncovered a plot by two of the king's eunuchs to assassinate Ahasuerus. He reported the conspiracy, and the eunuchs were hanged (Est.2.21-23).
However, Mordecai's refusal to bow down to Haman, a high-ranking official in the Persian court, led to a crisis for the Jewish people. Haman, enraged by Mordecai's defiance, plotted to destroy all the Jews in the empire (Est.3.5-6). Mordecai then urged Esther to intervene on behalf of her people, even at the risk of her own life (Est.4.13-14).
Through Esther's courage and Mordecai's guidance, Haman's plot was exposed, and the king issued a decree allowing the Jews to defend themselves. Haman was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai (Est.7.9-10).
After this victory, Mordecai was elevated to a high position in the Persian court, second only to the king (Est.10.3). He used his influence to promote the welfare of the Jewish people and institute the festival of Purim to commemorate their deliverance (Est.9.20-32).
Throughout the book of Esther, Mordecai is portrayed as a wise, courageous, and faithful leader who risked his own life to protect his people and remained committed to his Jewish identity in the face of adversity.
Family
In Scripture
1 biblical book ; 1 with study contentEsther 5 verses
- Esther 2:5
"There was a certain Jew in the citadel of Susa, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite,"
Study Esther → - Esther 2:7
"He brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter; for she had neither father nor mother. The maiden was fair and beautiful; and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his own daughter."
Study Esther → - Esther 2:10
"Esther had not made known her people nor her relatives, because Mordecai had instructed her that she should not make it known."
Study Esther → - Esther 2:11
"Mordecai walked every day in front of the court of the women’s house, to find out how Esther was doing, and what would become of her."
Study Esther → - Esther 2:15
"Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, came to go in to the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the keeper of the women, advised. Esther obtained favor in the sight of all those who..."
Study Esther →
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script | Strong's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | מׇרְדֳּכַי | H4782H |
Mordecai
ied to Babylon along with Jeconiah, king of Judah (Es 2:5-6). For nearly 60 years before the scenes narrated in Esther, in which Mordecai was greatly concerned, took place, the way to Palestine had been open to the Israelites; but neither his father, Jair, nor afterward himself chose to return to the ancient heritage. This seems to have been the case also with the rest of his house, as it was with the vast majority of the Israelite people; for his uncle died in Persia leaving his motherless daughter, Hadassah, to the care of Mordecai. Employed in the royal palace at Susa, he attracted, through the timely discovery of a plot to assassinate the king, the favorable notice of Xerxes, and in a short time became the grand vizier of the Persian empire. He has been believed by many to have been the author of the Book of Esther; and in the earliest known notice of the Feast of Purim, outside of the book just mentioned, that festival is closely associated with his name. It is called "the day of Mordecai" (2 Macc 15:36). The apocryphal additions to Esther expatiate upon his greatness, and are eloquent of the deep impression which his personality and power had made upon the Jewish people. Lord Arthur Hervey has suggested the identification of Mordecai with Matacas, or Natacas, the powerful favorite and minister of Xerxes who is spoken of by Ctesias, the Greek historian. Few have done more to earn a nation's lasting gratitude than Mordecai, to whom, under God, the Jewish people owe their preservation.
John Urquhart
mo'-re (gibh`ath ha-moreh, "hill of the teacher"; Codex Vaticanus Gabaathamora; Codex Alexandrinus, tou bomou tou Abor): The Hebrew moreh is derived from the verb yarah, "to teach," "to direct," and indicates o