Mordecai

Mordecai
The Triumph of Mordecai, attrib. Abraham van den Hecken the Younger, between 1635 and 1655
Children	Esther (cousin and adoptive child)
Father	Jair

Mordecai (/ˈmɔːrdɪkaɪ, mɔːrdɪˈkeɪaɪ/;^[1] also Mordechai; Hebrew: מָרְדֳּכַי, Modern: Mŏrdoḵay, Tiberian: Mārdoḵay,^[a] IPA: [moʁdeˈχaj]) is one of the main personalities in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. He is the cousin and guardian of Esther, who became queen of Persia under the reign of Ahasuerus (Xerxes I). Mordecai's loyalty and bravery are highlighted in the story as he helps Esther foil the plot of Haman, the king's vizier, to exterminate the Jewish people. His story is celebrated in the Jewish holiday of Purim, which commemorates his victory.

One theory frequently discussed in scholarship suggests that the Book of Esther serves as an etiology for Purim, with Mordecai and Esther representing the Babylonian gods Marduk and Ishtar in a historicized Babylonian myth or ritual.^[2] The identification of Mordecai in the Book of Esther with a Persian official named "Marduka" mentioned in an inscription from the reign of Xerxes is debated, with some scholars supporting the connection while others find it unconvincing due to the commonality of the name.^[3]

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