MARDOCHAEUS (Hebrew: Mordehkha). — Cousin and adoptive father of Esther (q.v.). An Israelite of the tribe of Benjamin and of the house of Kish. His family was among those deported to Babylon, along with Jeconiah and the prophet Ezekiel, in 597 BC. M. was born in exile and bore the Babylonian name derived from that of the god Marduk.
He lived in Susa and must already have held some position at court. After Esther’s entry into the king’s harem (c. 484 BC), M. continued to watch over her, having advised her to conceal her race (Esth. 2:5–11, 15). M. revealed the plot of two eunuchs against Xerxes (ibid. 2:21–23). He refused to Haman—who may already have known him as a Jew—those honors due to the prime minister, and Haman obtained the decree for the extermination of the Jews (ibid. 3:1–15). M. had Esther intervene with Xerxes, while Haman prepared the execution of M. During a sleepless night the king reviewed the royal records and saw that M. had not been rewarded for saving his life; he therefore resolved to exalt him, and Haman was forced to contribute to the glorification of his enemy. Esther accused Haman, who was condemned to death, while M. succeeded him in the dignity of prime minister; and with Esther he obtained the salvation of the Jews (ibid. 4–10). In the list of dignitaries at the court of Susa, recorded in a cuneiform text, there appears a certain Mardukā, a treasurer, whom A. Ungnad identifies with M.
The same name was borne by one of the leaders of the people who returned from exile with Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:2; Neh. 7:7).