Esther 2:5
in Esther 2Now there was at the citadel of Susa a Jewish man from the tribe of Benjamin named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
There was a certain Jew in Shushan the palace, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite,
KJV
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;
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This verse in Esther 2
Commentary
7 notes on this verseNow in Shushan the palace was a certain Jew,.... Not one of the tribe of Judah, for he was afterwards called a Benjaminite; but was so called, because he was of the kingdom of Judah, which consisted of both tribes.
This site's exposition
named Mordecai son of Jair
on Esther 2:5-7
Mordecai's line runs to Kish, of "the tribe of Benjamin," the house that gave Israel its first king, Saul son of Kish. Keil and others trace the line to Saul, whose war with Agag at 1 Samuel 15:8 returns when Haman the Agagite appears at 3:1.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church2 voices
It is evident that Esther signifies the gentile church. Her name is interpreted as "hiding place," and she also had the other name of Hadassah, that is, "mercy." The church is pleasing to God in the hiding place of his heart because of the chastity …
Now, what can Esther—whose name means hidden, and who was also called Hadassah, i.e. mercy—signify if not the Church of the nations, which pleases God in the recesses of its heart because its faith is pure, and it finds before the eyes of God more …
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Mordecai, the eunuch Est 2:7, Est 2:11, has been conjectured to be the same as Matacas, who, according to Ctesias, was the most powerful of the eunuchs during the latter portion of the reign of Xerxes. Mordecai’s line of descent is traced from a certain Kish, carried off by Nebuchadnezzar in 598 B.C. - the year of Jeconiah’s captivity - who was his great-grandfather.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Her sweet and amiable appearance made her a favorite with all who looked upon her (Es 2:15, last clause). Her Hebrew name (Es 2:7) was Hadassah, that is, "myrtle," which, on her introduction into the royal harem, was changed to Esther, that is, the star Venus, indicating beauty and good fortune [GESENIUS].
Whose name was Mordecai - The Targum says, “He was the son of Jair, the son of Shimea, the son of Gera, the son of Kish.” And “this was the same Shimea that cursed David; and whom David forbade Joab to slay because he saw, in the spirit of prophecy, that he was to be the predecessor of Esther and Mordecai; but when he became old, and incapable of having children, David ordered Solomon to put him to death.
The words behind it
15 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אִ֣ישׁ | ʾish | a man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| יְהוּדִ֔י | yehudi | Jewish | H3064 → | 75 times |
| הָיָ֖ה | hayah | he was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| בְּשׁוּשַׁ֣ן | beshushan | in Susa | H7800 → | 21 times |
| הַבִּירָ֑ה | habirah | the citadel | H1002 → | 16 times |
| וּשְׁמ֣וֹ | ushemo | and name his | H8034 → | 864 times |
| מָרְדֳּכַ֗י | maredokhai | [was] Mordecai | H4782 → | 60 times |
| בֶּ֣ן | ben | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יָאִ֧יר | yair | Jair | H2971 → | |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| שִׁמְעִ֛י | shimi | Shimei | H8096 → | |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| קִ֖ישׁ | kish | Kish | H7027 → | |
| אִ֥ישׁ | ʾish | a man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| יְמִינִֽי׃ | yemini | a Jaminite | H1145 → |
אִ֣ישׁa man
ʾishH376 →1663 times
יְהוּדִ֔יJewish
yehudiH3064 →75 times
הָיָ֖הhe was
hayahH1961 →3559 times
בְּשׁוּשַׁ֣ןin Susa
beshushanH7800 →21 times
הַבִּירָ֑הthe citadel
habirahH1002 →16 times
וּשְׁמ֣וֹand name his
ushemoH8034 →864 times
מָרְדֳּכַ֗י[was] Mordecai
maredokhaiH4782 →60 times
בֶּ֣ן[the] son of
benH1121 →4930 times
יָאִ֧ירJair
yairH2971 →
בֶּן־[the] son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
שִׁמְעִ֛יShimei
shimiH8096 →
בֶּן־[the] son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
קִ֖ישׁKish
kishH7027 →
אִ֥ישׁa man
ʾishH376 →1663 times
יְמִינִֽי׃a Jaminite
yeminiH1145 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Esther 10:3For Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews and highly favored by his many kinsmen, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen.
it leads to
- Nehemiah 2:10
But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were deeply disturbed that someone had come to seek the well-being of the Israelites.
- Nehemiah 2:10
Through
Esther 5:1On the third day, Esther put on her royal attire and stood in the inner court of the palace across from the king’s quarters. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the…
it leads to
- Esther 6:4
“Who is in the court?” the king asked. Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace to ask the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows he had prepared for him.
- Esther 4:16
“Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day, and I and my maidens will fast…
- Revelation 3:21
To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
- 1 Peter 3:3–5
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair or gold jewelry or fine clothes,
- Esther 6:4
Through
Esther 1:2In those days King Xerxes sat on his royal throne in the citadel of Susa.
it leads to
- Nehemiah 1:1
These are the words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa,
- 2 Samuel 7:1
After the king had settled into his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him,
- Nehemiah 1:1
Through
2 Samuel 16:5As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the family of the house of Saul was just coming out. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and as he approached, he kept yelling out…
it leads to
- 2 Samuel 3:16
Her husband followed her, weeping all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go back.” So he returned home.
- 2 Samuel 3:16
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Esther
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil, The Books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Rabanus Maurus, EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 3 and Rabanus Maurus, Commentary on Esther.