The Writings and Intersexuality:  Chronicles, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah 

Books of Chronicles

Sexual Health Positive Terms

Genital Sexual Intercourse, BO (1 Chronicles 7:23) Strong, H935

Then he made love (BO)to his wife again, and she becamepregnant and gave birth to a son. He named him Beriah, because there had been misfortune in his family. (1 Chronicles 7:23)

Covenant, buh-REETH (2 Chronicles 23:16)  Strong, H1285

Jehoiada then made a covenant (buh-REETH) that he, the people and the king would be the LORD’s people. (2 Chronicles 23:16)

Eunuch/Intersexual, sah-REECE (2 Chronicles 18:8) Strong, H5631 

Genealogical Record, yah-CHAWSH ((Nehemiah 7:5) Strong, H3187

So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families. I found the genealogical record (yah-CHAWSH) of those who had been the first to return. This is what I found written there. (Nehemiah 7:5)

Gynecological Terms

Pregnant, hah-RAH (1 Chronicles 7:23) Strong, H2029

Give Birth to, YEH-led (1 Chronicles 7:23) Strong, H3205

Then he made love to his wife again, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. He named him Beriah, because there had been misfortune in his family. (1 Chronicles 7:23)

Unhealthy Sexuality Terms and Locations for the Sacred Sex Trade

High Places for the Sacred Sex Trade, bah-MAH and HAR (2 Chronicles 21:11) Strong, H1116 and H2022

Sacred Sex Trade Strong, zah-NAH (2 Chronicles 21:11) Strong, H2181

He had also built high places (bah-MAH) on the hills (HAR) of Judah and had caused the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves and had led Judah astray. (2 Chronicles 21:11)

Baal Strong, bah-AWL (2 Chronicles 23:17)  Strong, H1168

Idols, TSEH-lem (2 Chronicles 23:17) Strong,H6754

Asherah Poles, ah-sher-AH (2 Chronicles 34:3) Strong, H842

Idols, pah-SEEL (2 Chronicles 34:3) Strong, H6456

Idols, mah-seh-KAH (2 Chronicles 34:3) Strong H4541

All the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols (TSEH-lem)and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars. (2 Chronicles 23:17)

Under his direction the altars of the Baals were torn down; he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them, and smashed the Asherah poles and the idols. These he broke to pieces and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. (2 Chronicles 34:4)

Other Gods, ah-chah-REEM el-oh-HEEM (2 Chronicles 34:25) Strong, H430 and H312

Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and aroused my anger by all that their hands have made, my anger will be poured out on this place and will not be quenched.

Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard:

Tools

Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what he spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before me and tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD. (2 Chronicles 34:25-27)

Unhealthy Sexual Behaviors, toe-eh-VAH (Ezra 9:1) Strong, H8441 

After these things had been done, the leaders came to me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and the Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the neighboring peoples with their detestable practices, like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians and Amorites. (Ezra 9:1)

Tool

Sexual Health Positive Term

Eunuch/Intersexual

The term eunuch or sah-REECE in Hebrew describes a senior level court officer who guards the integrity of a royal harem. The word sah-REECE meaning “to remove the genitalia” appears 42 times in 42 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. The eunuch/sah-REECE was known for remarkable allegiance to their king.  (Strong, H5631) Emperors desiring a legacy of succession often used multiple wives or concubines to create a pool for potential successors. The best and brightest royal offspring make the cut moving into positions of leadership. The eunuch/sah-REECE, unable to reproduce, provided a perfect overseer for the harem ensuring integrity of royal DNA. The word eunuch/sah-REECE appears seven times in Daniel. Hebrew numerology often uses seven to indicate completeness. Eunuch/sah-REECE first appears in Genesis to describe Joseph’s master, Potiphar. (Genesis 37:36)  Isaiah writes a section on blessings for eunuchs/sah-REECE. (Isaiah 56:3-4) Esther too mentions eunuchs/sah-REECE specifically. 

So the king of Israel called one of his officials (sah-REECE) and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.” (2 Chronicles 18:8)

On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs (sah-REECE) who served him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Karkas. (Esther 1:10)

Jesus identifies with eunuchs in Matthew 19:12 as one choosing sexual abstinence for the sake of the kingdom. Christ infers some eunuchs are born without the ability to perform sexually and others are made (surgically) to become eunuchs. 

Jesus’s words about eunuchs who are born without the ability to have genital sexual intercourse find common ground with the science of intersexuality.

Intersexuality and Eunuchism

Intersexuality is the word for sex variations occurring in sexually reproducing animals. Intersexual births feature non typical sex characteristics of males and females.  Intersexual genitals may be different in numerous ways. The Fausto-Sterling (2000) report researched the wide range of variation occurring in live births from 1955 to 1999. The report found nearly 2% of live births feature some variation from typical XX and XY. 

Intersexuality-eunuchism in the ancient Near East was known for inability to procreate or engage in heterosexual genital sexual intercourse. A valued court official, the intersexual-eunuch attended to royal harems. The intersexual-eunuch served as non threatening overseer to ensure purity of royal blood lines and succession to the throne.  Jesus speaks about intersexuality-eunuchism in Matthew 19: 

For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others – and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it. (Matthew 19:12)

Christ mentions intersexuals-eunuchs who are born, eunuchs made surgically, and eunuchs who choose celibacy for the sake of ministry. The references to intersexual-eunuchs in the Bible are only positive. No negative statements exist about intersexual variations or eunuchs at any place in Scripture.

The Fausto-Sterling Report

Fausto-Sterling (2000) examined medical intersexual data  and states: 

We surveyed the medical literature from 1955 to the present for studies of the frequency of deviation from the ideal male or female. We conclude that this frequency may be as high as 2% of live births. The frequency of individuals receiving ‘corrective’ genital surgery, however, probably runs between 1 and 2 per 1,000 live births (0.1 – 0.2%). (p. 151)

Response to the Fausto-Sterling (2000) study was immediate: 

Many reviewers are not aware that this figure includes conditions which most clinicians do not recognize as intersex, such as Klinefelter syndrome, Turner syndrome, and late- onset adrenal hyperplasia. If the term intersex is to retain any meaning, the term should be restricted to those conditions in which chromosomal sex is inconsistent with phenotyp ic sex, or in which the phenotype is not classifiable as either male or female. Applying this more precise definition, the true prevalence of intersex is seen to be about 0.018%, almost 100 times lower than Fausto-Sterling’s estimate of 1.7%. (Sax, 2002)

The criticism of Fausto-Sterling’s (2000) 1.7% intersex live birth statistic connects to Sax’s (2002) definition of intersexuality and his comment, “most clinicians”. Sax (2002) states that Fausto-Sterling’s (2000) results are inflated because she included Klinefelter, Turner, and late onset hyperplasia. Sax (2002) makes a case that most clinicians do not recognize Klinefelter and Turner syndromes, and late onset hyperplasia. Perhaps citing a percentage of clinicians with Sax’s (2002) view would be helpful? Klinefelter karyotype is XXY. The Turner karyotype is one X. Typical females are XX and males XY.  Klinefelter presents with smaller genitalia and female breasts. Turner traits include smaller stature, possible sterility, and need for hormone therapy to induce puberty. Possibly the first record of adrenal hyperplasia took place in 1865.  Luigi de Crecchio, an anatomist, autopsied a 40 year old cadaver. He noted the fusion of the labia and scrotum to a curved penis. The urethral opening appeared on the shaft of the 3.9 inch long penis rather than at the tip of the glans. The subject featured both testicles and ovaries located inside the body cavity. The patient also had vagina, uterus, fallopian tubes, and enlarged adrenal glands along with male genitalia. The patient in life reported as a male. Symptoms at death were vomiting and diarrhea. Death may have been caused by adrenal insufficiency. In 1957 Decourt, Jayle, and Baulieu described similar features and formed the diagnosis of non classic or mild form of 21 hydroxylase deficiency.   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5624825/ Perhaps we would be accurate to say that adrenal hyperplasia although not classified as intersexuality by some, with certainty the features and symptoms present as intersexual traits? This seems to be a fair common ground for conversation and treatment.   If Klinefelter, Turner, and late onset hyperplasia impact the sexuality of a client, it seems therapeutically reasonable as a clinician to include in the sample. If some disagree, then clearly, data shows at minimum .018% to a maximum of 1.7% of live births have intersexual traits-not typical XX and XY.

This data can be a game changer for people of faith. Neither Jesus nor any other author of the Bible condemn eunuchs, intersexuals, or “those who are born” without the ability for heterosexual intercourse. This new technology may be common ground for people of faith and those with intersexual traits.  Perhaps this generation can bring an end to the violence against and hatred for people who are “born” that way?