Was Daniel a eunuch?

[Rachel Rachel]

I recently heard a preacher state matter-of-factly that Daniel was a eunuch. That really upset me for some reason, so I tried to do a little research.

The Bible doesn't straight out say that he was a eunuch but it mentions that the King's chief of the eunuchs was put in charge of young Hebrew captives in Babylon.

I thought to myself, 'well...that doesn't mean the young Hebrew men were castrated. After all, Esther and the other young women who "applied" for the job of new wife to King Ahasuerus were trained by eunuchs.

But then I found this reference in 2 Kings 20:

• 17 ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the Lord. 18 ‘And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”

What do you think? Were they eunuchs?

 

[DennisTate]

I think that it is highly probable that he was!

 

[Rachel Rachel]

I think that it is highly probable that he was!

I'd say it is highly probable, too.
Somehow this makes me profoundly sad.

 

[Danoh]

Take heart, sister, we're talking Daniel, here.

I once asked my mom how she had decided on my name. She told me she named me after the Prophet Daniel because he had been a man of God who nothing could sway from his faithfulness to the God of his Fathers, and she'd hoped some of that might rub off on me.

That was Daniel, they might have removed his circumcision in the flesh, but not what really mattered to God, perhaps even strengthening his resolve to what really mattered - the circumcision of his heart and ears to His will.

As James would write, centuries later "count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire" in other words "wanting" coming up short "in nothing" James 1: 2-4.

Here's hoping you find comfort in his great example - just look how importantly he ended up figuring in God's plans. Think of it, he lost nothing. Rather, he gained the greatest of honors - his mention by name, by the Lord during His own time here!

 

[Rachel Rachel]

Take heart, sister, we're talking Daniel, here.

I once asked my mom how she had decided on my name. She told me she named me after the Prophet Daniel because he had been a man of God who nothing could sway from his faithfulness to the God of his Fathers, and she'd hoped some of that might rub off on me.

That was Daniel, they might have removed his circumcision in the flesh, but not what really mattered to God, perhaps even strengthening his resolve to what really mattered - the circumcision of his heart and ears to His will.

As James would write, centuries later "count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire" in other words "wanting" coming up short "in nothing" James 1: 2-4.

Here's hoping you find comfort in his great example - just look how importantly he ended up figuring in God's plans. Think of it, he lost nothing. Rather, he gained the greatest of honors - his mention by name, by the Lord during His own time here!

Thank you for the encouraging words and the good reminder!
True, Daniel did gain the greatest of honors and I believe, lived to a very old age. I guess it's just hard to think of the brutality our prophets had to endure.

 

[pat34lee]

I'd say it is highly probable, too.
Somehow this makes me profoundly sad.

There was a plan for him and the money he made during his life.

Daniel was a very wealthy servant by the time of his death. Since Daniel was a eunuch and had no son to pass on and give an inheritance to, and knowing his Messiah would one day be born in Bethlehem, gave instructions to his Jewish Chaldean astronomers to secure and save his inheritance until the sign of the “Coming of the King” in the heavens was revealed. The executors of Daniel’s will, 500 hundred years later, saw this “sign in the heavens” and began to prepare to deliver Daniel’s treasure to the child born “King of the Jews” in Israel.

500 hundred years after the death of Daniel, Daniel’s treasure finally reappears in Scripture with the Chaldean “wise men” at Yosef (Joseph) and Miryam’s (Mary's) home in Nazareth.
Truth & Traditions: Exposing pagan origins of Christianity...

 

[visionary]

I say that the chances are that he was an eunuch. First century historian Josephus asserts that he AND his three friends were these type of people:

"But now Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, took some of the most noble of the Jews that were children, and the kinsmen of Zedekiah their king, such as were remarkable for the beauty of their bodies, and the comeliness of their countenances, and delivered them into the hands of tutors, and to the improvement to be made by them. He also made some of them to be EUNUCHS . . . Now among these there were four of the family of Zedekiah, of most excellent dispositions, one of whom was called Daniel, another was called Ananias, another Misael, and the fourth Azarias; and the King of Babylon changed their names, and commanded that they should make use of other names.

Daniel he (the King) called Baltasar; Ananias, Shadrach; Misael, Meshach; and Azarias, Abednego. These the King had in esteem, and continued to love, because of the very excellent temper they were of, and because of their application to learning, and the progress they had made in wisdom." (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book 10, Chapter 10, first paragraph)

 

[visionary]

Dan 1:11
King James Bible
Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,

 

[RDKirk]

I'd say he was most probably made a eunuch, which may be why we don't see him or the others being mentioned by the later Captivity prophets, as they would not have been allowed to participate in the group worship. I suspect Isaiah 56 was to give those such as him a hope in eternity (and was fulfilled in the flesh by Stephen baptizing the Ethiopian).

 

[visionary]

It was prophesied..

2 Kings 20:17-18
King James Version (KJV)
17 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord.

18 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.

and it came to pass... the princes of Israel were carried to Babylon and made eunuchs.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

I recently heard a preacher state matter-of-factly that Daniel was a eunuch. That really upset me for some reason, so I tried to do a little research.

The Bible doesn't straight out say that he was a eunuch but it mentions that the King's chief of the eunuchs was put in charge of young Hebrew captives in Babylon.

I thought to myself, 'well...that doesn't mean the young Hebrew men were castrated. After all, Esther and the other young women who "applied" for the job of new wife to King Ahasuerus were trained by eunuchs.

But then I found this reference in 2 Kings 20:

• 17 ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the Lord. 18 ‘And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”

What do you think? Were they eunuchs?

Good question..

Daniel, who was a captive by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon when he conquered Judah, was very likely one of these men and First century historian Josephus asserts that he AND his three friends were these type of people:

"But now Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, took some of the most noble of the Jews that were children, and the kinsmen of Zedekiah their king, such as were remarkable for the beauty of their bodies, and the comeliness of their countenances, and delivered them into the hands of tutors, and to the improvement to be made by them. He also made some of them to be EUNUCHS . . . Now among these there were four of the family of Zedekiah, of most excellent dispositions, one of whom was called Daniel, another was called Ananias, another Misael, and the fourth Azarias; and the King of Babylon changed their names, and commanded that they should make use of other names.

Daniel he (the King) called Baltasar; Ananias, Shadrach; Misael, Meshach; and Azarias, Abednego. These the King had in esteem, and continued to love, because of the very excellent temper they were of, and because of their application to learning, and the progress they had made in wisdom." (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book 10, Chapter 10, first paragraph)​

Of course, with that considered, it's interesting how his being a eunuch adds a lot to his own struggle as a captive in Babylon. In regards to Daniel's emasculation is Deut 23:1 which states that one who is a eunuch may not enter into the congregation of the Lord....and if Daniel had been emasculated (seeing the depth of love he had for God painted throughout the scripture), it would have been something that he would have agonized over, and I think that something of that much importance to him would have found its way into scripture.

And we already have the possibility of others already BEING eunuchs before coming to Babylon. Before the Babylonians made others into eunuchs, the royal houses of Israel and Judah had a few eunuchs of their own. Two or three of these eunuchs threw the queen-mother Jezebel to her death at the bidding of Jehu (2 Kings 9:32-33). It is only natural that the queen would be attended by eunuchs. Another palace eunuch, Ebed-Melek, fished Jeremiah out of the cistern where the king imprisoned him, because Ebed-Melek feared for the prophet’s life (Jer 38:7-13).

In the third year of the riegn of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. ANd the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand... Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, the chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without blemish, handsome and skilful iin all wisdom, endowned with knowledge, understanding learngin, and competent to serve in the kings palan and to teach the the letters and langaue of the Chaldeans. Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. (Dan 1:1-6)​

Being a eunuch had a lot of differing dynamics to it. Eunuchs were often in charge of harems; responsible for the protection and care of the wives of the king because they posed no threat sexually - and they were overseers of the beauty treatments for the women to make them presentable to the king (Esther 2:3, 12-13). The Ethiopian Eunuch was the treasure keeper (Acts 8:27) for Queen Candace and often Eunuchs were recognized for their spiritual sensitivity and wisdom and were chosen to advise the king. Because Isaiah prophesied that Hezekiah’s children would become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon (2 Kings 20:16-18), it seems logical that this was fulfilled when Daniel and the three Hebrew children (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) who were described as “beautiful men” (Daniel 1:4) - in addition to the fact that royal protocol in those days tended to have administrators made into eunuchs in order to protect the king's wife.


But God still had a plan for them. Isaiah 56 speaks of eunuchs (in regards to Deut 23:1) and foreigners in Judah who find themselves outsiders to the covenant, and the prophet assures eunuch and foreigner alike that there remains a place for them within the kingdom and within the worship of the one God of Israel. The implication was that eunuch and foreigner alike were treated as outsiders to the covenant - as if they had no secure place among God’s people, a situation which the prophet was proclaiming defunct. For even as they became part of someone else’s empire, the prophets of Judah made sure the people understood that their God was trans-national...and beginning with the strangers and eunuchs in their midst, the covenant was extended to cover all outsiders.

 

[Rachel Rachel]

There was a plan for him and the money he made during his life.

Actually, it was Michael Rood that I was watching on TV and he was the first person I'd ever heard say Daniel was a eunuch.

Thanks for the link.

 

[Rachel Rachel]

I'd say he was most probably made a eunuch, which may be why we don't see him or the others being mentioned by the later Captivity prophets, as they would not have been allowed to participate in the group worship. I suspect Isaiah 56 was to give those such as him a hope in eternity (and was fulfilled in the flesh by Stephen baptizing the Ethiopian).

That's a great insight! I would never have thought of that.

 

[Rachel Rachel]

Good question..

Daniel, who was a captive by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon when he conquered Judah, was very likely one of these men and First century historian Josephus asserts that he AND his three friends were these type of people:

"But now Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, took some of the most noble of the Jews that were children, and the kinsmen of Zedekiah their king, such as were remarkable for the beauty of their bodies, and the comeliness of their countenances, and delivered them into the hands of tutors, and to the improvement to be made by them. He also made some of them to be EUNUCHS . . . Now among these there were four of the family of Zedekiah, of most excellent dispositions, one of whom was called Daniel, another was called Ananias, another Misael, and the fourth Azarias; and the King of Babylon changed their names, and commanded that they should make use of other names.

Daniel he (the King) called Baltasar; Ananias, Shadrach; Misael, Meshach; and Azarias, Abednego. These the King had in esteem, and continued to love, because of the very excellent temper they were of, and because of their application to learning, and the progress they had made in wisdom." (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book 10, Chapter 10, first paragraph)​

Of course, with that considered, it's interesting how his being a eunuch adds a lot to his own struggle as a captive in Babylon. In regards to Daniel's emasculation is Deut 23:1 which states that one who is a eunuch may not enter into the congregation of the Lord....and if Daniel had been emasculated (seeing the depth of love he had for God painted throughout the scripture), it would have been something that he would have agonized over, and I think that something of that much importance to him would have found its way into scripture.

And we already have the possibility of others already BEING eunuchs before coming to Babylon. Before the Babylonians made others into eunuchs, the royal houses of Israel and Judah had a few eunuchs of their own. Two or three of these eunuchs threw the queen-mother Jezebel to her death at the bidding of Jehu (2 Kings 9:32-33). It is only natural that the queen would be attended by eunuchs. Another palace eunuch, Ebed-Melek, fished Jeremiah out of the cistern where the king imprisoned him, because Ebed-Melek feared for the prophet’s life (Jer 38:7-13).

In the third year of the riegn of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. ANd the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand... Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, the chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without blemish, handsome and skilful iin all wisdom, endowned with knowledge, understanding learngin, and competent to serve in the kings palan and to teach the the letters and langaue of the Chaldeans. Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. (Dan 1:1-6)​

Being a eunuch had a lot of differing dynamics to it. Eunuchs were often in charge of harems; responsible for the protection and care of the wives of the king because they posed no threat sexually - and they were overseers of the beauty treatments for the women to make them presentable to the king (Esther 2:3, 12-13). The Ethiopian Eunuch was the treasure keeper (Acts 8:27) for Queen Candace and often Eunuchs were recognized for their spiritual sensitivity and wisdom and were chosen to advise the king. Because Isaiah prophesied that Hezekiah’s children would become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon (2 Kings 20:16-18), it seems logical that this was fulfilled when Daniel and the three Hebrew children (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) who were described as “beautiful men” (Daniel 1:4) - in addition to the fact that royal protocol in those days tended to have administrators made into eunuchs in order to protect the king's wife.


But God still had a plan for them. Isaiah 56 speaks of eunuchs (in regards to Deut 23:1) and foreigners in Judah who find themselves outsiders to the covenant, and the prophet assures eunuch and foreigner alike that there remains a place for them within the kingdom and within the worship of the one God of Israel. The implication was that eunuch and foreigner alike were treated as outsiders to the covenant - as if they had no secure place among God’s people, a situation which the prophet was proclaiming defunct. For even as they became part of someone else’s empire, the prophets of Judah made sure the people understood that their God was trans-national...and beginning with the strangers and eunuchs in their midst, the covenant was extended to cover all outsiders.

This all makes an ever sadder situation for Daniel and the other 3 captives. But praise YHVH....he found a great way to bless them anyway!
I just can't imagine the agony they went through....

 

[visionary]

This all makes an ever sadder situation for Daniel and the other 3 captives. But praise YHVH....he found a great way to bless them anyway! I just can't imagine the agony they went through....

IT seems to be a standard during that time period.

Acts 8:27 ►

New International Version
So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means "queen of the Ethiopians"). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,

In 1 Corinthians 7:32-35, Paul explains that living a single life can be a blessing as the person can concentrate on serving the Kingdom of God instead of being concerned with earthly matters.

 

[visionary]

I recently heard a preacher state matter-of-factly that Daniel was a eunuch. That really upset me for some reason, so I tried to do a little research.

The Bible doesn't straight out say that he was a eunuch but it mentions that the King's chief of the eunuchs was put in charge of young Hebrew captives in Babylon.

I thought to myself, 'well...that doesn't mean the young Hebrew men were castrated. After all, Esther and the other young women who "applied" for the job of new wife to King Ahasuerus were trained by eunuchs.

But then I found this reference in 2 Kings 20:

• 17 ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the Lord. 18 ‘And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”

What do you think? Were they eunuchs?

and a second confirmation to this verse.

Isaiah 39:5–7
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: 6 wBehold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. 7 xAnd some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

 

[visionary]

Talking about Eunuchs, Yeshua said

Matt 19:12 "For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it"

I believe Daniel would be the eunuch made by men.

 

[visionary]

That's a great insight! I would never have thought of that.

add to that is the fact that nowhere does God condemn or deride a man for being a eunuch. In Isaiah 56:3-5, God says:

Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, "The LORD will surely separate me from his people"; and let not the eunuch say, "Behold, I am a dry tree."

For thus says the LORD: "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off."

 

[Rachel Rachel]

add to that is the fact that nowhere does God condemn or deride a man for being a eunuch. In Isaiah 56:3-5, God says:
Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, "The LORD will surely separate me from his people"; and let not the eunuch say, "Behold, I am a dry tree."

For thus says the LORD: "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off."

This is actually one of my favorite verses.
I'd say Isaiah is probably my favorite book of the Bible.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

This all makes an ever sadder situation for Daniel and the other 3 captives. But praise YHVH....he found a great way to bless them anyway!
I just can't imagine the agony they went through....

Indeed, very thankful that God found a way for them to be blessed in spite of the difficulties - and sobering to see all that they had to face. It's wild how we never consider imagery when reading scripture - due to having no record of it whatsoever - as we see the words and proclamations that believers did in hard times....but it adds an entirely different dimension when seeing the body posture and facial expressions accompanying those speaking. And I never considered how much of a difference that made until seeing a portrayal of Daniel in media and seeing him quoting what he did - yet having a sad face most of the time. Took me a back after seeing him look sad even after God kept exalting him - but then I had to consider how life would make me look if I went thru all the things he had to.....and because I didn't consider that, I would tend to read the text as if he simply spoke to the King of Babylon with the dream interpretation as if he was indifferent.