--- title: סָרִיס — eunuch · The Tanakh dictionary description: סָרִיס (7249), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 6 times: eunuch. BDB 1906: n.m. eunuch. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/7249.html) [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 # סָרִיס «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. **Used:** 6 times · **Key:** 7249 · **BDB:** סָרִיס ### Glosses \[the\].Rab- (3); saris (3) ### Meaning (OSHB) eunuch [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1505/7249/#m1) ### Meaning (BDB 1906) n.m. eunuch [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1505/7249/#m2) **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. Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 3 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (7 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (2 candidates) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every English meaning of «סָרִיס» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1505/7249/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames. ### In the verses [Jeremiah 39:13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/JER.39.13/) וַיִּשְׁלַ֞ח נְבֽוּזַרְאֲדָ֣ן רַב־טַבָּחִ֗ים וּנְבֽוּשַׁזְבָּן֙רַב־סָרִ֔יס וְנֵרְגַ֥ל שַׂר־אֶ֖צֶר נֵרְגַ֥ל שַׂר־אֶ֖צֶרנֵרְגַ֥ל שַׂר־אֶ֖צֶר רַב־מָ֑ג וְכֹ֖ל רַבֵּ֥י מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶֽל׃ *Word for word:* and he.sent Nebuzaradan \[the\].chief of.\[the\].bodyguards and Nebushazban \[the\].Rab- saris and Nergal-Sharezer Nergal-Sharezer Nergal-Sharezer \[the\].Rab- mag and all the.chiefs of.the.king of.Babylon *JPS 1917:* So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent, and Nebushazban Rab-saris, and Nergal-sarezer Rab-mag, and all the chief officers of the king of Babylon; [Jeremiah 39:3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/JER.39.3/) וַיָּבֹ֗אוּ כֹּ֚ל שָׂרֵ֣י מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֔ל וַיֵּשְׁב֖וּ בְּשַׁ֣עַר הַתָּ֑וֶךְ נֵרְגַ֣ל שַׂר־֠אֶצֶר נֵרְגַ֣ל שַׂר־֠אֶצֶרנֵרְגַ֣ל שַׂר־֠אֶצֶר סַֽמְגַּר־נְב֞וּסַֽמְגַּר־נְב֞וּ שַׂר־סְכִ֣יםשַׂר־סְכִ֣ים רַב־סָרִ֗יס נֵרְגַ֤ל שַׂר־אֶ֙צֶר֙ נֵרְגַ֤ל שַׂר־אֶ֙צֶר֙נֵרְגַ֤ל שַׂר־אֶ֙צֶר֙ רַב־מָ֔ג וְכָל־שְׁאֵרִ֔ית שָׂרֵ֖י מֶ֥לֶךְ בָּבֶֽל׃ *Word for word:* and they.came all the.officials of.the.king of.Babylon and they.sat in the.gate of the.middle Nergal-Sharezer Nergal-Sharezer Nergal-Sharezer Samgar Nebu Sarsekim Sarsekim \[the\].Rab- saris Nergal-Sharezer Nergal-Sharezer Nergal-Sharezer \[the\].Rab- mag and all the.rest of.the.officials of.the.king of.Babylon *JPS 1917:* that all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, even Nergal-sarezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim Rab-saris, Nergal-sarezer Rab-mag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon. - ← previous: [סָרִיס](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/5631.md) - next →: [סֶרֶן](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/5633.md) - ↑ back to [ס](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1505-3.md)