Shaashgaz שַׁעַשְׁגַּז
Eunuch in charge of King Ahasuerus' concubines
Biography
Shaashgaz, mentioned in Est.2.14, was a eunuch in the court of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) of Persia. He was appointed by the king to be in charge of the concubines in the royal harem. After each young woman had completed her twelve months of beauty treatments and had spent the night with the king, she would be placed under the care of Shaashgaz. This procedure was part of the king's search for a new queen after Queen Vashti's dismissal. Shaashgaz's role was to oversee the concubines and ensure their well-being within the harem.
In Scripture
1 biblical book ; 1 with study contentEsther 1 verse
- Esther 2:14
"In the evening she went, and on the next day she returned into the second women’s house, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch, who kept the concubines. She came in to the king no more, unless the king delighted in her, and she was called by name."
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Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script | Strong's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | שַׁעַשְׁגַּז | H8190 |
Shaashgaz
ld Bactrian word Sasakshant, "one anxious to learn" (Scheft); most commentators suggest no explanation): A chamberlain of Ahasuerus, king of Persia; as keeper of "the second house of women," he had Esther under his charge (2:14).
shab'-e-thi (shabbethay, "one born on the Sabbath"; Codex Vaticanus Sabathai; Codex Alexandrinus Kabbathai = "Sabbateus" of 1 Esdras 9:14): A Levite who opposed (?) Ezra's suggestion that the men who had married fo