Commentary for II Kings 20:18
וּמִבָּנֶ֜יךָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יֵצְא֧וּ מִמְּךָ֛ אֲשֶׁ֥ר תּוֹלִ֖יד יקח [יִקָּ֑חוּ] וְהָיוּ֙ סָֽרִיסִ֔ים בְּהֵיכַ֖ל מֶ֥לֶךְ בָּבֶֽל׃
And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, whom thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be officers in the palace of the king of Babylon.’
Rashi on II Kings
And some of your sons. Chananyoh, Mishoeil, and Azaryoh.22Some say that they were eunuchs, because it was the custom to castrate those who served in the palace. Targum maintains that סריסים means ‘officers.’ It is merely a figurative expression used here to symbolize that paganism's impotence was acknowledged in their time. Chananyoh, Mishoeil and Azaryoh would risk their lives by defying the order to worship idols and be miraculously saved. See Maseches Sanhedrin 93b.
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