In the ancient Near East, people often used the horse in ceremonies that honored the sun. The Assyrian sun-god Shamash and other gods were shown riding in horse-drawn chariots across the sky. Archaeological findings suggest that a solar cult (worship of the sun) existed in Israel as early as the 800s BC. This practice grew more popular during the reigns of Manasseh and Amon, when the royal court supported it (2 Kings 21:3–5, 21–22).
King Josiah tried to end these practices with his reforms. But after his death, the prophet Ezekiel condemned people again for sun worship. He described them as bowing down to the sun in the inner court of the temple (Ezekiel 8:16).
an official: This word eunuch (translated official in the Berean Standard Bible) does not always mean a man who was physically made a eunuch. It can also mean a high-ranking court official who served the king.