Goat
Summary
A common domestic animal in ancient Israel, used for food, milk, hair, and skin, and essential for the sacrificial system including the Day of Atonement scapegoat.
☩Domestic Use
Goats were among the most valuable livestock in Palestine, thriving in rocky terrain where sheep could not. They provided milk for drinking and cheese-making, meat for food, and hair for weaving into tent cloth and other fabrics. Their skins were used for water bottles and leather goods. A kid was considered a delicacy for honored guests.
☩In Sacrifice
Goats were acceptable for various offerings: burnt offerings, sin offerings, and peace offerings. The most significant ritual involving goats was on the Day of Atonement, when two goats were presented—one sacrificed as a sin offering and one sent into the wilderness as the scapegoat, symbolically carrying away the people's sins.
☩Figurative Use
In Christ's parable of the final judgment, goats represent the wicked who are separated to the King's left hand, while sheep represent the righteous at His right. The imagery reflects the practice of separating mixed flocks, as goats often mingled with sheep in Palestinian pastures. Daniel's vision pictured Greece as a he-goat whose single horn was Alexander the Great.
Related Verses131 mentions
See Also
References
- 1.James Orr (ed.), "Goat," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. II (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 2.John McClintock and James Strong, "Goat," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. III (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 3.George Morrish, "Goat," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Goat," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).