MARDOCHEO (Hebr.: Mordhēkhaj). — Cousin and adoptive father of Esther (v.). An Israelite of the tribe of Benjamin and the house of Kish. His family was among those deported to Babylonia, together with Jeconiah and the prophet Ezekiel, in 597. 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 entered the king’s harem (ca. 484 B.C.), M. continued to watch over her, having advised her to keep her race hidden (Esth. 2:5-11, 15). M. exposed the conspiracy of two eunuchs against Xerxes (ibid. 2:21 f.). He refused Haman—perhaps already known to him as an enemy of the Jews—the honors due to him as prime minister, and Haman had the extermination of the Jews decreed (ibid. 3:1-15). M. induced Esther to intervene with Xerxes, while Haman prepared the punishment for M. During a sleepless night, the king reread the annals and saw that M. had not been rewarded for saving his life; he therefore decided 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; together with Esther, he obtained the salvation of the Jews (ibid. 4-10). In the list of dignitaries at the court of Susa reported in a cuneiform text, there is a Mardukd, 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 (Estd. 2:2; Nek. 7:7).