Editing Mordecai (section)

=== Name ===
[[File:Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bibel in Bildern 1860 130.png|thumb|right|Mordecai is honored in this 1860 woodcut by [[Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld]]]]The name "Mordecai" is of uncertain origin but is considered identical to the name ''Marduka'' or ''Marduku'' ({{langx|elx|𒈥𒁺𒋡}}), attested as the name of up to four Persian court officials in thirty texts (the [[Persepolis Administrative Archives]]) from the period of [[Xerxes I]] and his father Darius.{{sfn|Howard|2007|p=369}}{{sfn|Kalimi|2023|pp=111–112}}

The [[Talmud]] (''Menachot'' 64b and 65a) relates that his full name was "'''Mordechai Bilshan'''" (which occurs in Ezra 2:2 and Nehemiah 7:7, albeit likely as two ''separate'' names in sequence). Hoschander interpreted this as the Babylonian "Marduk-belshunu" (𒀭𒀫𒌓𒂗𒋗𒉡, <sup>[[DINGIR|d]]</sup>AMAR.UTU-EN-''šu''-''nu'', meaning "[[Marduk]] is their lord") "Mordecai" being thus a [[hypocorism]].

In the King James Version of the deuterocanonical Greek [[Book of Esther#Additions_to_Esther|additions to Esther]], his name is spelled as '''''Mardocheus''''', which may better preserve the original vowels, though the [[Masoretic Text]] versions of the Persian names in the Bible are known to be the most reliable.{{sfn|Millard|1977|pp=481-488}}