person · P0054
Mordechai מרדכי
The Binyaminite of Shushan whose refusal to bow set the Purim story in motion, and who emerged as mishneh to the king, "seeking the good of his people." A named member of the Anshei Knesset HaGedolah in Rambam's listing; a baraita counts "Mordechai Bilshan" among those who prophesied in the second year of Daryavesh.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- מרדכי
- Also known as
- Mordechai Bilshan, Mordecai
- Era
- second-temple
- Received the mesorah from
- Baruch ben Neriah
II. When
- Traditional
- c. 3310–3430 AM (Purim 3405 AM)
- Lifespan (traditional)
- ≈120 years
- Precision
- approximate
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| A member of the court of Ezra — the Men of the Great Assembly — in Rambam's enumeration; a baraita lists Mordechai Bilshan among those who prophesied in the second year of Daryavesh.
Confidence is for the membership as stated by the Rambam. |
rabbinic | ★★★★★ | |
| "A Jewish man was in Shushan the capital, named Mordechai... a Binyaminite, who had been exiled from Jerusalem with the exile of Yechoniah"; at the book's close he is second to the king, "seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all their seed."
Confidence is for what the biblical text states. |
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| Traditional placement c. 3310–3430 AM: a literal reading of Esther 2:6 has him exiled with Yechoniah (3327 AM), implying great age by Purim (3405 AM) and the Great Assembly era — a difficulty already discussed by the commentators, some of whom apply the exile clause to his ancestor Kish.
Schematic traditional dating; span depends on how Esther 2:6 is read. |
tradition reconstruction | ★☆☆☆☆ |