Lexical Summary gezerah: solitary Original Word: גְּזֵרָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance not inhabited From gazar; a desert (as separated) -- not inhabited. see HEBREW gazar NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom gazar Definition separation NASB Translation solitary (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs גְּזֵרָה noun feminine separation — אֶלאֶֿרֶץ גְּזֵרָ֑ה Leviticus 16:22 (P) unto a land of separation, of the goat for Azazel; solitary land RV; 'cut off,' i.e. whence it would not readily find its ways back VB. Topical Lexicon Root Imagery and Meaning גְּזֵרָה evokes the idea of something decisively “cut off” or “separated.” The parent verb “to cut” (gazar) underlies both judicial decrees and physical severance, linking the concept of an irrevocable decision with literal removal. Old Testament Occurrence Leviticus 16:22 contains the single biblical use: “The goat will carry on itself all their iniquities into a solitary place”. The phrase “solitary place” translates גְּזֵרָה, picturing a region entirely cut off from habitation. Day of Atonement Context Within the Yom Kippur liturgy, two goats stood before the Lord: one for sacrifice, the other for release. The live goat, bearing the confessed sins of Israel, was led to “a land of separation.” By placing guilt upon a creature that is then removed to a gezerah-land, the ritual dramatized both forgiveness (sin transferred) and cleansing (sin dismissed). The separation was total; no Israelite would pursue the goat or inhabit that region, underscoring divine assurance that “as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). Theological Significance 1. Finality of Divine Decision: גְּזֵרָה reflects God’s settled verdict regarding sin’s removal. What He cuts off cannot return unless He wills it. Historical and Cultural Background Second–Temple sources describe escorts guiding the goat across the Judean wilderness until cliffs or ravines guaranteed permanent removal. While later tradition added practices not recorded in Leviticus (such as pushing the goat over a precipice), the biblical text preserves the simpler aim: distance so great that return was impossible. The vocabulary choice hints that even in Moses’ day the landscape selected was notably inhospitable. Ministry Applications • Assurance of Cleansing: Believers may rest in God’s decisive act; confessed sin is not on probation but carried to a cut-off place. Related Concepts Cutting of Covenants (Genesis 15:18) Divine Decrees (Job 22:28) Exile and Restoration (Micah 4:10; Revelation 21:27) Summary גְּזֵרָה, though appearing only once, encapsulates the gospel pattern: God pronounces a decisive verdict, effects a real separation of sin from His people, and thereby secures their fellowship with Him. Forms and Transliterations גְּזֵרָ֑ה גזרה gə·zê·rāh gezeRah gəzêrāhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Leviticus 16:22 HEB: אֶל־ אֶ֣רֶץ גְּזֵרָ֑ה וְשִׁלַּ֥ח אֶת־ NAS: their iniquities to a solitary land; KJV: unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go INT: about A land to a solitary shall release the goat 1 Occurrence |
    |