Mordecai

Mordecai
For other uses, see Mordecai (disambiguation).
Esther and Mordecai, by Aert de Gelder

Mordecai or Mordechai (Hebrew: מָרְדֳּכַי, Modern Mordekhay Tiberian Mordŏḵáy, IPA value: [mɔrdɔ̆ˈxɑj]) is one of the main personalities in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. He was the son of Jair, of the tribe of Benjamin.

Contents

His life and deeds

Mordecai resided in Susa (Shushan),[1] the metropolis of Persia (now Iran). He adopted his cousin Hadassah (Esther), an orphan child, whom he brought up as his own daughter. When "young virgins" were sought, she was brought into the presence of King Ahasuerus and was made queen in the place of the exiled queen Vashti. Mordecai was referred to subsequently as one of those who "sat in the king's gate" to indicate his position of closeness to the king. While holding this office, he discovered a plot of the king's chamberlain's, eunuchs Bigthan and Teresh, to assassinate the king. Because of Mordecai's vigilance, the plot was foiled. His services to the king in this matter were duly recorded in the king's royal diary.

Haman the Agagite had been raised to the highest position at court. Mordecai refused to bow down before him because it is a clear violation of Jewish law. Haman, stung by Mordecai's refusal, resolved to accomplish his death in a wholesale murder of the Jewish exiles throughout the Persian empire. Learning of Haman's scheme, Mordecai communicated with Queen Esther regarding it, and by her bold intervention the scheme was frustrated by distributing arms to the Jews of Susa and other Persian cities where they lived and clashed with Haman's militia, until the King rescinded the edict to murder the Empire's Jews. Mordecai was raised to a high rank, donned in the royal gray cloak, and Haman was executed on gallows he had by anticipation erected for Mordecai. In memory of the deliverance thus wrought for them, the Jews to this day celebrate the feast of Purim or "Lots" because of the lots that were drawn by Haman to decide whom he would first murder among the Jewish elders in Persia.

The name

The Triumph of Mordecai by Pieter Lastman, 1624.

The name Mordechai is of uncertain origin but is considered identical to the name Marduka or Marduku attested in the Persepolis Texts.

The name is commonly interpreted as a theophoric name referring to the god Marduk with the understanding that it means "[servant/follower/devotee] of Marduk" in Aramaic. (The Book of Daniel contains similar accounts of Jews living in exile in Babylonia being assigned names relating to Babylonian gods.) Some[who?] suggest that as Marduk was a war god, the expression "[servant] of Marduk" may simply denote a warrior - the popular translation of "warrior" is commonly found in naming dictionaries. Others note that Marduk was the creator in Babylonian mythology whence the term might have been understood by Jews to mean simply "[servant] of God".

The Talmud (Menachot 64b and 65a) relates that his full name was "Mordechai Bilshan" (which occurs in Ezra 2:2 and Nehemiah 7:7). Hoschander interpreted this as the Babylonian marduk-bel-shunu meaning "Marduk is their lord", "Mordecai" being thus a hypocoristicon.

Another interpretation of the name is that that it is of Persian origin meaning "little boy". Other suggested meanings of "contrition" (Hebrew root m-r-d), "bitter" (Hebrew root m-r) or "bruising" (Hebrew root r-d-d) are listed in Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary of the late 19th century. There is also speculation that the name is derived from Aramaic mar dochi; mar being a title address for a gentleman and dochi, meaning "one who incurs merit" (cf. Hebrew zoche).

The Talmud provides a Midrashic interpretation of the name Mordechai Bilshan as mara dachia ("pure myrrh") alluding to Exodus 30:23 and ba'al lashon ("master of languages") reminding us that as a member of the Great Assembly he could speak (Or, at least, understand many) foreign languages.

Tomb of Esther and Mordechai

In the King James Version of the deuterocanonical Greek additions to Esther, his name is spelled as Mardocheus.

Prophet status

The Talmud lists Mordecai and Esther as prophets.[2] The Talmud says Mordecai prophesied in the second year of Darius.

Mordecai's genealogy in the second chapter of the Book of Esther is given as a descendant of Kish of the Tribe of Benjamin. Kish was also the name of the father of King Saul, and the Talmud accords Mordecai the status of a descendant of the first King of Israel.[3]

The Targum Sheni gives his genealogy in more detail, as follows: "Mordecai, son of Ya'ir, son of Shim'i, son of Shmida, son of Baana, son of Eila, son of Micah, son of Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan, son of Saul, son of Kish, son of Aviel, son of Tzror, son of Bechorath, son of Aphiah, son of Sh'charim, son of Uziah, son of Sheshak, son of Michael, son of Elyael, son of Amihud, son of Shephatya, son of Psuel, son of Pison, son of Malikh, son of Jerubaal, son of Yerucham, son of Chananya, son of Zavdi, son of Elpo'al, son of Shimri, son of Zecharya, son of Merimoth, son of Hushim, son of Sh'chora, son of 'Azza, son of Gera, son of Benjamin, son of Jacob the firstborn, whose name is called Israel."

Non-academic interpretations

The Pentecostal minister Finis Dake interprets the Bible verses Esther 2:5–6[1] to mean that Mordecai himself was exiled by Nebuchadnezzar.[4] Others interpret it to mean that his great-grandfather Kish was exiled, making Mordecai three generations removed from the time of Jeconiah's exile.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Esther 2:5–6 of the Bible (King James Version):
    Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite; Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.
  2. ^ See Megillah 15.
  3. ^ Esther's Echo to the Past - Purim
  4. ^ Dake's Annotated Reference Bible
  5. ^ Halley's Bible Handbook

External links

v · d · ePurim • פּוּרִים
Overview Purim
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Historical
Book of Esther • Esther (rl) • Haman (rl) • Mordecai • Ahasuerus • Vashti • Zeresh
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Fast of Esther • Shushan Purim • Purim HaMeshulash • Purim Katan
v · d · eProphets in the Hebrew Bible
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Abraham · Isaac · Jacob · Joseph · Sarah (rl) · Hagar · Rebecca · Rachel · Leah
Israelite prophets
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Major Prophets
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Beor · Balaam · Job (rl)
Other prophets
Amoz · Beeri · Baruch · Agur · Uriah · Buzi · Mordecai · Esther (rl) · Oded · Azariah
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Look at other dictionaries:

  • MORDECAI — (Heb. מָרְדֳּכַי ,מָרְדֳּכָי hypocoristic masculine proper name containing the theophoric element Marduk), name of two Biblical figures: 1) One of the 12 leaders who returned from Babylonia to Jerusalem at the time of Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:2; Neh. 7 …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Mordecai — m Biblical: the name of Esther s cousin and foster father, who secured her introduction to King Ahasuerus (Esther 2–9). The name is of Persian origin and seems to have meant ‘devotee of the god Marduk’. It had some currency among English Puritans …   First names dictionary

  • Mordecai — masc. proper name, biblical cousin of Esther, from Heb. Mordekhay, from Akkad. Marduk, chief god of the city of Babylon …   Etymology dictionary

  • Mordecai — [môr′də kī΄] n. [Heb mordĕkhai] 1. a masculine name: dim. Mordy 2. Bible the cousin of Esther (in the Book of Esther), who saved the Jews from the destruction planned by Haman: cf. PURIM …   English World dictionary

  • Mordecai —    The son of Jair, of the tribe of Benjamin. It has been alleged that he was carried into captivity with Jeconiah, and hence that he must have been at least one hundred and twenty nine years old in the twelfth year of Ahasuerus (Xerxes). But the …   Easton's Bible Dictionary

  • Mordecai — /mawr di kuy , mawr di kay uy/, n. 1. the cousin and guardian of Esther who delivered the Jews from the destruction planned by Haman. Esther 2 8. 2. a male given name. * * * In the biblical book of Esther, the cousin or guardian of Esther.… …   Universalium

  • Mordecai — (fl. 5th cent BCE)    Persian palace official at Shushan during the reign of Ahasuerus. His niece Esther was part of the king s harem. Through her Mordecai informed the king of an assassination plot against him. Later, when Mordecai refused to… …   Dictionary of Jewish Biography

  • Mordecai — A Jewish hero in the story of Esther, which illustrates the reversal of fortunes. His execution for lack of respect to Haman, favourite in the court of the Persian king Ahasuerus, was authorized by the king, along with extermination of Jews… …   Dictionary of the Bible

  • Mordecai — Recorded as both Mordacai and Mordecai, this was originally a personal name, becoming much later, a surname. However spelt it is of ancient Hebrew origins, and although once thought to have some Breton Celtic Welsh ancestry, this is is almost… …   Surnames reference

  • Mordecai Richler — Born January 27, 1931(1931 01 27) Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Died July 3, 2001(2001 07 03) (aged 70)[1] Occupation …   Wikipedia

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