Quick Definition
a eunuch, keeper of thebed-chamber
Strong's Definition
a castrated person (such being employed in Oriental bed-chambers); by extension an impotent or unmarried man; by implication, a chamberlain (state-officer)
Derivation: from (a bed) and G2192 (ἔχω);
KJV Usage: eunuch
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
εὐνοῦχος, εὐνούχου, ὁ (from εὐνή a bed, and ἔχω), the Sept. ρΘψΔιρ; from Herodotus down; properly, a bed-keeper, bed-guard, superintendent of the bedchamber, chamberlain, in the palace of oriental monarchs who support numerous wives; the superintendent of the women's apartment or harem, an office held by eunuchs; hence,
a. an emasculated man, a eunuch: Mat_19:12 b. But eunuchs in oriental courts held other offices of greater or less importance, like the oversight of the treasury, held by the Ethiopian eunuch mentioned in Act_8:27; Act_8:34; Act_8:36; Act_8:38 f; cf. Gesenius, Thesaurus, ii., p. 973; (B. D. under the word ).
b. one naturally incapacitated either for marriage, Mat_19:12 a; or for begetting children, Wis_3:14, cf. Grimm, exgt. Hdb. at the passage c. one who voluntarily abstains from marriage: Mat_19:12 c. Fischer, De vitiis lexamples N. T. etc., p. 485ff treats of the word more fully.
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
εὐνοῦχος eunouchos 8x
pr. one who has charge of the bedchamber; hence, a eunuch, one emasculated, Mat_19:12 ;
as eunuchs in the East often rose to places of power and trust, hence, a minister of a court, Act_8:27 ; Act_8:34 ; Act_8:36 ; Act_8:38 f.
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
εὐνοῦχος , -ου , ὁ
( i.e . ὁ τὴν εὐνὴν (bed) ἔχων ),
[in LXX for H5631 (perhaps not of necessity an actual eunuch; DB , s.v. ), Gen_39:1 , al. , Wis_3:14 , Sir_20:4 ; Sir_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 ; Act_8:34-39 ; metaph ., of one naturally incapacitated for or volun\-tarily abstaining from wedlock, Mat_19:12 .†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
εὐνοῦχος [page 263]
Vett. Val. p. 86 .34 ὁ τοιοῦτος γέγονεν εὐνοῦχος ἱερεὺς θεᾶς ἐπίσημος : cf. also p. 18 .19 . The word occurs in the address of the late BGU III. 725 (A.D. 615) εἰς τὸν εὐδοκιμ (ώτατον ) ἄπα Ὄλ εὐνοῦχον . It survives in MGr.
Liddell-Scott — Intermediate Greek Lexicon
εὐνοῦχος εὐν-οῦχος, ὁ, "a eunuch", employed to take charge of the women and act as "chamberlains" (whence the name, οἱ τὴν εὐνὴν ἔχοντες) , Hdt. , Ar. , etc.
STEPBible — Tyndale Abridged Greek Lexicon
εὐνοῦχος, -ου, ὁ
(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.†
(AS)