First names in Hebrew

First name Mordechai: meaning, origin and its Hebrew spelling

מרדכי

Gematria value: 274

Its spelling

In Hebrew, Mordechai is written מרדכי

Meaning and origin

What does Mordechai mean?

Meaning: of debated origin; tradition reads in it "pure myrrh"
Origin: disputed

Mordechai is, with Esther, the hero of the book read on Purim; in English he is also called Mordecai. The origin of the name is debated: it is probably a name from the time of the Babylonian exile. Tradition reads it in Hebrew: the Talmud finds it in the Torah, in the “pure myrrh” of the anointing oil (Exodus 30:23), which the Aramaic translation renders mera dachya, sounds very close to Mordechai (Chullin 139b).

Gematria

Mordechai = 274

In Hebrew, every letter is also a number. Added together, the letters of the name give its value: this is gematria. מרדכי has 5 letters:

• מthe letter Mem40
• רthe letter Resh200
• דthe letter Dalet4
• כthe letter Kaf20
• יthe letter Yod10
• Total274

The verse of the name

From the letter Mem to the letter Yod

An ancient custom gives each person a verse: the one that begins with the first letter of their name and ends with the last. For Mordechai, from מ to י:

מְשַׁוֶּה רַגְלַי כָּאַיָּלוֹת וְעַל בָּמֹתַי יַעֲמִידֵנִי׃

“He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sets me firm upon my heights.”

Psalms 18:34

The book of your first name

Mordechai, in nine pages

• Mordechai, in Hebrew
• Letter by letter
• The number of your name
• The verse of your name
• The portrait of Mordechai
• Mordechai, day to day
• What tradition says about names
• The sources

Frequently asked

Mordechai in three answers

How do you write Mordechai in Hebrew?
In Hebrew, Mordechai is written מרדכי.

What is the gematria value of Mordechai?
Written מרדכי, Mordechai is worth 274: the letter Mem (40) + the letter Resh (200) + the letter Dalet (4) + the letter Kaf (20) + the letter Yod (10).

What does Mordechai mean?
Of debated origin; tradition reads in it "pure myrrh (origin: disputed). Mordechai is, with Esther, the hero of the book read on Purim; in English he is also called Mordecai. The origin of the name is debated: it is probably a name from the time of the Babylonian exile. Tradition reads it in Hebrew: the Talmud finds it in the Torah, in the “pure myrrh” of the anointing oil (Exodus 30:23), which the Aramaic translation renders mera dachya, sounds very close to Mordechai (Chullin 139b).