Lexical Summary ez: goats Original Word: עֵז Strong's Exhaustive Concordance goat (Aramaic) corresponding to ez -- goat. see HEBREW ez NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origin(Aramaic) corresponding to ez Definition female goat NASB Translation goats (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [עֵז] noun [feminine] (she-)goat; — plural עִזִּין Ezra 6:17. Topical Lexicon Meaning in Everyday Life of Ancient Israel While the term appears only once in Scripture, the animal it names—the goat—was woven deeply into the agrarian economy of Israel and Judah. Goats supplied milk, meat, hair, leather, and even manure for fuel. The animal’s hardiness in rocky terrain made it common in the Judean hill country. Because goats were so familiar, the Lord could employ them freely in parables and prophetic images (for example, Matthew 25:32-33), trusting that every listener would grasp the lessons drawn from a creature they knew firsthand. The Singular Occurrence (Ezra 6:17) “At the dedication of this house of God, they offered one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and twelve male goats as a sin offering for all Israel, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.” The exiles had returned from Babylon, completed the Second Temple, and sought to consecrate it. The listing of “male goats” (עֵז 5796) alongside bulls, rams, and lambs follows Mosaic precedent: goats were the required animal for the purification (ḥaṭṭāʾt) offering on behalf of the community (Leviticus 4:14, 4:24). By offering twelve goats—one per tribe—the remnant affirmed that the restored house of worship was for all Israel, not merely for Judahites living in Jerusalem. The precise obedience to Torah prescriptions underlines their conviction that God’s favor must be sought on His terms, not theirs. Sacrificial and Redemptive Significance 1. Sin Offering. Goats first appear as sin offerings in Leviticus 4. Ezra’s generation took up the same pattern, signaling continuity with the covenant God gave through Moses. Prophetic and Typological Threads • Scapegoat imagery foreshadows the Messiah bearing sin outside the camp (Hebrews 13:11-13). Historical Echoes in Second Temple Worship The Second Temple dedication mirrored Solomon’s earlier celebration (1 Kings 8:62-63) but on a smaller scale, illustrating both continuity and humility. The inclusion of goats highlights the returning exiles’ understanding that the foremost need was cleansing from sin. Only after atonement could the community expect the divine presence to dwell among them (Haggai 2:7-9). Lessons for Contemporary Ministry • Priority of Purity. Any work for God—whether church planting, building expansion, or ministry launch—requires heart-level cleansing before public celebration. Summary Strong’s Hebrew 5796 marks a single word, yet its lone appearance at a pivotal moment in redemptive history gathers up centuries of sacrificial theology. From Sinai to the Second Temple—and ultimately to Calvary—the goat stands as a vivid reminder that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22). Forms and Transliterations עִזִּ֜ין עזין ‘iz·zîn ‘izzîn izZinLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Ezra 6:17 HEB: מְאָ֑ה וּצְפִירֵ֨י עִזִּ֜ין [לְחַטָּיָא כ] NAS: male goats, corresponding to the number KJV: he goats, according to the number INT: hundred male goats sin for 1 Occurrence |
    |