Original Word: סָרִיס
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: cariyc
Pronunciation: sah-REES
Phonetic Spelling: (saw-reece')
KJV: chamberlain, eunuch, officer
NASB: officials, eunuchs, eunuch, officer, official, court officers, court officials
Word Origin: [from an unused root meaning to castrate]

1. a eunuch
2. (by implication) valet (especially over the female apartments)
3. (hence) a minister of state

chamberlain, eunuch, officer

Or caric {saw-reece'}; from an unused root meaning to castrate; a eunuch; by implication, valet (especially of the female apartments), and thus, a minister of state -- chamberlain, eunuch, officer. Compare Rab-Cariyc.

see HEBREW Rab-Cariyc

Word Origin
probably of foreign origin
Definition
eunuch
NASB Translation
court officers (1), court officials (1), eunuch (5), eunuchs (10), officer (5), officers (1), official (3), officials (16).

סָרִיס₄₅ noun masculine eunuch (Late Hebrew id., ᵑ7 סָרִיסָא, Syriac (all with verb denominative = emasculate), Old Aramaic סרסא Lzb³³¹ Cook⁸⁶; Arabic , (verb be impotent), Kam Frey (not Lane); probably foreign word; according to Jen^{ZA vii. 174} = Assyrian šarêši (rîši), he who is the head, chief, compare Brock^{Lex 239 b} Dl^{HWB 694} (ša-riš ?), Zim^{ZMG liii. 1899, 116}; eunuch being specialized meaning; in any case Arabic is Aramaic loan-word); — absolute ׳ס 1 Kings 22:9 7t.; construct סְרִיס Genesis 37:36 3t.; plural סָרִיסִים 2 Kings 9:32 17t.; construct סְרִיסֵי Genesis 40:7 4t.; suffix סָרִיסָיו Genesis 40:2 4t., סָרִיסֶ֫יהָ Esther 4:4; — eunuch, of Pharaoh Genesis 37:36; Genesis 40:2,7 (all E), married Genesis 39:1 (R^JE); of Israel kings 1 Samuel 8:15 (predict.), 1 Kings 22:9 2Chronicles 18:8; 2 Kings 8:6; 2 Kings 9:32 (all of Northern Israel); 1 Chronicles 28:1 (in David's time). 2 Kings 23:11; 2 Kings 24:12,15 compare Jeremiah 29:2, also Jeremiah 34:19; Jeremiah 38:7; Jeremiah 41:16 (all in Judah; so likewise) 2 Kings 25:19 (military officer) = Jeremiah 52:25; of Babylonian kings 2 Kings 20:18 = Isaiah 39:7 (predict.); ascribed to Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel, רַב סָרִיסָיו Daniel 1:3, שַׂר הַסָּרִיסִים Daniel 1:7; Daniel 1:8; Daniel 1:9; Daniel 1:10; Daniel 1:11; Daniel 1:18; to king of Persia in Esther 1:10,12,15 9t. Esther; promises made to eunuchs Isaiah 56:3,4. (Term never used in law codes; on contrary compare exclusion of מְּצוּעַ דַּכָּא, and כְּרוּת שָׁפְכָה Deuteronomy 23:2 [see Dr^{on the passage}], also מְרוֺחַ אָ֑שֶׁךְ Leviticus 21:20.) — רַבסָֿרִיס is title of high military officer 2 Kings 18:17 (Assyrian ), Jeremiah 39:3,13 (Babylonian ). — See further, Thes Smith^{DB Art.} ' Eunuch, ' Di^{Genesis 39:1} Dr^{Deut 23:1}.

Meaning and Range of Usage

The Hebrew noun sārîs embraces two related ideas: (1) a castrated male, “eunuch,” and (2) a royal courtier or high official. Context decides which shade is intended, yet the unifying thought is a man set apart from ordinary life in order to serve the throne with undivided loyalty. In Scripture, sārîs men appear in Egyptian, Israelite, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian courts, underscoring the multinational reach of the office and explaining why the word can be rendered “eunuch,” “official,” or “chamberlain.”

Court Officials in Egypt

The term first surfaces in Genesis. Potiphar is introduced twice as “an officer of Pharaoh” (Genesis 37:36; 39:1), captain of the guard who purchases Joseph. Later the cupbearer and baker are called Pharaoh’s sārîs (Genesis 40:2–3, 7; 41:10, 12). Though the narrative does not emphasize physical castration, it highlights their proximity to the monarch and their authority to incarcerate or recommend promotion. The Joseph account establishes the pattern: a sārîs can wield great power yet remain accountable to God’s overruling providence.

Royal Servants in the Monarchy of Israel and Judah

Israelite kings also employed sārîs officials. Samuel warns that a human king will “take a tenth of your grain and your vineyards and give it to his officials” (1 Samuel 8:15). In the northern kingdom two or three sārîs obey Jehu’s summons and precipitate Jezebel’s death (2 Kings 9:32). Hezekiah appoints a sārîs to restore the Shunammite woman’s property (2 Kings 8:6), and Josiah removes pagan horses kept “near the chamber of Nathan-Melech the official” (2 Kings 23:11). When Jerusalem falls, Nebuchadnezzar deports “the king’s mother, his wives, his officials” (2 Kings 24:15). The prophetic word to Hezekiah, “they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon” (2 Kings 20:18), anticipates the coming exile and transitions the storyline to Babylon.

Prophetic Perspectives on Exile and Suffering

Isaiah builds on the theme. He assures future captives that being made a eunuch does not cancel covenant hope: “Let not the eunuch say, ‘I am but a dry tree’” (Isaiah 56:3). Instead, the LORD promises “a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters” (Isaiah 56:4–5). Jeremiah records several Babylonian sārîs, such as Nebuzaradan (Jeremiah 39:13) and Ebed-melech, the compassionate Cushite who rescues Jeremiah from a cistern (Jeremiah 38:7–13). Their presence shows God’s sovereignty over foreign courts and His concern for powerless servants.

Life in the Babylonian and Persian Courts

Daniel and his friends are placed under “Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials” (Daniel 1:3). The text never explicitly states that Daniel was physically altered, yet the prophecy of 2 Kings 20:18 looms in the background. Daniel’s integrity, wisdom, and courage prove that obedience to God can flourish even within the restrictive life of a sārîs.

In the Persian period the Book of Esther piles up twenty uses of sārîs. Hegai, Hathach, Harbona, Bigthan, and Teresh illustrate the spectrum of duties—from guarding the harem (Esther 2:3–14) to advising the king (Esther 7:9). Twice a pair of sārîs plot regicide (Esther 2:21–23; 6:2), reminding readers that proximity to power brings both privilege and temptation. Yet it is an unnamed sārîs who covers Haman’s face in judgment (Esther 7:8), displaying divine reversal.

Spiritual Lessons and Ministry Applications

1. Wholehearted Service: The physical or vocational separation of a sārîs mirrors the believer’s call to undivided devotion. Joseph, Daniel, and Esther’s courtiers demonstrate that one may serve faithfully in secular structures without compromising allegiance to God.

2. Divine Sovereignty in High Places: Whether in Egypt, Babylon, or Persia, kings rely on sārîs officials, but Scripture repeatedly shows the LORD turning their decisions to fulfill His purposes (Genesis 41:10–12; Daniel 1:9; Esther 6:2).

3. Inclusion of the Outcast: Isaiah’s promise to eunuchs prepares the way for the gospel’s reach to “the Ethiopian eunuch” in Acts 8. The Old Testament usage of sārîs thus foreshadows the kingdom in which physical status neither bars entry nor diminishes reward (Galatians 3:28).

4. Warning Against Pride: Haman rises through court ranks but falls under God’s judgment, while Nathan-Melech’s pagan associations are purged by Josiah. High office amplifies the consequences of moral choice.

Messianic and New Covenant Echoes

The humiliation motif associated with eunuchs—loss followed by exaltation—anticipates the Suffering Servant who “was cut off from the land of the living” (Isaiah 53:8). The promise of “a name better than sons and daughters” (Isaiah 56:5) points ultimately to the everlasting name granted in Christ. The Ethiopian’s baptism in Acts 8 demonstrates that the gospel fulfills Isaiah’s vision: the eunuch “went on his way rejoicing,” having received full covenant status.

Summary of Occurrences

Approximately forty-two Old Testament verses employ sārîs. They cluster in Genesis (7), 1 Samuel (2), 2 Kings (12), Isaiah (4), Jeremiah (7), Daniel (8), and Esther (20). Though contexts vary—palace security, harem supervision, diplomatic envoy—the theological through-line remains consistent: God rules over rulers and their servants, delights to honor the humble, and invites even the physically altered to share in His everlasting kingdom.

הַסָּ֣רִיסִ֔ים הַסָּֽרִיסִ֔ים הַסָּֽרִסִים֙ הַסָּרִ֔יס הַסָּרִיסִ֑ים הַסָּרִיסִ֔ים הַסָּרִיסִ֖ים הַסָּרִיסִ֜ים הַסָּרִיסִ֧ים הַסָּרִיסִֽים׃ הַסָּרִיסִים֙ הסריס הסריסים הסריסים׃ הסרסים וְהַסָּרִיסִ֜ים וְסָ֣רִסִ֔ים וְסָֽרִיסָ֑יו וְסָרִיסֵ֥י וְסָרִיסֶ֙יהָ֙ והסריסים וסריסי וסריסיה וסריסיו וסרסים לְסָרִיסָ֖יו לַסָּֽרִיסִים֙ לסריסיו לסריסים מִסָּרִיסֵ֤י מסריסי סְרִ֣יס סְרִ֥יס סְרִ֨יס סְרִיסֵ֣י סְרִיס־ סָֽרִיסִ֔ים סָרִ֖יס סָרִ֗יס סָרִ֨יס סָרִיסִ֔ים סָרִיסִֽים׃ סָרִיסֵ֣י סָרִיסֵ֤י סָרִיסָ֑יו סָרִיסָ֗יו סריס סריס־ סריסי סריסיו סריסים סריסים׃ has·sā·ri·sîm has·sā·rî·sîm has·sā·rîs hassaRis hassārîs hassariSim hassārisîm hassārîsîm las·sā·rî·sîm lassariSim lassārîsîm lə·sā·rî·sāw lesariSav ləsārîsāw mis·sā·rî·sê missārîsê missariSei sā·rî·sāw sā·rî·sê sā·rî·sîm sā·rîs saRis sārîs sariSav sārîsāw sārîsê sariSei sariSim sārîsîm sə·rî·sê sə·rîs sə·rîs- seRis sərîs sərîs- sərîsê seriSei vehassariSim vesariSav vesariSei vesariSeiha veSariSim wə·has·sā·rî·sîm wə·sā·rî·sāw wə·sā·rî·sê wə·sā·rî·se·hā wə·sā·ri·sîm wəhassārîsîm wəsārîsāw wəsārîsê wəsārîsehā wəsārisîmInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts