Babylonian conquest of Judah. (Isa 11:11) Hence, this Ethiopian official may have had association with Jewish persons in his area or perhaps in Egypt, where many Jews resided. His copy of the scroll of Isaiah was likely a copy of the Greek Septuagint, originally made in Alexandria, Egypt. Since the Ethiopian kingdom had become partly Hellenized from the time of Ptolemy II (308-246 B.C.E.), this official’s being able to read the Greek language would not be unusual. His becoming a Jewish proselyte and his subsequent conversion to Christianity were in fulfillment of Psalm 68:31.

Ethiopian Language. The original language of Ethiopia is undetermined; by the close of the eighth century B.C.E. Egyptian hieroglyphic writing was being used for official Ethiopian inscriptions. A native language and script called Meroitic is known from the century prior to the start of the Common Era and for some centuries thereafter. The language called Ethiopic was the vernacular language during the Common Era up until the 14th century. It is of Semitic origin as is the present-day language of modern Ethiopia called Amharic.

(Eth-kaʹzin).

A site marking the boundary of Zebulun. (Jos 19:10, 13) Though its exact location is today unknown, some tentatively identify it with modern Kafr Kanna about 20 km (12 mi) W of the Sea of Galilee.

(Ethʹnan) [Hire, Gift].

A son of Ashhur by his wife Helah. Ethnan was of the tribe of Judah and of the family of Hezron.​—1Ch 2:3-5, 9, 24; 4:5, 7.

(Ethʹni) [Hire, Gift].

A descendant of Levi through his son Gershom; the son of Zerah and the forefather of the musician Asaph.​—1Ch 6:39-43.

(Eu·buʹlus) [probably, Good Counsel].

One of the Christian brothers who was in Rome at the time of the apostle Paul’s last imprisonment and who is mentioned as sending greetings to Timothy.​—2Ti 4:21.

(Euʹnice) [from a root meaning “conquer”].

A believing Jewess, the daughter of Lois. She was the wife of an unbelieving Greek and the mother of Timothy. (Ac 16:1) It is very likely that the apostle Paul met Eunice at Lystra in Asia Minor on his first missionary tour and that then, as a result of his preaching, she and her mother Lois became Christians. (Ac 14:4-18) The faith of Eunice was “without any hypocrisy.” (2Ti 1:5) Although married to a pagan husband, she was exemplary in teaching her son Timothy “the holy writings” from his “infancy,” and when she became a Christian, she doubtless instructed him accordingly. (2Ti 3:15) Since Eunice’s husband was a Greek, Timothy’s parents had not had him circumcised.​—Ac 16:3.

The Hebrew word sa·risʹ and the Greek word eu·nouʹkhos apply, when used in a literal sense, to a human male who has been castrated. Such were appointed in royal courts as attendants, or caretakers, of the queen, the harem, and the women. (Es 2:3, 12-15; 4:4-6, 9) Because of their closeness to the king’s household, eunuchs of ability often rose to high rank. In a broad sense the term also denoted any official assigned to duties in the court of the king, not indicating that these men were literal eunuchs.

Under the Law covenant, a eunuch was not allowed to become part of the congregation of God’s people. (De 23:1) There is, accordingly, no indication that any of the Israelites or alien residents among them were made eunuchs for service in the palace of Israelite kings. Under the Law, slaves were to be circumcised, not castrated. However, it was the custom of Eastern pagan nations to make eunuchs out of some of the children taken captive in war.

The court official who was in charge of the treasury of the queen of Ethiopia and to whom Philip preached is called a eunuch. He was a proselyte to the Jewish religion who had come to Jerusalem to worship God. But since a castrated person was not accepted into the congregation of Israel under the Law, the term eu·nouʹkhos would apply here not literally but in its sense of “court official.” (Ac 8:26-39; De 23:1) Ebed-melech, the Ethiopian who rescued the prophet Jeremiah from imprisonment in a cistern, was a eunuch in the court of King Zedekiah. It would appear that the term here, too, applies in the frequent sense of officer. Ebed-melech seems to have been a man of authority. He appealed directly to King Zedekiah in Jeremiah’s behalf and was given command over 30 men for the rescue operation.​—Jer 38:7-13.

Jehovah comfortingly foretold the time when eunuchs would be accepted by him as his servants and, if obedient, would have a name better than sons and daughters. With the abolition of the Law by Jesus Christ, all persons exercising faith,