General Notes

BIOGRAPHY:  Mordecai   He resided at Susa, the metropolis of Persia. He adopted his cousin Hadassah (Esther), an orp han child, whom he tenderly brought up as his own daughter. When she was brought into the kin g's harem and made queen in the room of the deposed queen Vashti, he was promoted to some off ice in the court of Ahasuerus, and was one of those who "sat in the king's gate" (Esther 2:21 ). While holding this office, he discovered a plot of the eunuchs to put the king to death, w hich, by his vigilance, was defeated. His services to the king in this matter were duly recor ded in the royal chronicles.   Haman (q.v.) the Agagite had been raised to the highest position at court. Mordecai refused t o bow down before him; and Haman, being stung to the quick by the conduct of Mordecai, resolv ed to accomplish his death in a wholesale destruction of the Jewish exiles throughout the Per sian empire (Esther 3:8-15). Tidings of this cruel scheme soon reached the ears of Mordecai , who communicated with Queen Esther regarding it, and by her wise and bold intervention th e scheme was frustrated. The Jews were delivered from destruction, Mordecai was raised to a h igh rank, and Haman was executed on the gallows he had by anticipation erected for Mordecai ( (6:2-7:10).). In memory of the signal deliverance thus wrought for them, the Jews to this da y celebrate the feast (9:26-32) of Purim (q.v.).   Easton's Bible Dictionary <http://www.studylight.org/dic/ebd/>