Eunuch
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The Greek noun eunoûchos refers to a eunuch. In Matthew 19, Jesus uses the term across three differing circumstances: some are described as born that way, some as made eunuchs by other people, and some as living like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom.
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Full entry for εὐνοῦχος (G2135) · Open the biblical lexicon
The Greek noun eunoûchos refers to a eunuch. In Matthew 19, Jesus uses the term across three differing circumstances: some are described as born that way, some as made eunuchs by other people, and some as living like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom.
The BSB source-word alignment has 8 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include eunuch (5), [others] (1), [still others] (1), eunuchs (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 19:12. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (5), Matthew (3).
The Greek noun eunoûchos refers to a eunuch. In Matthew 19, Jesus uses the term across three differing circumstances: some are described as born that way, some as made eunuchs by other people, and some as living like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom. The final description concerns voluntary abstinence from marriage, not commanded bodily injury. Acts 8 introduces an Ethiopian eunuch who is also a high treasury official, worshiper, reader of Isaiah, questioner, gospel hearer, baptized disciple, and rejoicing traveler.
His bodily or social designation remains part of the narrative but does not define the limit of his welcome or usefulness. The word should never become a basis for ridicule, invasive medical speculation, or a direct map onto modern sexual and gender identities. It also must not romanticize bodily alteration imposed by others or treat marriage and biological descendants as requirements for full Christian belonging.
Jesus distinguishes inherited, imposed, and voluntarily celibate circumstances, while Acts portrays an Ethiopian eunuch receiving Scripture’s gospel explanation, baptism, and joy on his journey.
For there are eunuchs who were born that way; others were made that way by men; and still others live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
Jesus names three distinct eunuch circumstances and commends voluntary kingdom abstinence without collapsing birth, human imposition, and chosen celibacy into one condition.
So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official in charge of the entire treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship,
Luke introduces the Ethiopian eunuch through nationality, court responsibility, worship, travel, and office rather than reducing him to one bodily descriptor.
“Tell me,” said the eunuch, “who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?”
The eunuch asks an exact interpretive question about Isaiah, showing attentive reading and inviting Philip to explain the passage’s referent.
As they traveled along the road and came to some water, the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is there to prevent me from being baptized?”
After hearing the good news about Jesus, the eunuch notices water and asks what prevents his baptism.
When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing.
After baptism and Philip’s sudden departure, the eunuch continues his journey rejoicing rather than remaining defined by exclusion or absence.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. Man emasculated or naturally incapacitated for marriage; includes court officials and those abstaining voluntarily from wedlock.
Man emasculated or naturally incapacitated for marriage; includes court officials and those abstaining voluntarily from wedlock.
(i.e. ὁ τὴν εὐνὴν(bed) ἔχων), [in LXX for סָרִיס (perhaps not of necessity an actual eunuch; DB, see word), Gen.39:1, al., Wis.3:14, Sir.20:4 30:20 ;] an emasculated man, a eunuch: Mat.19:12; one such holding, as was common, high office, as of chamberlain, at court, Act.8:27, 34-39; metaphorically, of one naturally incapacitated for or voluntarily abstaining from wedlock, Mat.19:12.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
8 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
a eunuch, keeper of the bed-chamber
Read versea eunuch, keeper of the bed-chamber
Read versea eunuch, keeper of the bed-chamber
Read versea eunuch, keeper of the bed-chamber
Read versea eunuch, keeper of the bed-chamber
Read versea eunuch, keeper of the bed-chamber
Read versea eunuch, keeper of the bed-chamber
Read versea eunuch, keeper of the bed-chamber
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 2 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 8 lexical occurrence verses.
εὐνοῦχος is built from this root:
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Eunoûchos gathers circumstances that must not be confused. Jesus recognizes that some people’s marital capacity is shaped from birth, some have been acted upon by others, and some voluntarily abstain from marriage for kingdom service. His words neither command mutilation nor make involuntary harm spiritually superior. Acts then tells a richly personal story: an Ethiopian royal official travels to worship, reads Isaiah, asks for interpretation, hears the good news about Jesus, requests baptism, and goes forward rejoicing.
The narrative does not invite readers to solve every question about his anatomy or identity. It shows the gospel meeting a particular person whose office, nationality, bodily status, spiritual hunger, and agency all remain visible. Faithful teaching should honor singleness and bodily difference, condemn coercive harm, and resist churches that make marriage, fertility, or conventional family structure the entry price for full fellowship.
Acts.8.36
Eunoûchos is a noun for eunuch and can be associated with high court office. Matthew 19 uses the category analogically for voluntary abstinence from marriage, while Acts applies it to a specific Ethiopian official without narrating his medical history.
Isaiah promises faithful eunuchs a name better than sons and daughters and tells joined foreigners not to expect exclusion. Acts 8 does not quote that promise, but its account of an Ethiopian eunuch worshiping, hearing Jesus from Isaiah, receiving baptism, and departing in joy provides a strong canonical resonance of God’s expansive welcome.