Ester 1:9

1:9 Queen Vashti ¹  also gave a banquet for the women in King Ahasuerus’ royal palace.

Ester 2:5

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

Ester 5:13

5:13 Yet all of this fails to satisfy me so long as I have to see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”

Ester 6:5

6:5 The king’s attendants said to him, “It is Haman who is standing in the courtyard.” The king said, “Let him enter.”

Ester 7:5-6

7:5 Then King Ahasuerus responded ³  to Queen Esther, “Who is this individual? Where is this person to be found who is presumptuous enough ⁴  to act in this way?”

7:6 Esther replied, “The oppressor and enemy is this evil Haman!”

Then Haman became terrified in the presence of the king and queen.

Ester 9:4

9:4 Mordecai was of high rank ⁵  in the king’s palace, and word about him was spreading throughout all the provinces. His influence ⁶  continued to become greater and greater.

[1:9]  ¹ sn Vashti is the name of Xerxes’ queen according to the Book of Esther. But in the Greek histories of this period the queen’s name is given as Amestris (e.g., Herodotus, Histories 9.108-13). The name Vashti does not seem to occur in the nonbiblical records from this period. Apparently the two women are not to be confused, but not enough is known about this period to reconcile completely the biblical and extrabiblical accounts.

[2:5]  ² 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.

[7:5]  ³ tc The second occurrence of the Hebrew verb וַיּאמֶר (vayyo’mer, “and he said”) in the MT should probably be disregarded. The repetition is unnecessary in the context and may be the result of dittography in the MT.

[7:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “has so filled his heart”; NAB “who has dared to do this.”

[9:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “great”; NRSV “powerful”; NIV “prominent”; NCV “very important.”

[9:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “the man Mordecai” (so NASB, NRSV).