The (Other) Ethiopian Eunuch

The (other) Ethiopian Eunuch

There are two Ethiopian eunuchs mentioned in Scripture. One is the more
famous one from Acts 8, who was converted by the apostle Phillip whilst
returning home from worshipping in Jerusalem. The other Ethiopian eunuch is
from much earlier in the Bible, and unlike the one in Acts 8, he is named in the
text. Known as Ebed-Melech, he was a servant in the court of King Zedekiah, the
final king of the southern Kingdom of Judah, and all descriptions of him come
from the book of Jeremiah.
As a side note, some translations may indicate that Ebed-Melech was a Cushite
instead of an Ethiopian, but in Biblical times the word Ethiopia was a more
general term invented by the Greeks describing people of African descent south
of Egypt. This would have included both the Cushites (Nubians) in what is now
known as Sudan, and the peoples in modern Ethiopia. However, this more
modern Ethiopian identity did not begin to develop until the establishment of the
Kingdom of Aksum in the first century A.D, well after the events in the book of
Jeremiah. As such, these terms are not paradoxical but can be interpreted
through the understanding of the terms based on Biblical context. Most likely the
Ethiopian Eunuch of Acts 8 was also a Cushite, given that he was a servant of
“Candace queen of the Ethiopians” (Acts 8:26-27)
In the section of Jeremiah that involved this Ethiopian Eunuch (Jeremiah 37-39),
the prophet Jeremiah was prophesying destruction against the people of
Jerusalem and their faithless king: “Then the word of the Lord came to the
prophet Jeremiah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “Thus you
shall say to the king of Judah, who sent you to Me to inquire of Me: ‘Behold,
Pharaoh’s army which has come up to help you will return to Egypt, to their
own land. And the Chaldeans shall come back and fight against this city, and
take it and burn it with fire.’” Thus says the Lord: “Do not deceive yourselves,
saying, ‘The Chaldeans will surely depart from us,’ for they will not depart. For
though you had defeated the whole army of the Chaldeans who fight against
you, and there remained only wounded men among them, they would rise up,
every man in his tent, and burn the city with fire.’” ” (Jeremiah 37:6-10 NKJV)
For obvious reasons, this angered many of the higher officials, and Jeremiah
would be imprisoned for some time after this. However, the situation would
escalate further for Jeremiah in Chapter 38, when several officials of king
Zedekiah argued for Jeremiah’s execution: “Therefore the princes said to the
king, ‘Please, let this man be put to death, for thus he weakens the hands of the
men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking
such words to them. For this man does not seek the welfare of this people, but
their harm.’ Then Zedekiah the king said, ‘Look, he is in your hand. For the king
can do nothing against you.’ So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the
dungeon of Malchiah the king’s son, which was in the court of the prison, and
they let Jeremiah down with ropes. And in the dungeon there was no water, but
mire. So Jeremiah sank in the mire.” (Jeremiah 38:4-6 NKJV) Zedekiah, easily
swayed by the words of these officials, agreed to drop Jeremiah into this pit. This
cistern was filled with mud and was nearly impossible to escape from, so
Jeremiah seemed doomed to slowly sink to his death and drown in the muck.
However, all hope was not lost for Jeremiah, because Ebed-Melech heard about
this and intervened to save Jeremiah from his certain doom. He appealed to the
king’s sympathies towards Jeremiah and argued that he would starve inside the

cistern. He was successful in doing so, and acquired assistance to save Jeremiah:
“Now Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs, who was in the king’s
house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon. When the king was
sitting at the Gate of Benjamin, Ebed-Melech went out of the king’s house and
spoke to the king, saying: ‘My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that
they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon,
and he is likely to die from hunger in the place where he is. For there is no more
bread in the city.’ Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, saying,
‘Take from here thirty men with you, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the
dungeon before he dies.’ So Ebed-Melech took the men with him and went into
the house of the king under the treasury, and took from there old clothes and old
rags, and let them down by ropes into the dungeon to Jeremiah. Then Ebed-
Melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, ‘Please put these old clothes and rags
under your armpits, under the ropes.’ And Jeremiah did so. So they pulled
Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the dungeon. And Jeremiah
remained in the court of the prison.” (Jeremiah 38:7-13 NKJV)
Shortly after Jeremiah was rescued by Ebed-Melech and his fellow servants, the
city of Jerusalem fell to the Babylonian forces that were besieging the city.
Jeremiah’s life was spared by the Babylonians’ and he was sent out to live with
those poorer residents of Judah that were not taken to Babylon, and he spends
the remainder of the book with them. As for Ebed-Melech, his faithfulness and
desire to stand up for God’s prophet is rewarded by God by a promise from God
to Ebed-Melech that was delivered by Jeremiah during the siege of Jerusalem:
“Meanwhile the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah while he was shut up in
the court of the prison, saying, ‘Go and speak to Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian,
saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will bring My
words upon this city for adversity and not for good, and they shall be performed
in that day before you. But I will deliver you in that day,’ says the Lord, ‘and you
shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. For I will
surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but your life shall be as a
prize to you, because you have put your trust in Me,’ says the Lord.” ’ ” (Jeremiah
39:15-18 NKJV)
Although this may not be a story often discussed today, it is still important, as it
shows that God pays attention to the deeds of even those who seem the most
powerless, and also that those who seem weak and irrelevant can have a hand in
God’s plans. Ebed-Melech’s faithfulness in a dark time is a notable and honorable
trait to have, and can also be summed up in Hebrews 11:6: “But without faith it is
impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and
that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
- Ben Smith

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