Contradiction with 1 Chronicles 9:1-3
These verses mention that the captivity included the children of Judah and Benjamin, but there’s ambiguity about the timing of the deportation of individuals like Mordecai's ancestors, as mentioned in Esther 2:6.
1 Chronicles 9:1-3: So all Israel were reckoned by genealogies; and, behold, they [were] written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah, [who] were carried away to Babylon for their transgression.
Contradiction with 2 Kings 24:14
This verse mentions Nebuchadnezzar led away captives during Jehoiachin's reign, contradicting Esther 2:6, which implies the deportation was under Jeconiah (Jehoiachin).
2 Kings 24:14: And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, [even] ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.
Contradiction with Ezra 2:1-2
These verses imply a return from a Babylonian exile led by Zerubbabel, with some discrepancy in the timing of events compared to Mordecai's line from Esther 2:6.
Ezra 2:1-2: Now these [are] the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city;
Contradiction with Jeremiah 29:1
Although this mentions exiles to Babylon, the timing of this letter does not directly match with the exile timeline presented in Esther 2:6 regarding Jeconiah.
Jeremiah 29:1: Now these [are] the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon;
Paradox #1
The potential contradiction in Esther 2:6 involves the timeline of events. The verse could be interpreted as saying that Mordecai was among the captives taken to Babylon when Jehoiachin was exiled, which happened around 597 BCE. However, Esther's story is set much later, around the reign of King Xerxes (Ahasuerus), which was in the 5th century BCE. If Mordecai himself was taken during the exile, he would be improbably old by the time of Esther, causing a discrepancy in the timeline.
Paradox #2
Esther 2:6 mentions that Mordecai was taken into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, who took King Jehoiachin to Babylon. The potential contradiction is that Mordecai being exiled at that time would make him extremely old by the time of the events in the Book of Esther, which happen during the reign of Xerxes I of Persia, many years later. This timeline doesn't match up well, as Mordecai's age would be unrealistic for the events described.
Paradox #3
Esther 2:6 mentions that Mordecai was among those taken into exile in the Babylonian captivity, which historically took place around 586 BCE. However, the timeline is inconsistent because this would make Mordecai quite old during the events of Esther, which are believed to occur during the reign of Xerxes I around 486-465 BCE. This long gap in years presents a historical inconsistency.