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The Hebrew version of Nehemiah closes his opening prayer by noting he served as cupbearer to the Persian king. The Greek Septuagint translation instead calls him a eunuch, changing both his court office and his standing as a man with no heirs.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Nehemiah 1:11
Hebrew Bible
10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your mighty strength and by your powerful hand. 11 Please, Lord, listen attentively to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who take pleasure in showing respect to your name. Grant your servant success today and show compassion to me in the presence of this man.” Now I was cupbearer for the king.
LXX Nehemiah 1:11
Septuagint
10 And they are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great power and with your strong hand. 11 Indeed, rather let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your slave and to the prayer of your servants who want to revere your name, and make your servant prosperous now, even today, and give him compassion before this man.” Now I was a eunuch to the king.
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Notes and References
... The earliest clear reference to details from 2 Esdras is by Eusebius of Caesarea (died 339 C.E.) in his commentary on Isaiah to 14.2 (Commentary on Isaiah 1.68) where he refers to the exile under the Babylonians; and there is a possible allusion to 2 Esdras 1.8 by Theophilus of Antioch (died around 184 C.E.; To Autolycus 3.25). Origen (died 254 C.E.) refers to Nehemiah's designation of himself as a ‘eunuch of the king’ (at 2 Esdras 11.11) both in his exposition of Matthew 19.12 (Commentary on Matthew 15.5) and in his Letter to Africanus 564. ...
Wooden, R. Glenn
"2 Esdras" in Aitken, James K. (ed.) 2 Esdras, in The T&T Clark Companion to the Septuagint
(p. 201) Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2015
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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