When Daniel and his 3 friends were drafted into Nebuchadnezzar's court, was castration one of the requirements? I noted there were eunuchs who sided with King Jehu in 2 Kings 9:30-33, but don't know of their status otherwise. Then of course, Jesus spoke favorably about eunuchs in Matthew 19:10-12. -- Randall Laraway
We cannot be sure. It is a possibility, of course. The text doesn’t say, even though many (if not most) royal officials and some government workers did become eunuchs. The Hebrew word saris means both official and eunuch, incidentally. As for your reference to Matthew 19, I believe Jesus is referring figuratively to those who decide not to marry. Not literally! (For more on the N.T. teaching about staying single, click here and here.)
