Bible Person

Mordecai

Meaning: contrition; bitter; bruising · Male · 2 cross references

This Mordecai entry refers to a returnee listed with Zerubbabel in Ezra and Nehemiah, not to the better-known Mordecai in the book of Esther. He belongs to the early restored community in Judah. First appears in Ezra 2:2.1

AI summary: This Mordecai matters because his cross references place the name among those identified with the first return from exile. The entry must be carefully distinguished from Esther's Mordecai, yet it still contributes to the communal memory of who helped reestablish life in the land. Taken together, the material presents this Mordecai as a post-exilic returnee rather than a court figure in Persia.1

Central Figure

Mordecai

Meaning: contrition; bitter; bruising