Mordecai

Mordecai was a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin. According to the Book of Esther, he had been carried away captive to Babylon. Later, Mordecai served as an official in the Persian palace. He adopted his cousin, Esther (also known as Hadassah), and raised her as his own daughter. Esther was exceedingly beautiful (Esther 2:7).

In the third year of King Ahasuerus’s reign in Susa, he angrily deposed his queen (Esther 1:10-19). But after a period, King Ahasuerus’s anger subsided, and he began to remember his queen. So, his trusted officials suggested that beautiful young women be selected from all over the kingdom, and the king would choose his favorite to be queen. Many beautiful young women were thus brought to Susa. Esther, whom Mordecai had raised, was also brought into the royal palace (Esther 2:8). At that time, Esther, following Mordecai’s instructions, did not reveal her ethnicity or family background (Esther 2:10).

In the tenth month, in the seventh year of King Ahasuerus’s reign, Esther was brought into the royal palace. The king loved her more than all the other women, so he made her queen (Esther 2:16-18).

When Esther was made queen, Mordecai held an official position in the court (Esther 2:19). Two eunuchs plotted to assassinate King Ahasuerus, but Mordecai discovered their plot. Mordecai then relayed the eunuchs’ conspiracy to King Ahasuerus through Esther. King Ahasuerus had the two eunuchs executed and commanded that the matter be recorded in the royal chronicles (Esther 2:21-23).

After these events, King Ahasuerus promoted Haman to the highest position. All the king’s servants were commanded to kneel and pay homage to him. However, Mordecai alone would not kneel or pay homage to Haman. When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel or pay homage, he was filled with rage and determined to utterly destroy all the Jews throughout the Persian Empire (Esther 3:1-6). He obtained the king’s signet ring, issued a decree in the king’s name throughout the kingdom to massacre and annihilate all Jews on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month of that year (Esther 3:8-15).

When Mordecai learned of these events, he was greatly distressed, and all the Jews throughout the provinces mourned, fasted, wept, and wailed (Esther 4:1-3). Mordecai informed Esther of what had happened, but Esther replied that the king had not summoned her for thirty days. If she went to the king without being summoned, she would be put to death unless the king extended his golden scepter to her (Esther 4:4-12). When Mordecai heard this, he sent word to Esther, urging her to plead with the king for her people, saying, “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:12-14).

Esther, hearing this, sent a message back to Mordecai, asking him and all the Jews in Susa to join her in a three-day fast, day and night. Then she resolved to go to the king, risking her life to intercede for the Jewish people (Esther 4:15-17).

On the third day, Esther put on her royal robes and entered the inner court of the palace. When King Ahasuerus saw Esther standing in the court from his royal throne in the palace, he was pleased with her and extended his golden scepter to her, asking, “What is it, Queen Esther? … Even up to half the kingdom, it shall be granted you.” Esther replied, “If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to a banquet that I have prepared for him.” The king summoned Haman to join him at Esther’s banquet. While drinking wine, the king again asked Esther, “What is your petition? It shall be granted to you.” Esther replied, “If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I will prepare for them tomorrow, and tomorrow I will do as the king desires” (Esther 5:1-8).

Haman returned home joyful and glad of heart that night. But when he saw Mordecai, the Jew, sitting at the king’s gate, he felt greatly annoyed. So his wife advised him to set up a gallows fifty cubits high and ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it the next day. Haman thought this was a good idea and had the gallows built (Esther 5:9-14).

That night, the king could not sleep, so he ordered the royal chronicles to be brought and read to him. A passage mentioned how Mordecai had exposed a plot to assassinate Ahasuerus. The king asked, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” The king’s attendants replied, “Nothing has been done for him.” Just then, Haman arrived, and the king asked him, “What should be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?” Haman thought to himself, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?” So he told the king, for such a man, a minister should clothe him in royal robes and have him ride on the king’s own horse. He should be led through the city square, with the minister proclaiming before him, “Thus it is done to the man whom the king delights to honor.” King Ahasuerus, hearing this, commanded Haman, “Hurry! Take the robes and the horse, as you have suggested, and do all this for Mordecai the Jew who sits at the king’s gate. Do not neglect anything you have mentioned.” So Haman clothed Mordecai in the royal robes, had him ride on the king’s horse, and led him through the city square, proclaiming before him: “Thus it is done to the man whom the king delights to honor.” Afterward, Haman returned home, humiliated and dejected (Esther 6:1-12).

That same night, Ahasuerus sent for Haman to come to Esther’s second banquet. During the banquet, King Ahasuerus again asked Esther, “What is your petition?” Esther replied, “If I have found favor in your sight, O King, and if it pleases Your Majesty, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. For we have been sold—I and my people—to be destroyed, killed, and annihilated.” King Ahasuerus asked, “Who is he, and where is he, who has dared to do this?” Esther replied, “The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman!” Haman was terrified before the king and queen (Esther 9:1-6).

The king, infuriated, stood up and went out into the palace garden. Haman, realizing that the king was determined to punish him for this, stayed in the inner room to plead with the queen for his life. When the king returned from the garden, Haman was found falling on the couch where Esther was reclining, begging for mercy. Seeing this, the king furiously exclaimed, “Will he even assault the queen in my own house, in my presence?” One of the eunuchs then said, “Haman has built a gallows at his house, fifty cubits high, for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king.” So the king commanded, “Hang him on it!” Thus, Haman was hanged on the very gallows he had prepared for Mordecai (Esther 7:7-10).

On that very day, King Ahasuerus gave the signet ring he had recovered from Haman to Mordecai (Esther 8:1-2).

Later, Esther requested King Ahasuerus to revoke the decree to annihilate her people, the Jews. King Ahasuerus told Esther and Mordecai that when the Jews were attacked by force, they could retaliate, killing and destroying those who attacked them with force. This decree would take effect on December 13th (the original date set for the annihilation of the Jews). Thus, the Jews were prepared to take revenge on their enemies on that day (Esther 8:3-13).

On December 13th, the Jews’ enemies had expected to overpower them, but instead, the Jews triumphed over them. Officials in all the provinces, out of fear of Mordecai, helped the Jews. So, on the 14th, the Jews in Susa gathered again and killed three hundred more enemies (Esther 9:1-16).

Later, Mordecai decreed that the 14th and 15th of December (Adar in the Hebrew calendar) should be observed as a festival. These were the days when the Jews rid themselves of their enemies (Esther 9:20-22). And because Haman had originally chosen this day to destroy the Jews by casting lots, and lots are called “Pur,” these two days became the Festival of Purim, observed by the Jews according to Mordecai’s instructions (Esther 9:20-28).