Goat

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

This animal was one of the clean beasts, and used in the Jewish church both for food and sacrifice. ( Leviticus 16:5) and the veil of the tabernacle was made of the hair of the goat. ( Exodus 25:4) But in the after ages of the church, the goat became figurative of the ungodly. And, perhaps, this arose from the calves and devils (literally goats), which Jeroboam set up for idol worship. (See  2 Corinthians 11:14-15) Hence the Lord is represented by the prophet, as punishing the goats; that is, the worshippers of those dunghill idols. ( Zechariah 10:3) Hence also another prophet exclaims, "Hell from beneath is moved for thee, to meet thee at thy coming; it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth;" The margin of the Bible hath it, even all the great goats of the earth; meaning the princes and great men. ( Isaiah 14:9) Hence our blessed Lord, in describing the solemn events of the last day, describes the wicked and ungodly as goats on his left hand, destined for destruction. ( Matthew 25:33)

I have been more particular on this subject, in order to explain wherefore it is, that as the goat was by the Lord's own appointment of the clean beasts both for good and sacrifice, that the Lord Jesus and his servant should make the goat a figure, or emblem, of the reprobate, and as distinguished from the sheep of his fold. And this the account of the goat set up as an idol by Jeroboam, and sacrificed to by the people in direct opposition to the God of Israel, very fully explains.

While I am upon this subject of the goat, it may not be unacceptable to the pious reader, to say a few words on the very striking ceremony appointed by the Lord of the scape goat on the great day of atonement. I need not describe the ceremony itself, for the reader will find a full account thereof,  Leviticus 16:1-34. There is somewhat most wonderfully interesting when this service of the scape goat is considered with an eye to Christ. The high priest laying both his hands on the head of the beast, and making a confession over him of all the iniquities of the children of Israel, with all their transgressions in all their sins, as if transferring both the sin and guilt from themselves to another; certainly this had no meaning but in reference to the Lord Jesus Christ; and certainly, beheld in allusion to him, the whole service becomes plain and obvious. The Suretyship of Christ is hereby most blessedly shadowed forth; and both the law of God and the justice of God in that Suretyship evidently satisfied. Indeed, the type falls short of the thing itself in one point; for the scape goat was altogether passive in the act, but Christ, in his voluntary surrender of himself, manifested a willing offering. On the part of God the Father, the type, and the thing signified by the type, became one and the same. For though it is out of any creature's power, to make a transfer of sin to another, yet it is not beyond the sovereignty and prerogative of God. And when the Lord Jesus, at the call of God, stood up from everlasting as the covenant Head of his people, his voluntary offering gave efficacy to the whole. In this he undertook to answer for all their sins, and to do away the whole of their guilt and pollution by the sacrifice of himself. Hence Jehovah is represented by the prophet, as "laying upon him the iniquity of us all." ( Isaiah 53:6) And Jesus is no less represented as saying, "Lo, I come to do thy will, O God." ( Psalms 40:7-8)

I would just ask the reader, whether such a view doth not bring comfort to the soul, in thus beholding the transfer of sin, with all its defilement, taken from our poor nature, and put upon the person of Christ. How blessed must it have been in God the Holy Ghost, to have had the representation made of it in an age so distant from the thing itself, as if to testify the Lord's approbation of it in the people's safety. Though the Scriptures are silent upon it, yet the history of the scape goat among the Jews, has handed down by tradition the account, which is not uninteresting. It is said, that when the two goats were led into the inner court of the temple and presented to the high priest, according to the Lord's appointment of casting lots, ( Leviticus 16:8) the scape goat, or as the margin of the Bible expresseth it, the Azazel, had then a fillet, or a narrow piece of scarlet, fastened to its head, which soon became white. And hence the prophet is supposed to allude when saying, "though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." ( Isaiah 1:18) The scape goat was then sent away, by the hand of some fit man, or as the margin of the Bible hath it, by a man of opportunity, into the wilderness. Some of the Jews say, that the edge of the wilderness had a precipice where the Azazel fell over, and was dashed to pieces. But the "wilderness which no man went through, and none inhabited," carried with it the same idea, that "the iniquity of Israel when, sought for, there should be none; and the sins of Judah, and they should not be found." ( Jeremiah 50:20) When the Lord puts away sin, in Scripture language it is said, "that he remembers it no more." ( Hebrews 8:12 with  Jeremiah 31:34)

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

עז . There are other names or appellations given to the goat, as,

1. חשופּ? ,  1 Kings 20:27 , which means the ram-goat, or leader of the flock.

2. עתודים , a word which never occurs but in the plural, and means, the best prepared, or choicest of the flock; and metaphorically princes, as,   Zechariah 10:3 , "I will visit the goats, saith the Lord," that is, I will begin my vengeance with the princes of the people. "Hell from beneath is moved for thee, to meet thee at thy coming; it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the great goats of the earth,"  Isaiah 14:9; all the kings, all the great men. And Jeremiah, speaking of the princes of the Jews, says, "Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and be as the he-goats before the flocks," Jeremiah 1, 8.

3. צפיר , a name for the goat, of Chaldee origin, and found only in  Ezra 6:17;  Ezra 8:35;  Daniel 8:5;  Daniel 8:21 .

4. עזאזל , from עז , a goat, and אזל , to wander about,   Leviticus 16:8 , "the scape-goat."

5. שער , hairy, or shaggy, whence שעירים , "the shaggy ones." In   Leviticus 17:7 , it is said, "And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils," ( seirim, "hairy ones,") "after whom they have gone a whoring." The word here means idolatrous images of goats, worshipped by the Egyptians. It is the same word that is translated satyrs, in   Isaiah 13:21; where the LXX render it δαιμονια , demons. But here they have ματαιοις , to vain things or idols, which comes to the same sense. What gives light to so obscure a passage is what we read in Maimonides, that the Zabian idolaters worshipped demons under the figure of goats, imagining them to appear in that form, whence they called them by the names of seirim; and that this custom, being spread among other nations, gave occasion to this precept. In like manner we learn from Herodotus, that the Egyptians of Mendes held goats to be sacred animals, and represented the god Pan with the legs and head of that animal. From those ancient idolaters the same notion seems to have been derived by the Greeks and Romans, who represented their Pan, their fauns, satyrs, and other idols, in the form of goats: from all which it is highly probable, that the Israelites had learned in Egypt to worship certain demons, or sylvan deities, under the symbolical figure of goats. Though the phrase, "after whom they have gone a whoring," is equivalent in Scripture to that of committing idolatry, yet we are not to suppose that it is not to be taken in a literal sense in many places, even where it is used in connection with idolatrous acts of worship. It is well known that Baal-peor and Ashtaroth were worshipped with unclean rites, and that public prostitution formed a grand part of the worship of many deities among the Egyptians, Moabites, Canaanites, &c.

The goat was one of the clean beasts which the Israelites might both eat and offer in sacrifice. The kid, גדי , is often mentioned as a food, in a way that implies that it was considered as a delicacy. The אקו , or wild goat, mentioned   Deuteronomy 14:5 , and no where else in the Hebrew Bible, is supposed to be the tragelaphus, or "goat-deer." Schultens conjectures that this animal might have its name, ob fugacitatem, from its shyness, or running away. The word יעל , occurs  1 Samuel 24:3;  Job 39:1;  Psalms 104:18;  Proverbs 5:19 : and various have been the sentiments of interpreters on the animal intended by it. Bochart insists that it is the ibex, or "rock-goat." The root whence the name is derived, signifies to ascend, to mount; and the ibex is famous for clambering, climbing, and leaping, on the most craggy precipices. The Arab writers attribute to the jaal very long horns, bending backward; consequently it cannot be the chamois. The horns of the jaal are reckoned among the valuable articles of traffic,   Ezekiel 27:15 . The ibex is finely shaped, graceful in its motions, and gentle in its manners. The female is particularly celebrated by natural historians for tender affection to her young, and the incessant vigilance with which she watches over their safety; and also for ardent attachment and fidelity to her mate.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

GOAT . (1) ‘çz , used generically, both sexes,   Genesis 30:35 ,   Exodus 12:5 ,   Ezra 6:17 etc. (2) tsâphîr (root ‘to leap’), ‘he-goat,’   2 Chronicles 29:21 ,   Ezra 8:35 ,   Daniel 8:5;   Daniel 8:8 . (3) sâ‘îr (root ‘hairy’), usually a he-goat, e.g.   Daniel 8:21 ‘rough goat’; se‘îrah ,   Leviticus 5:6 ‘she-goat’; se‘îrîm , tr. [Note: translate or translation.] ‘devils’   2 Chronicles 11:15 , ‘satyrs’   Isaiah 13:21;   Isaiah 34:14 . See Satyr. (4) ‘attûd , only in pl. ‘attûdîm , ‘he-goats’   Genesis 31:10;   Genesis 31:12 , AVm [Note: Authorized Version margin.] and RV [Note: Revised Version.] ‘chief ones’   Isaiah 14:8 , but RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] ‘he-goats.’ (5) tayîsh , ‘he-goat,’   Proverbs 30:31 etc. In NT eriphos, eriphion ,   Matthew 25:32-33; tragos ,   Hebrews 9:12-13;   Hebrews 9:19;   Hebrews 10:4 . Goats are among the most valued possessions of the people of Palestine. Nabal had a thousand goats (  1 Samuel 25:2; see also   Genesis 30:33;   Genesis 30:35;   Genesis 32:14 etc.). They are led to pasture with the sheep, but are from time to time separated from them for milking, herding, and even feeding (  Matthew 25:32 ). Goats thrive on extraordinarily bare pasturage, but they do immeasurable destruction to young trees and shrubs, and are responsible for much of the barrenness of the hills. Goats supply most of the milk used in Palestine (  Proverbs 27:27 ); they are also killed for food, especially the young kids (  Genesis 27:9 ,   Judges 6:19;   Judges 13:15 etc.). The Syrian goat ( Capra mambrica ) is black or grey, exceptionally white, and has shaggy hair and remarkably long ears. Goat’s hair is extensively woven into cloaks and material for tents (  Exodus 26:7;   Exodus 36:14 ), and their skins are tanned entire to make water-bottles. See Bottle.

Wild goat . (1) yâ‘çl (cf. proper name Jael ), used in pl. ye’çlîm ,   1 Samuel 24:2 ,   Psalms 104:18 , and   Job 39:1 . (2) ’akkô ,   Deuteronomy 14:5 . Probably both these terms refer to the wild goat or ibex, Capra beden , the beden or ‘goats of Moses’ of the Arabs. It is common on the inaccessible cliffs round the Dead Sea, some of which are known as jebel el-beden , the ‘mountains of the wild goats’ (cf.   1 Samuel 24:2 ). The ibex is very shy, and difficult to shoot. Though about the size of an ordinary goat, its great curved horns, often 3 feet long, give it a much more imposing appearance.

E. W. G. Masterman.

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

1: Ἔριφος (Strong'S #2056 — Noun Masculine — eriphos — er'-if-os )

denotes "a kid or goat,"  Matthew 25:32 (RV, marg., "kids");   Luke 15:29 , "a kid;" some mss. have No. 2 here, indicating a sneer on the part of the elder son, that his father had never given him even a tiny kid.

2: Ἐρίφιον (Strong'S #2055 — Noun Neuter — eriphion — er-if'-ee-on )

a diminutive of No. 1, is used in  Matthew 25:33 . In ver. 32 eriphos is purely figurative; in ver. 33, where the application is made, though metaphorically, the change to the diminutive is suggestive of the contempt which those so described bring upon themselves by their refusal to assist the needy.

3: Τράγος (Strong'S #5131 — Noun Masculine — tragos — trag'-os )

denotes "a he-goat,"  Hebrews 9:12,13,19;  10:4 , the male prefiguring the strength by which Christ laid down His own life in expiatory sacrifice.

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

1. Wild goat, Yeliym , the ibex of ancient Moab.

2. The goat deer, or else gazelle, Aqow .

3. The Atuwd , "he goat", the leader of the flock; hence the chief ones of the earth, leaders in mighty wickedness; the ram represents headstrong wantonness and offensive lust ( Isaiah 14:9;  Zechariah 10:3; compare  Matthew 25:32-33;  Ezekiel 34:17). As the word "shepherds" describes what they ought to have been, so "he goats" what they were; heading the flock, they were foremost in sin, so they shall be foremost in punishment. In  Song of Solomon 4:1 the hair of the bride is said to be "as a flock of goats that appear from mount Gilead," alluding to the fine silky hair of some breeds of goat, the angora and others. Amos ( Amos 3:12) speaks of a shepherd "taking out of the mouth of the lion a piece of an ear," alluding to the long pendulous ears of the Syrian breed. In  Proverbs 30:31 a he goat is mentioned as one of the "four things comely in going," in allusion to the stately march of the leader of the flock.

4. Sair , the goat of the sin-offering ( Leviticus 9:3), "the rough hairy goat" ( Daniel 8:21). Sa'ir is used of devils ( Leviticus 17:7), "the evil spirits of the desert" ( Isaiah 13:21;  Isaiah 34:14).

5. Αzazeel , "the scape-goat" ( Leviticus 16:8;  Leviticus 16:10;  Leviticus 16:26 margin) (See Atonement , DAY OF.) The "he goat" represented Graeco-Macedonia; Caranus, the first king of Macedon, was in legend led by goats to Edessa, his capital, which he named "the goat city." The one-horned goat is on coins of Archclaus king of Macedon, and a pilaster of Persepolis. So  Daniel 8:5.

People's Dictionary of the Bible

Goat. There are many varieties of the goat; four were most likely known to the Hebrews: 1. The domestic Syrian long-eared breed, with horns rather small and variously bent; the ears longer than the head, and pendulous; hair long, often black. 2. The Angora, or rather Anadolia breed of Asia Minor, with long hair, more or less fine. 3. The Egyptian goat, with small spiral horns, long brown hair, and very long ears. 4. A goat of Upper Egypt without horns, having the nasal bones singularly elevated, the nose contracted, with the lower jaw protruding the incisors.  Genesis 15:9. Several words are used in Hebrew for this animal. Goats constituted a large part of Hebrew flocks; for the milk and the flesh were articles of food.  Genesis 27:9;  1 Samuel 25:2;  Proverbs 27:27. As clean animals they were used in sacrifice,  Exodus 12:5;  Hebrews 9:13; and their hair was manufactured into a thick cloth. Of this, one of the coverings of the tabernacle was made,  Exodus 25:4;  Exodus 26:7; and it was on this material that in all probability Paul was employed.  Acts 18:3. There is a Hebrew word also which occurs four times, rendered thrice "wild goats."  1 Samuel 24:2;  Job 39:1;  Psalms 104:18, and once "roe," R. V. "doe,"  Proverbs 5:19. This, there can be little doubt, is the ibex, which is specially formed for climbing, its forelegs being shorter than the hinder. The word translated "devils," R. V. "he-goats," in  Leviticus 17:7;  2 Chronicles 11:15, is one of the ordinary terms for a goat, signifying hairy. This animal is sometimes introduced in Scripture symbolically, as in  Daniel 8:5;  Daniel 8:21; comp.  Matthew 25:32-33.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A well-known animal, resembling the sheep, but covered with hair instead of wool. Large flocks of them were kept by the Jews,  Genesis 27:9   1 Samuel 25:2   2 Chronicles 17:11 . They were regarded as clean for sacrifice,  Exodus 12:5   Leviticus 3:12   Numbers 15:27; and their milk and the young kids were much used for food,  Deuteronomy 14:4   Judges 6:19   Proverbs 27:27   Luke 15:29 . The common leather bottles were made of their skins. Several kinds of goats were kept in Palestine: one kind having long hair, like the Angora, and another, long and broad ears. This kind is probably referred to in  Amos 3:12 , and is still the common goat of Palestine.

Herodotus says, that at Mendes, in Lower Egypt, both the male and female goat were worshipped. The heathen god Pan was represented with the face and thighs of a goat. The heathen paid divine honors also to real goats, as appears in the table of Isis. The abominations committed during the feast of these infamous deities cannot be told.

Wild Goats are mentioned in  1 Samuel 24:2   Job 39:1   Psalm 104:18 . This is doubtless the Ibex, or mountain goat, a large and vigorous animal still found in the mountains in the peninsula of Sinai, and east and south of the Dead Sea.

These goats are very similar to the bouquetin or chamois of the Alps. They feed in flocks of a score or two, wit one of their number acting as a sentinel. At the slightest alarm, they are gone in an instant, darting fearlessly over the rocks, and falling on their horns from a great height without injury. Their horns are two or three feet long, and are sold by the Arabs for knife-handles, etc. For Scapegoat , see Expiation .

Easton's Bible Dictionary

There are two Hebrew words used to denote the undomesticated goat:, Yael , Only in plural mountain goats (  1 Samuel 24:2;  Job 39:1; Ps.104:18). It is derived from a word meaning "to climb." It is the ibex, which abounded in the mountainous parts of Moab. And 'Akko , Only in   Deuteronomy 14:5 , the wild goat.

Goats are mentioned in the New Testament in  Matthew 25:32,33;  Hebrews 9:12,13,19;  10:4 . They represent oppressors and wicked men ( Ezekiel 34:17;  39:18;  Matthew 25:33 ).

Several varieties of the goat were familiar to the Hebrews. They had an important place in their rural economy on account of the milk they afforded and the excellency of the flesh of the kid. They formed an important part of pastoral wealth ( Genesis 31:10,12;32:14;;  1 Samuel 25:2 ).

Copyright Statement These dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton M.A., DD Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by Thomas Nelson, 1897. Public Domain.

Bibliography Information Easton, Matthew George. Entry for 'Goat'. Easton's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ebd/g/goat.html. 1897.

Morrish Bible Dictionary

The well-known animal, regarded as clean under the Levitical economy, and having a large place in the sacrifices. Goats formed an important item in the property of the patriarchs. In Daniel's prophecy of the kingdoms, that of Greece was comparedto a 'rough he goat,' but with a notable horn between his eyes.  Daniel 8:5,8,21 . The goats, in the sessional judgement of the living nations, represent the lost, in contrast to the saved, who are compared to sheep.   Matthew 25:32,33 . THE WILD GOATSwere larger animals and lived on the mountains.  1 Samuel 24:2;  Job 39:1;  Psalm 104:18 .

King James Dictionary

GOAT, n. An animal or quadruped of the genus Capra. The horns are hollow, turned upwards, erect and scabrous. Goats are nearly of the size of sheep, but stronger, less timid and more agile. They delight to frequent rocks and mountains, and subsist on scanty coarse food. The milk of the goat is sweet, nourishing and medicinal, and the flesh furnishes provisions to the inhabitants of countries where they abound.

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

GOAT. —See Animals, p. 63b.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

Copyright StatementThese files are public domain. Bibliography InformationMcClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Goat'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/g/goat.html. Harper & Brothers. New York. 1870.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

gōt  :

1. Names

The common generic word for "goat" is עז , ‛ēz (compare Arabic ‛anz , "she-goat"; αἴξ , aı́x ), used often for "she-goat" (  Genesis 15:9;  Numbers 15:27 ), also with גּדי , gedhı̄ , "kid," as עזּים , gedhı̄ ‛izzı̄m , "kid of the goats" ( Genesis 38:17 ), also with שעיר , sā‛ı̄r , "he-goat," as שעיר עזּים , se‛ı̄r ‛izzı̄m , "kid of the goats" or "he-goat," or translated simply "kids," as in  1 Kings 20:27 , "The children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of kids." Next, frequently used is שׂעיר , sā‛ı̄r , literally, "hairy" (compare Arabic sha‛r , "hair"; χήρ , chḗr , "hedgehog"; Latin hircus , "goat"; hirtus , "hairy"; also German Haar  ; English "hair"), like ‛ēz and ‛attūdh used of goats for offerings. The goat which is sent into the wilderness bearing the sins of the people is sā‛ı̄r (Lev 16:7-22). The same name is used of devils ( Leviticus 17:7;  2 Chronicles 11:15 , the Revised Version (British and American) "he-goats") and of satyrs ( Isaiah 13:21;  Isaiah 34:14 , the Revised Version, margin "he-goats," the American Standard Revised Version "wild goats"). Compare also שׂעירת עזּים , se‛ı̄rath ‛izzı̄m , "a female from the flock" ( Leviticus 4:28;  Leviticus 5:6 ). The male or leader of the flock is עתּוּד , ‛attūdh  ; Arabic ‛atûd , "yearling he-goat"; figuratively "chief ones" (  Isaiah 14:9; compare  Jeremiah 50:8 ). A later word for "he-goat," used also figuratively , is צפיר , cāphı̄r ( 2 Chronicles 29:21;  Ezra 8:35;  Daniel 8:5 ,  Daniel 8:8 ,  Daniel 8:21 ). In  Proverbs 30:31 , one of the four things "which are stately in going" is the he-goat, תּיש , tayish (Arabic tais , "he-goat"), also mentioned in  Genesis 30:35;  Genesis 32:14 among the possessions of Laban and Jacob, and in   2 Chronicles 17:11 among the animals given as tribute by the Arabians to Jehoshaphat. In   Hebrews 9:12 ,  Hebrews 9:13 ,  Hebrews 9:19;  Hebrews 10:4 , we have τράγος , trágos , the ordinary Greek word for "goat"; in  Matthew 25:32 ,  Matthew 25:33 , ἔριφος , ériphos , and its diminutive ἐρίφιον , erı́phion  ; in  Hebrews 11:37 δέρμα αἴγειον , dérma aı́geion , "goatskin," from aix (see supra ). "Kid" is גּדי , gedhı̄ (compare En-gedi ( 1 Samuel 23:29 ), etc.), feminine גּדיּה , gedhı̄yāh ( Song of Solomon 1:8 ), but also ‛ēz , gedhı̄ ‛izzı̄m , se‛ı̄r ‛izzı̄m , se‛ı̄rath ‛izzı̄m , benē ‛izzı̄m , and ériphos ̌ . There remain יעל , yā‛ēl ( 1 Samuel 24:2;  Job 39:1;  Psalm 104:18 ), English Versions of the Bible "wild goat"; יעלה , ya‛ălāh ( Proverbs 5:19 ), the King James Version "roe," the Revised Version (British and American) "doe"; אקּו , 'aḳḳō ( Deuteronomy 14:5 ), English Versions of the Bible "wild goat"; and זמר , zemer ( Deuteronomy 14:5 ), English Versions of the Bible "chamois."

2. Wild Goats

The original of our domestic goats is believed to be the Persian wild goat or pasang, Capra aegagrus , which inhabits some of the Greek islands, Asia Minor, Syria, Mesopotamia, Persia, Afghanistan, and Northwestern India. It is called wa‛l (compare Hebrew yā‛ēl ) by the Arabs, who in the North apply the same name to its near relative, the Sinaitic ibex, Capra beden . The last, doubtless the "wild goat" ( yā‛ēl ) of the Bible, inhabits Southern Palestine, Arabia, Sinai, and Eastern Egypt, and within its range is uniformly called beden by the Arabs. It is thought by the writer that the "chamois" ( zemer ) of   Deuteronomy 14:5 may be the Persian wild goat. The word occurs only in this passage in the list of clean animals. See Chamois; Deer; Zoology . Wild goats are found only in Southern Europe, Southwestern Asia, and Northeastern Africa. They include the well-known, but now nearly extinct, Alpine ibex, steinbok, or bouquetin, the markhor, and the Himalayan ibex, which has enormous horns. The so-called Rocky Mountain goat is not properly a goat, but is an animal intermediate between goats and antelopes.

3. Domestic Goats

Domestic goats differ greatly among themselves in the color and length of their hair, in the size and shape of their ears, and in the size and shape of their horns, which are usually larger in the males, but in some breeds may be absent in both sexes. A very constant feature in both wild and domestic goats is the bearded chin of the male. The goats of Palestine and Syria are usually black ( Song of Solomon 4:1 ), though sometimes partly or entirely white or brown. Their hair is usually long, hanging down from their bodies. The horns are commonly curved outward and backward, but in one very handsome breed they extend nearly outward with slight but graceful curves, sometimes attaining a span of 2 ft. or more in the old males. The profile of the face is distinctly convex. They are herded in the largest numbers in the mountainous or hilly districts, and vie with their wild congeners in climbing into apparently impossible places. They feed not only on herbs, but also on shrubs and small trees, to which they are most destructive. They are largely responsible for the deforested condition of Judea and Lebanon. They reach up the trees to the height of a man, holding themselves nearly or quite erect, and even walk out on low branches.

4. Economy

Apart from the ancient use in sacrifice, which still survives among Moslems, goats are most valuable animals. Their flesh is eaten, and may be had when neither mutton nor beef can be found. Their milk is drunk and made into cheese and semn , a sort of clarified butter much used in cooking. Their hair is woven into tents (  Song of Solomon 1:5 ), carpets, cloaks, sacks, slings, and various camel, horse and mule trappings. Their skins are made into bottles ( nō'dh  ; Greek askós  ; Arabic ḳirbeh ) for water, oil, semn, and other liquids (compare also  Hebrews 11:37 ).

5. Religious and Figurative

Just as the kid was often slaughtered for an honored guest ( Judges 6:19;  Judges 13:19 ), so the kid or goat was frequently taken for sacrifice ( Leviticus 4:23;  Leviticus 9:15;  Leviticus 16:7;  Numbers 15:24;  Ezra 8:35;  Ezekiel 45:23;  Hebrews 9:12 ). A goat was one of the clean animals ( sēh ‛izzı̄m ,  Deuteronomy 14:4 ). In Daniel, the powerful king out of the West is typified as a goat with a single horn ( Daniel 8:5 ). One of the older goats is the leader of the flock. In some parts of the country the goatherd makes different ones leaders by turns, the leader being trained to keep near the goat-herd and not to eat so long as he wears the bell. In  Isaiah 14:9 , ".... stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth," the word translated "chief ones" is ‛attūdh , "he-goat." Again, in  Jeremiah 50:8 , we have "Go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he-goats before the flocks." In  Matthew 25:32 , in the scene of the last judgment, we find "He shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats." It is not infrequent to find a flock including both goats and sheep grazing over the mountains, but they are usually folded separately.