The Meaning of Esther 2:5 Explained

Esther 2:5

KJV: 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;

YLT: A 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 --

Darby: There 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,

ASV: There 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,

KJV Reverse Interlinear

[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; 

What does Esther 2:5 Mean?

Context Summary

Esther 2:1-23 - The Service Of A Foreigner
Esther's Hebrew name meant Myrtle. It could not have been easy for her to retain her sweet simplicity amid the corruptions of her time, but her Persian name means "a star," as though she were a garden enclosed, encircled by the atmosphere of the divine purity and protection. We must not judge Esther by our own standards, but by the custom of her time. Each of these young girls was considered to be married to the king, was kept under his roof, and was his wife of a lower rank. How great is the influence of Christianity in raising our standards and pervading the world with a loftier morality! She was not bidden to deny her parentage, but only advised not to proclaim it, Esther 2:10. When, afterwards, she was raised to power, she showed no flinching from identification with her race. So she attained the highest position in the world to which a woman could aspire. God lifted her there to serve a high and noble purpose. Her relative, Mordecai, discovered a plot against the king, and told it to his ward, the queen, and she to her royal spouse. The deed was unrewarded; in this, however, the faithful doorkeeper felt no disappointment. He acted not for reward, but from a sense of duty. But the act was registered both in heaven and on earth, and it bore fruit. It is enough for us to do our duty, and please God. [source]

Chapter Summary: Esther 2

1  Out of the choice of virgins a queen is to be chosen
5  Mordecai the nursing father of Esther
8  Esther preferred before the rest
12  The manner of purification, and going in to the king
15  Esther, best pleasing the king, is made queen
21  Mordecai, discovering a treason, is recorded in the chronicles

What do the individual words in Esther 2:5 mean?

A certain Jew there was in Shushan the citadel and whose name [was] Mordecai son of Jair the son of Shimei of Kish - a Benjamite
אִ֣ישׁ יְהוּדִ֔י הָיָ֖ה בְּשׁוּשַׁ֣ן הַבִּירָ֑ה וּשְׁמ֣וֹ מָרְדֳּכַ֗י בֶּ֣ן יָאִ֧יר בֶּן־ שִׁמְעִ֛י קִ֖ישׁ אִ֥ישׁ יְמִינִֽי

אִ֣ישׁ  A  certain 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
יְהוּדִ֔י  Jew 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדִי  
Sense: Jew.
הָיָ֖ה  there  was 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
בְּשׁוּשַׁ֣ן  in  Shushan 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שׁוּשַׁן  
Sense: the winter residence of the Persian kings; located on the river Ulai or Choaspes.
הַבִּירָ֑ה  the  citadel 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: בִּירָה  
Sense: palace, castle.
וּשְׁמ֣וֹ  and  whose  name 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
מָרְדֳּכַ֗י  [was]  Mordecai 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָרְדֳּכַי  
Sense: cousin and adoptive father of queen Esther; son of Jair of the tribe of Benjamin; deliverer under Divine providence of the children of Israel from the destruction plotted by Haman the chief minister of Ahasuerus; institutor of the feast of Purim.
בֶּ֣ן  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יָאִ֧יר  of  Jair 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָאִיר  
Sense: a descendant of Manasseh who conquered many towns during the time of the conquest.
בֶּן־  the  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
שִׁמְעִ֛י  of  Shimei 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שִׁמְעִי  
Sense: a Benjamite, son of Gera of the house of Saul in the time of David.
קִ֖ישׁ  of  Kish 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: קִישׁ  
Sense: a Benjamite of the family of Matri, father of king Saul.
אִ֥ישׁ  - 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
יְמִינִֽי  a  Benjamite 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֶּן־יְמִינִי 
Sense: one of the tribe of Benjamin.