Return to Born Eunuchs Library
[The forty-five occurrences of saris in the Old Testament are listed below. Quotes are from Young's Literal Translation of the Holy Bible, but where the translator Robert Young used the words "eunuch" or "officer," I have inserted the original Hebrew (according to the authoritative Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia). None of the verses indicate that any of these eunuchs was castrated, and one, Jeremiah 34:19, when taken together with Deuteronomy 23:1, seems to indicate that they were not castrated.]

Genesis 37:36

And the Medianites have sold him unto Egypt, to Potiphar, a saris of Pharaoh, head of the executioners.
["Head of the executioners" could also be either "chief of the executioners" or "chief of the cooks." The Hebrew word shar is the same used in 40:2 below.]

Genesis 39:1

And Joseph hath been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, a saris of Pharaoh, head of the executioners, an Egyptian man, buyeth him out of the hands of the Ishmaelites who have brought him thither.

Genesis 40:2

And Pharaoh is wroth against his two sarisiv, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers.

Genesis 40:7

And he asketh Pharaoh's sarisi who are with him in charge in the house of his lord, saying, 'Wherefore are your faces sad today?'

1 Samuel 8:15

And your seed and your vineyards he doth tithe, and hath given to his sarisiv, and to his servants.

1 Kings 22:9

And the king of Israel calleth unto a certain saris, and saith, 'Hasten Micaiah son of Imlah.'

2 Kings 8:6

And the king asked at the woman, and she recounteth to him, and the king appointeth to her a certain saris, saying, 'Give back all that she hath, and all the increase of the field from the day of her leaving the land even till now.'

2 Kings 9:32

And he lifteth up his face unto the window, and saith, 'Who is with me?--who?' And look out unto him do two or three sarisim.

2 Kings 18:17

And the king of Asshur sendeth Tartan, and the chief saris, and the chief butler, from Lachish, unto king Hezekiah, with a heavy force, to Jerusalem, and they go up and come in to Jerusalem, and they go up, and come in and stand by the conduit of the upper pool that is in the highway of the fuller's field.

2 Kings 20:18

'And of thy sons who go out from thee, whom thou begettest, they take away, and they have been sarisim in the palace of the king of Babylon.'

2 Kings 23:11

And he causeth to cease the horses that the kings of Judah have given to the sun from the entering in of the house of Jehovah, by the chamber of Nathan-Melech the saris, that is in the suburbs, and the chariots of the sun he hath burnt with fire.

2 Kings 24:12

And Jehoiachin king of Judah goeth out unto the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his chiefs, and his sarisiv, and the king of Babylon taketh him in the eighth year of his reign.

2 Kings 24:15

And he removeth Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the mother of the king, and the wives of the king, and his sarisiv, and the mighty ones of the land -- he hath caused a removal to go from Jerusalem to Babylon.

2 Kings 25:19

And out of the city he hath taken a certain saris who is appointed over the men of war, and five men of those seeing the king's face who have been found in the city, and the head scribe of the host, who mustereth the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who are found in the city.

1 Chronicles 28:1

And David assembleth all the heads of Israel, heads of the tribes, and heads of the courses who are serving the king, and heads of the thousands, and heads of the hundreds, and heads of all the substance and possessions of the king, and of his sons, with the sarisim and the mighty ones, even to every mighty one of valor -- unto Jerusalem.
[Here Young felt compelled, against his principles, to translate sarisim as "officers," inconsistent with his normal practice.]

2 Chronicles 18:8

And the king of Israel calleth unto a certain saris, and saith, 'Hasten Micaiah son of Imlah.'
[Here Young again translated saris as "officer," inconsistent with his normal practice. Cf. 1 Kings 22:9, where Young uses the word "eunuch."]

Esther 1:10-12 (2x)

10 On the seventh day, as the heart of the king is glad with wine, he hath said to Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven sarisim who are ministering in the presence of the king Ahasuerus,
11 to bring in Vashti the queen before the king, with a royal crown, to show the peoples and the heads her beauty, for she is of good appearance,
12 and the queen Vashti refuseth to come in at the word of the king that is by the hand of his sarisim, and the king is very wroth, and his fury hath burned in him.

Esther 1:15

'According to law, what -- to do with queen Vashti, because that she hath not done the saying of the king Ahasuerus by the hand of the sarisim?

Esther 2:3

And the king doth appoint inspectors in all provinces of his kingdom, and they gather every young woman -- virgin, of good appearance -- unto Shushan the palace, unto the house of the women, unto the hand of Hege saris of the king, keeper of the women, and to give their purifications.

Esther 2:14

In the evening she hath gone in, and in the morning whe hath turned back unto the second house of the women, unto the hand of Shaashgaz saris of the king, keeper of the concubines: she cometh not in anymore unto the king, except the king hath delighted in her, and she hath been called by name.

Esther 2:15

And in the drawing nigh of the turn of Esther -- daughter of Abihail, uncle of Mordecai, whom he had taken to him for a daughter -- to come in unto the king, she hat not sought a thing except that which Hegai saris of the king, keeper of the women, saith, and Esther is receiving grace in the eyes of all seeing her.

Esther 2:21

In those days, when Mordecai is sitting in the gate of the king, hath Bigthan been wroth, and Teresh, (two of the sarisi of the king, the keepers of the threshold,) and they seek to put forth a hand on king Ahasuerus.

Esther 4:4-5 (2x)

4 And young women of Esther come in and her sarisih, and declare it to her, and the queen is exceedingly pained, and sendeth garments to clothe Mordecai, and to turn aside his sackcloth from off him, and he hath not received them.
5 And Esther calleth to Hatach, of the sarisi of the king, whom he hath stationed before her, and giveth him a charge for Mordecai, to know what this is, and wherefore this is.

Esther 6:2

And it is found written, that Mordecai had declared concerning Bigthana and Teresh, two of the sarisi of the king, of the keepers of the threshold, who sought to put forth a hand on king Ahasuerus.

Esther 6:14

And they are yet speaking with him, and sarisi of the king have come, and haste to bring in Haman unto the banquet that Esther hath made.

Esther 7:9

And Harbonah, one of the sarisim, saith before the king, 'Also lo, the tree that Haman made for Mordecai, who spake good for the king, is standing in the house of Haman, in height fifty cubits;' and the king saith, 'Hang him upon it.'

Isaiah 39:7

And of thy sons who come forth from thee, whom thou begettest, they take, and they have been sarisim in a palace of the king of Babylon.'

Isaiah 56:3-5 (2x)

3 Nor speak let a son of the stranger,
Who is joined unto Jehovah, saying:
'Jehovah doth certainly separate me from His people.'
Nor say let the saris, 'Lo, I am a tree dried up.'
4 For thus said Jehovah of the sarisim
Who do keep My sabbaths,
And have fixed on that which I desired,
And are keeping hold on My covenant:
5 I have given to them in My house
And within My walls a station and a name,
Better than sons and than daughters,
A name age-during I give to him,
That is not cut off.

Jeremiah 29:2

After the going forth of Jeconiah the king, and the mistress, and the sarisim, heads of Judah and Jerusalem, and the artificer, and the smith, from Jerusalem --
[Once again Young felt compelled, against his principles, to translate sarisim as "officers." See 1 Chr 28:1, 2 Chr 18:8.]

Jeremiah 34:19

..heads of Judah, and heads of Jerusalem, the sarisim, and the priests, and all the people of the land those passing through between the pieces of the calf --
[Again Young translated sarisim as "officers," inconsistent with his usual practice.]

Jeremiah 38:7

And Ebed-Melech the Cushite, a saris who is in the king's house, heareth that they have put Jeremiah into the pit; and the king is sitting at the gate of Benjamin ...
[The Hebrew has hacushi ish saris, or "the Cushite, a saris man"]

Jeremiah 39:3

Éand come in do all the heads of the king of Babylon, and they sit at the middle gate, Nergal-Sharezer, Samgar-Nebo, Sarsechim, chief of the eunuchs [rav-saris], Nergal-Sharezer, chief of the Mages [rav-mag], and all the rest of the heads of the king of Babylon.

Jeremiah 39:13

And Nebuzar-Adan, chief of the executioners [rav-tavachim], sendeth, and Nebushasban, chief of the eunuchs [rav-saris], and Nergal-Sharezer, chief of the Mages [rav-mag], and all the chiefs [ravvi] of the king of Babylon...
A better translation: So he sent Nebuzaradan, chief executioner, and Nebushasban, chief saris, and Nergal, lord collector and chief magician, and all the chiefs of the king of Babylon...

Jeremiah 41:16

And Johanan son of Kareah, and all the heads of the forces who are with him, take all the remnant of the people whom he hath brought back from Ishmael son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah -- after he had smitten Gedaliah son of Ahikam -- mighty ones, men of war, and women, and infants, and sarisim, whom he had brought back from Gibeon...

Jeremiah 52:25

...and out of the city he hath taken a certain saris who hath been inspector over the men of war, and seven men of those seeing the king's face, who have been found in the city, and the head scribe of the host, who mustereth the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land, who are found in the midst of the city...

Daniel 1:3-19

3 And the king saith, to Ashpenaz master of his sarisiv, to bring in out of the sons of Israel, (even of the royal seed, and of the chiefs,)
4 lads in whom there is no blemish, and of good appearance, and skilful in all wisdom, and possessing knowledge, and teaching thought, and who have ability to stand in the palace of the king, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.
5 And the king doth appoint for them a rate, day by day, of the king's portion of food, and of the wine of his drinking, so as to nourish them three years, that at the end thereof they may stand before the king.
6 And there are among them out of the sons of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
7 and the chief of the sarisim setteth names on them: and he setteth on Daniel, Belteshazzar; and on Hananiah, Shadrach; and on Mishael, Meshach; and on Azariah, Abed-Nego.
8 And Daniel purposeth in his heart that he will not pollute himself with the king's portion of food, and with the wine of his drinking, and he seeketh of the chief of the sarisim that he may not pollute himself.
9 And God giveth Daniel for kindness and for mercies before the chief of the sarisim;
10 and the chief of the sarisim saith to Daniel, 'I am fearing my lord the king, who hath appointed your food and your drink for why doth he see your faces sadder than those of the lads which are in your circle? then ye have made my head indebted to the king.'
11 And Daniel saith unto the Meltzar, whom the chief of the sarisim hath appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
12 'Try, I pray thee, thy servants, ten days; and they give to us of the vegetables, and we eat, and water, and we drink;
13 and our appearance is seen before thee, and the appearance of the lads who are eating the king's portion of food, and as thou seest -- deal with thy servants.'
14 And he hearkeneth to them, to this word, and trieth them ten days:
15 and at the end of ten days, their appearance hath appeared better and fatter in flesh then [sic] any of the lads who are eating the king's portion of food.
16 And the Meltzar is taking away their portion of food, and the wine of their drink, and is giving to them vegetables.
17 As to these four lads, God hath given to them knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature, and wisdom; and Daniel hath given instruction about every kind of vision and dreams.
18 And at the end of the days that the king had said to bring them in, bring them in doth the chief of the sarisim before Nebuchadnezzar.
19 And the king speaketh with them; and there hath none been found among them all like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, and they stand before the king...