רַב־סָרִיס
𐤓𐤁־𐤎𐤓𐤉𐤎
Rab-Çârîyç
H7249 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A high-ranking court official, specifically the chief of the court eunuchs or court officials, generally in the royal administration of Neo-Assyrian or Neo-Babylonian empires. The compound term denotes a prominent position of power and responsibility, often involved in diplomatic, administrative, or military functions on behalf of the king.
Semantic Range
chief eunuch, chief court official, high official serving the king, dignitary in charge of other officials, diplomatic envoy, head of palace administrators
Root / Etymology
Formed from רַב (rav, 'chief, great, principal') and סָרִיס (saris, 'eunuch, court official'), presumably borrowing the Akkadian ša rēši ('one of the head' or 'court officer'), with the Hebrew meaning developing to refer to a chief among these officials. Both terms together emphasize rank and official responsibility. The combination is a loan-translation or calque based on West Semitic and Akkadian bureaucratic titles.
Historical & Contextual Notes
רַב־סָרִיס is attested primarily in exilic and post-exilic passages set in the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian courts (e.g., 2 Kings 18:17; Jeremiah 39:3,13). Although the literal sense is 'chief eunuch,' the term by this period often denoted a senior court officer, not necessarily physically a eunuch, as 'saris' had broadened in administrative parlance to mean 'court official.' The rank is equivalent to high administrators or envoys, frequently assigned official missions or diplomatic roles. English translations have sometimes rendered this as a proper title 'Rab-saris' (following the transliterated tradition) or attempted to capture the function with 'chief chamberlain' or 'chief officer,' but the range of duties could extend to military or diplomatic roles. The underlying Akkadian term was likewise a high court office, and the usage in Hebrew reflects the international bureaucratic language of late Iron Age and early Persian imperial systems. The term is distinct from other high officials such as רַב-שָׁקֶה ('chief cupbearer, field commander') and רַב-טַבָּחִים ('chief executioner, captain of the guard'). The shift from denoting literal eunuchs to general officials parallels developments in other ancient Near Eastern languages.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from רַב and a foreign word for a eunuch; chief chamberlain; Rab-Saris, a Babylonian official; Rab-saris.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
רבב (r-b-b) — to be many, to become great, to multiply
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1337 | בַּת רַבִּים | many |
| H2579 | חֲמַת רַבָּה | great |
| H4764 | מֵרָב | Abundant one |
| H7227 | רַב | many |
| H7228 | רַב | his archers |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7249-02 |
סָרִ֣יס | saris | HNcmsa |
officer | chief court official | 3 |
H7249-01 |
רַב | rav | HNcmsc |
Rab | great | 3 |
Occurrences in Scripture
6 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7249-01 |
2 Kings 18:17 | רַב | rav | HNcmsc |
Rab | great |
H7249-02 |
2 Kings 18:17 | סָרִ֣יס | saris | HNcmsa |
-saris | chief court official |
H7249-01 |
Jeremiah 39:3 | רַב | rav | HNcmsc |
Rab | great |
H7249-02 |
Jeremiah 39:3 | סָרִ֗יס | saris | HNcmsa |
saris | chief court official |
H7249-01 |
Jeremiah 39:13 | רַב | rav-2 | HNcmsc |
chief | great |
H7249-02 |
Jeremiah 39:13 | סָרִ֔יס | saris | HNcmsa |
officer | chief court official |