MARDOCHAI (Hebrew: 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 Babylon, with Jeconiah and the prophet Ezekiel, in 597. M. was born in exile and had the Babylonian name, derived from that of the god Marduk.
He lived at Susa and must already have held some office at court. After Esther's entry into the king's harem (ca. 484 B.C.), M. continues to watch over her, having advised her to keep her race hidden (Esth. 2:5-11, 15). M. reveals the conspiracy of two eunuchs against Xerxes (ibid. 2:21 ff.). He refuses to Ahasuerus, perhaps already known to him as an anti-Jew, the honors due him as prime minister, and Ahasuerus has the extermination of the Jews decreed (ibid. 3:1-15). M. has Esther intervene with Xerxes, while Ahasuerus prepares the torture for M. In the sleepless night the king rereads the annals and sees that M. has not been rewarded for having saved his life; he therefore decides to exalt him, and Ahasuerus is forced to contribute to the glorification of his enemy. Esther accuses Ahasuerus, who is condemned to death, while M. succeeds him in the dignity of prime minister; and with Esther he obtains the salvation of the Jews (ibid. 4-10). In the list of dignitaries at the court of Susa, reported by a cuneiform text, there is found 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).
Bibliography3 worksA. Ungnad, Keilinschriftliche Beiträge zum Buch Esra und Ester, 2. Mordechai, in Zeitschrift für die alttest. Wissenschaft, 38 (1940-41), p.
BIBL.: A. Ungnad, Keilinschriftliche Beiträge zum Buch Esra und Ester, 2. Mordechai, in Zeitschrift für die alttest. Wissenschaft, 38 (1940-41), p. 243 ff.; 59 (1942-43), p. 219; L. Soubigou, Esther (La Ste Bible), ed. L. Pirot, 4), Paris 1949, pp. 579 ff., 623-26, 630-35, 640-45, 648-53, 656, 660-63, 665-669, 681 ff., 687 ff.
Spadafora, Francesco. “Mardocheo (Ebr.: MordhĒKhaj).” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. VIII, col. 59. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1952. https://azioneromana.com/article/mardocheo-ebr-mordhekhaj.
MLA
Spadafora, Francesco. “Mardocheo (Ebr.: MordhĒKhaj).” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. VIII, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1952, col. 59. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/mardocheo-ebr-mordhekhaj.
BibTeX
@incollection{ec8_mardocheo_ebr_mordhekhaj,
author = {Spadafora, Francesco},
title = {Mardocheo (Ebr.: MordhĒKhaj)},
booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
volume = {VIII},
pages = {59},
note = {Cited by column},
publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
address = {Città del Vaticano},
year = {1952},
url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/mardocheo-ebr-mordhekhaj}
}
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