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;

ESTHER 2:5KJV
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Esther 2:5 (KJV)

What does Esther 2:5 mean?

Esther 2:5 introduces a Jewish man named Mordecai who lived in Shushan, the royal city, and traces his family line back through his father Jair, grandfather Shimei, and great-grandfather Kish, identifying him as a descendant of the tribe of Benjamin. This verse sets up Mordecai’s background and roots, which will be important for the story that follows.

The verse is part of the introduction to the main characters in the Book of Esther. The setting is Shushan (also called Susa), the capital city where the Persian king’s palace was located. By mentioning Mordecai’s ancestry and his tribal identity as a Benjamite, the text connects him to the Jewish people living in exile and hints at his significance in the unfolding events.

Where else these words appear

“Jair” Hebrew H2971 · used in 9 verses

  • Numbers 32:41 And Jair the son of Manasseh went and took the small towns thereof, and called them Havothjair.
  • Joshua 13:30 And their coast was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, threescore cities:
  • 1 Kings 4:13 The son of Geber, in Ramothgilead; to him pertained the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; to him also pertained the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, threescore great cities with walls and brasen bars:

“palace” Hebrew H1002 · used in 16 verses

  • 1 Chronicles 29:1 Furthermore David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the LORD God.
  • Esther 1:2 That in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace,
  • Esther 8:14 So the posts that rode upon mules and camels went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king's commandment. And the decree was given at Shushan the palace.

“Kish” Hebrew H7027 · used in 17 verses

  • 1 Samuel 9:1 Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
  • 2 Samuel 21:14 And the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son buried they in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the sepulchre of Kish his father: and they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God was intreated for the land.
  • 1 Chronicles 12:1 Now these are they that came to David to Ziklag, while he yet kept himself close because of Saul the son of Kish: and they were among the mighty men, helpers of the war.

“Benjamite” Hebrew H1145 · used in 18 verses

  • Judges 3:15 But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.
  • Judges 20:43 Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.
  • 2 Samuel 19:16 And Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, which was of Bahurim, hasted and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David.