Esther 2 · Verse 5

Esther 2:5

Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite;
Esther 2:5, King James Version

Esther 2:5 in other translations

BSBNow there was at the citadel of Susa a Jewish man from the tribe of Benjamin named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish.
WEBThere was a certain Jew in the citadel of Susa whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite,
ASVThere was a certain Jew in Shushan the palace, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite,
YLTA man, a Jew, there hath been in Shushan the palace, and his name is Mordecai son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjamite--
DARBYThere was in Shushan the fortress a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjaminite,
BBENow there was a certain Jew in Shushan named Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite;
WebsterNow in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjaminite;

What does Esther 2:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
5. Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew--Mordecai held some office about the court. But his "sitting at the king's gate" (Es 2:21) does not necessarily imply that he was in the humble condition of a porter; for, according to an institute of Cyrus, all state officers were required to wait in the outer courts till they were summoned into the presence chamber. He might, therefore, have been a person of some official dignity. This man had an orphan cousin, born during the exile, under his care, who being distinguished by great personal beauty, was one of the young damsels taken into the royal harem on this occasion. She had the good fortune at once to gain the good will of the chief eunuch [Es 2:9]. Her sweet and amiable appearance made her a favorite with all who looked upon her (Es 2:15, last clause). Her Hebrew name (Es 2:7) was Hadassah, that is, "myrtle," which, on her introduction into the royal harem, was changed to Esther, that is, the star Venus, indicating beauty and good fortune [Gesenius].

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 5 Whose name was Mordecai - The Targum says, "He was the son of Jair, the son of Shimea, the son of Gera, the son of Kish." And "this was the same Shimea that cursed David; and whom David forbade Joab to slay because he saw, in the spirit of prophecy, that he was to be the predecessor of Esther and Mordecai; but when he became old, and incapable of having children, David ordered Solomon to put him to death.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Esther 2:1-20

We see to what absurd practices those came, who were destitute of Divine revelation, and what need there was of the gospel of Christ, to purify men from the lusts of the flesh, and to bring them back to the original institution of marriage. Esther was preferred as queen. Those who suggest that Esther committed sin to come at this dignity, do not consider the custom of those times and countries. Every one that the…

Read the full comment on Esther 2:1-20 →

Esther 2:5 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

אִ֣ישׁ'isha manH376
יְהוּדִ֔יye.hu.DiJewishH3064
הָיָ֖הha.Yahhe wasH1961
בְּשׁוּשַׁ֣ןbe.shu.Shanin SusaH7800
הַבִּירָ֑הha.bi.Rahthe citadelH1002
וּשְׁמ֣וֹu.she.Moand name hisH8034
מָרְדֳּכַ֗יma.re.do.Khai[was] MordecaiH4782
בֶּ֣ןben[the] son ofH1121
יָאִ֧ירya.'IrJairH2971
בֶּן\־ben-[the] son ofH1121
שִׁמְעִ֛יshim.'IShimeiH8096
בֶּן\־ben-[the] son ofH1121
קִ֖ישׁkishKishH7027
אִ֥ישׁ'isha manH376
יְמִינִֽי\׃ye.mi.Nia JaminiteH1145

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Esther 2:5

  • 2 Samuel 16:5

    And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera: he came forth, and cursed still as he came.

  • Esther 2:3

    And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hege the king’s chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them:

  • 1 Samuel 9:1

    Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.

  • Esther 1:2

    That in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace,

  • Esther 5:1

    Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, over against the king’s house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house.

  • Esther 10:3

    For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.

  • Esther 3:2-6

    And all the king’s servants, that were in the king’s gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence. Then the king’s servants, which were in the king’s gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king’s commandment? Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai’s matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew. And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath. …

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Shushan.
3; 1:2; 5:1
a certain Jew.
3:2-6; 10:3
the son of Shimei.
1Sa 9:1; 2Sa 16:5

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Esther 2:4

    And let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.

  • Esther 2:5

    Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite;

  • Esther 2:6

    Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.

Read all of Esther 2

Esther 2:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Había un varón Judío en Susán residencia regia, cuyo nombre era Mardochêo, hijo de Jair, hijo de Simi, hijo de Cis, del linaje de Benjamín;
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Il y avait à Suse, la capitale, un homme juif, et son nom était Mardochée, fils de Jaïr, fils de Shimhi, fils de Kis, Benjaminite;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Es war ein jüdischer Mann in der Burg Susan, sein Name war Mordokai, der Sohn Jairs, des Sohnes Simeis, des Sohnes Kis,
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Erat vir Judæus in Susan civitate, vocabulo Mardochæus filius Jair, filii Semei, filii Cis, de stirpe Jemini,