A Medieval Commentator on Esther Finds a Secret Reference to Redemption and Mark

The figure of Esther lent itself quite readily to mystical interpretation ... [Abraham] Saba however is the first exegete to incorporate her into a more fully developed kabbalistic scheme and portray her as an instrument for the protection of the divine order ... Not only does the scroll deal with our physical redemption at the hands of the Messiah, says Saba, but the redemption of our souls. For just as the Torah has a revealed and a hidden meaning so does this scroll. The revealed meaning is our physical redemption, but the hidden meaning is the redemption of the soul which is the true redemption that occurs after death. This redemption is symbolized by Mordecai and Esther. Mordecai alludes to a pure body free of all contamination and Esther is the soul hidden (nisteret) in the body which is called yehidah. In mystical terms, this chapter is referring to the purification of the soul which takes place after death. This process takes twelve months which is alluded to in the twelve months that each maiden had to spend before being allowed to enter into the presence of the king (i.e. God) (2:12, 13). The tamruqeihen ('ointments') comes from the root MRQ which in rabbinic Hebrew often refers to cleansing from sins. [Walfish, Esther in Medieval Garb]

The root maroq (MRQ) while having no real etymological connection to the Roman name Marcus would nevertheless have been connected with its Aramaic form MRQ. In what follows the redemption theme in Esther becomes even more pronounced:

The triumph of the Jews over Haman, the seed of Amalek, is seen by Saba as a foretaste of the final redemption at which time the seed of Amalek will utterly be destroyed and sinners will cease from the land. In fact Esther is seen as the foundation of all exiles and redemptions in Jewish history (Saba, EKE, 14). In this way the events described in the Book of Esther take on cosmic significance, for not only does the book describe the Jewish people at a particular point in their history, but it symbolizes the final redemption of the Jewish people at the end of days.