Shaashgaz

Biblical Record

Shaashgaz appears only once, in Esther 2:14. When King Ahasuerus gathered many virgins to Shushan the palace in order to choose a new queen, the young women went in to the king one after another. A woman who went to the king in the evening was moved in the morning to the "second house of the women," where she came under the authority of Shaashgaz: "In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king's chamberlain, which kept the concubines." The concubines were the king's secondary wives, and the chamberlain (eunuch) was an official who served in the royal court. The text records that such a woman "came in unto the king no more, except the king delighted in her, and that she were called by name." Nothing else is recorded about his life or activities.

Significance Within the Bible

The Book of Esther distinguishes between Hegai, the eunuch in charge of the virgins before they went in to the king (Esther 2:3, 2:8, 2:15), and Shaashgaz, who had charge of the women afterward. This distinction shows how the harem system of the Persian court was administered. A woman who entered the second house of the women had to remain there for the rest of her life unless the king summoned her. Because Esther won the king's favor and became queen (Esther 2:17), she escaped this fate. Shaashgaz is not mentioned in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Debate

The Hebrew word translated "eunuch" or "chamberlain" can denote a castrated court official, but it can also refer more generally to a high-ranking official. Scholars are therefore divided over which sense should be understood here. The name is thought to be of Persian origin, but its meaning is uncertain.

In Korean Churches

Sermons and Sunday school lessons devoted specifically to Shaashgaz are rare. He is typically mentioned only briefly as a background figure when the royal court system is explained in expositions of Esther 2.