What is the Biblical Definition of a Eunuch?

Why does the Bible mention eunuchs? What does the Bible say about them?

What is a Eunuch?

A eunuch is one who has been castrated and typically was a slave or servant and frequently was put in charge of women like a harem who were the property or owned by a king or ruler so as to avoid him engaging in sexual activity with those whom he was supposed to be guarding. A eunuch is incapable of having sexual intercourse with females and since there are great hormonal changes that take place within the body of the eunuch, they lose their sexual desire.   One of the earliest known records of eunuchs was in the Sumerian city of Lagash as far back as the 21^st century BC. A eunuch was often like an errand boy, an assistant or a messenger for the rulers in ancient antiquity.

Jesus’ Mentions Eunuchs

In Matthew 19:12 Jesus said “For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.” Jesus is referring to some who were born as eunuchs and were incapable, possibly due to birth defects, of having sex. Others were made eunuchs by rulers or those in authority over others and yet others made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. I believe what Jesus is saying about those who made themselves eunuchs is that they have vowed to abstain from having sexual relations for the purpose of chastity and dedicating their lives to serving the kingdom but it appears that Jesus could have been saying this in the context of Matthew 19 where He was speaking about divorce and remarriage and that some might not have been able to restrain themselves from adulterous affairs or sexual immorality and so for the sake of the kingdom or for the purposes of abstaining from sexual immorality, have decided not to marry in the first place or refrain from having any sexual relations because Jesus says “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given” (Matt 19:11) and so “Let the one who is able to receive this receive it” (Matt 19:12c).

Paul may have been writing about the same thing in 1^st Corinthians 7:7-9 where he was writing to the church at Corinth, a city known far and wide for their sexual immorality and was referring to their lack of self-control (1 Cor 7:6) “I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another. To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am.  But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.”

Bible Verses about Eunuchs

Ester 4:4 “When Esther’s young women and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed. She sent garments to clothe Mordecai, so that he might take off his sackcloth, but he would not accept them.”

Here is one of the primary mentions of eunuchs in the Old Testament where the pagan king and husband of Queen Esther had young women and a eunuch tell her about a plot to exterminate all of the Jews.

Second Kings 19:17-18 “Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord.  And some of your own sons, who shall be born to you, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

Here is where the prophet Isaiah was warning King Hezekiah that the nation was about to be taken captive by Babylon and some of his own sons would be made into eunuchs to serve the king of Babylon in his palace. This prophecy of Isaiah’s came to pass after the death of King Hezekiah and the evil king Manasseh took over rule and his idolatrous practices lead to the nation’s eventual fall and captivity to Babylon. Isaiah mentions this in the Book of Isaiah where he wrote “some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon” (Isaiah 39:7).

Acts 8:26-27 “Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place.  And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship.”

When Philip saw the Ethiopian eunuch “seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah…the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot” (Acts 8:28-29) so this eunuch was one for the queen of the Ethiopians and was later converted and baptized that very day (Acts 8:38)

Conclusion

I know that Paul indicated that for the widows and the unmarried “it is good for them to remain single as I am” (1 Cor 7:8) because “the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband” (1 Cor 7:33-34). Paul was certainly not forbidding marriage but as Jesus said, some are made eunuchs (not in the physical sense) and others who are unmarried for the sake of the kingdom, do well.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book  Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon.