Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 2135: εὐνοῦχοςεὐνοῦχος, εὐνούχου, ὁ (from εὐνή a bed, and ἔχω), the Sept. סָרִיס; from Herodotus down; properly, a bed-keeper, bed-guard, superintendent of the bedchamber, chamberlain, in the palace of oriental monarchs who support numerous wives; the superintendent of the women's apartment or harem, an office held by eunuchs; hence, a. an emasculated man, a eunuch: Matthew 19:12b. But eunuchs in oriental courts held other offices of greater or less importance, like the oversight of the treasury, held by the Ethiopian eunuch mentioned in Acts 8:27, 34, 36, 38f; cf. Gesenius, Thesaurus, ii., p. 973; (B. D. under the word b. one naturally incapacitated — either for marriage, Matthew 19:12a; or for begetting children, Wis. 3:14, cf. Grimm, exgt. Hdb. at the passage c. one who voluntarily abstains from marriage: Matthew 19:12c. Fischer, De vitiis lexamples N. T. etc., p. 485ff treats of the word more fully. |