---
title: סָרִיס — eunuch · The Tanakh dictionary
description: סָרִיס (5631), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 42 times: eunuch. BDB 1906: n.m. eunuch. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/5631.html)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/) / [ס](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1505-3.md)‎ / סָרִיס‎

<!-- .hw dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
# סָרִיס

<!-- .meta -->
«סָרִיס» in the Tanakh dictionary: **eunuch** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Used:** 42 times · **Key:** 5631 · **BDB:** סָרִיס

### Glosses

court-officials (7); the.officials (7); a.court-official (6)

### Meaning (OSHB)

eunuch [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1505/5631/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. eunuch [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1505/5631/#m2)

<!-- fold -->
**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. eunuch (NH id., 𝔗 סָרִיסָא, Syriac ܣܳܪܝܣܳܐ (all c. vb. denom. = emasculate), Old Aramaic סרסא Lzb331 Cook86; Arabic سَرِسٌ, سَرِيسٌ (vb. سَرِسَ be impotent), Kam Frey (not Lane); prob. foreign word; according to JenZA vii. 174 = Assyrian ša rêši, he who is the head, chief, cf. BrockLex 239 b DlHWB 694 (ša-riš?), ZimZMG liii. 1899, 116; eunuch being specialized meaning; in any case Arabic is Aramaic loan-word);—abs. ס׳ 1 K 22:9 + 7 times; cstr. סְרִיס Gn 37:36 + 3 times; pl. סָרִיסִים 2 K 9:32 + 17 times; cstr. סְרִיסֵי Gn 40:7 סָֽרִיסֵי Est 2:21 +; sf. סָרִיסָיו Gn 40:2 + 4 times, סָרִיסֶ֫יהָ Est 4:4; eunuch, of Pharaoh Gn 37:36; 40:2, 7 (all E), married 39:1 (RJE); of Isr. kings 1 S 8:15 (predict.), 1 K 22:9 = 2 Ch 18:8; 2 K 8:6; 9:32 (all of N. Isr.); 1 Ch 28:1 (in David’s time), 2 K 23:11; 24:12, 15 cf. Je 29:2, also 34:19; 38:7; 41:16 (all in Judah; so likewise) 2 K 25:19 (military officer) = Je 52:25; of Bab. kings 2 K 20:18 = Is 39:7 (predict.); ascribed to Nebuch. in Dn, רַב סָרִיסָיו Dn 1:3, שַׂר הַסָּרִיסִים v 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 18; to king of Persia in Est, 1:10, 12, 15 + 9 times Est; promises made to eunuchs Is 56:3, 4. (Term never used in law codes; on contrary cf. exclusion of פְּצוּעַ דַּכָּא, and כְּרוּת שָׁפְכָה Dt 23:2 \[v. Drad loc.\], also מְרוֹחַ אָ֑שֶׁךְ Lv 21:20.)—רַב־סָרִיס is title of high military officer 2 K 18:17 (Assyrian), Je 39:3, 13 (Bab.).—Vid. further, Thes SmithDB Art. ‘Eunuch,’ Di Gn 39:1 Dr Dt 23:1.

<!-- .note -->
Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 32 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (1 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (1 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «סָרִיס» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1505/5631/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

<!-- div verse -->

<!-- .ref -->
[2 Chronicles 18:8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/2CH.18.8/)

<!-- .vt dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
וַיִּקְרָא֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶל־סָרִ֖יס אֶחָ֑ד וַיֹּ֕אמֶר מַהֵ֖ר מִיכָ֥יְהוּ בֶן־יִמְלָֽא׃

*Word for word:* and he.summoned the.king of.Israel (to) a.court-official one and he.said bring.quickly Micaiah the.son of.Imlah

*JPS 1917:* Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said: 'Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imla.'

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div verse -->

<!-- .ref -->
[1 Kings 22:9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/1KI.22.9/)

<!-- .vt dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
וַיִּקְרָא֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶל־סָרִ֖יס אֶחָ֑ד וַיֹּ֕אמֶר מַהֲרָ֖ה מִיכָ֥יְהוּ בֶן־יִמְלָֽה׃

*Word for word:* and he.summoned the.king of.Israel (to) a.court-official one and he.said bring quickly Micaiah the.son of.Imlah

*JPS 1917:* Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said: 'Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.'

<!-- /div -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [סִרְיֹון](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/5630.md)
- next →: [סָרִיס](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/7249.md)
- ↑ back to [ס](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1505-3.md)