Ester 2:5

2:5 Now there happened to be a Jewish man in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai. ¹  He was the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjaminite,

Ester 2:19

Mordecai Learns of a Plot against the King

2:19 Now when the young women were being gathered again, ²  Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. ³ 

Ester 2:21

2:21 In those days while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan ⁴  and Teresh, ⁵  two of the king’s eunuchs who protected the entrance, ⁶  became angry and plotted to assassinate ⁷  King Ahasuerus.

[2:5]  ¹ sn Mordecai is a pagan name that reflects the name of the Babylonian deity Marduk. Probably many Jews of the period had two names, one for secular use and the other for use especially within the Jewish community. Mordecai’s Jewish name is not recorded in the biblical text.

[2:19]  ² tc The LXX does not include the words “Now when the young women were being gathered again.” The Hebrew word שֵׁנִית (shenit, “a second time”) is difficult in v. 19, but apparently it refers to a subsequent regathering of the women to the harem.

[2:19]  ³ sn That Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate apparently means that he was a high-ranking government official. It was at the city gate where important business was transacted. Being in this position afforded Mordecai an opportunity to become aware of the plot against the king’s life, although the author does not include the particular details of how this information first came to Mordecai’s attention.

[2:21]  ⁴ tn This individual is referred to as “Bigthana,” a variant spelling of the name, in Esth 6:2.

[2:21]  ⁵ tc The LXX does not include the names “Bigthan and Teresh” here.

[2:21]  ⁶ tn Heb “guarders of the threshold”; NIV “who guarded the doorway.”

[2:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “sought to send a hand against”; CEV “decided to kill.”