Lexical Summary tsaphir: male, goat, male goat Original Word: צָפִיר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance he goat From tsaphar; a male goat (as prancing) -- (he) goat. see HEBREW tsaphar NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition male goat NASB Translation goat (1), male (2), male goat (1), male goats (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs צָפִיר noun masculine he-goat (late); — absolute ׳צ Daniel 8:5,21; construct צְפִיר הָעִזִּים Daniel 8:5; Daniel 8:8 (all in vision, symbolic of Alexander); plural construct (literal) צְפִירֵי עִזִּים2Chronicles 29:21, צְפִירֵי חַטָאת Ezra 8:35 he-goats for a sin-offering. Topical Lexicon Meaning and Scope צָפִיר designates a mature male goat. In Scripture it appears in sacrificial narratives that stress substitutionary atonement and in Daniel’s apocalyptic vision, where the animal becomes a graphic emblem of a world empire. Cultic and Sacrificial Use 1. 2 Chronicles 29:21 documents Hezekiah’s temple re-consecration: “They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering for the kingdom…”. The צָפִיר underscores both the seriousness of Judah’s guilt and the sufficiency of God’s provision; seven he-goats signify completeness in the removal of sin. Sacrificial male goats functioned as sin offerings (Leviticus 4:23–24 uses a different noun but the same concept). Their blood was applied to the altar, teaching that without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22). The recurring use of goats rather than lambs for sin offerings hints at the stubbornness of sin—an image later inverted when the spotless Lamb of God supremely removes guilt once for all (John 1:29). Symbolic and Prophetic Use Daniel 8 employs צָפִיר three times (verses 5, 8, 21). The male goat’s rapid, ground-skimming advance pictures the swift conquests of Alexander the Great. The single, conspicuous horn snapping off and being replaced by four horns forecasts the partition of his empire among four generals. These precise fulfillments confirm the reliability of predictive prophecy and the sovereignty of God over history. The text also anticipates the rise of a later “little horn,” encouraging believers to persevere, confident that God will ultimately judge every proud kingdom. Theological Trajectory to Christ While the Passover lamb is the dominant messianic figure, the sin-offering goat points to Jesus in a complementary way: Ministry Implications • Preaching: Daniel’s goat encourages expository sermons that highlight fulfilled prophecy, reinforcing trust in Scripture’s inerrancy. Related Biblical Imagery • Scapegoat (Leviticus 16) bears away sin—another goat motif emphasizing removal as well as propitiation. By tracing צָפִיר through liturgy, prophecy, and fulfillment in Christ, the believer sees a unified redemptive thread: sin must be judged, God Himself provides the substitute, history unfolds under divine decree, and the ultimate atonement is accomplished in Jesus Messiah. Forms and Transliterations וְהַ֨צָּפִ֔יר וְהַצָּפִ֥יר וּצְפִ֥יר וּצְפִירֵ֨י והצפיר וצפיר וצפירי צְפִירֵ֥י צְפִיר־ צפיר־ צפירי ṣə·p̄î·rê ṣə·p̄îr- ṣəp̄îr- ṣəp̄îrê tzefir tzefiRei ū·ṣə·p̄î·rê ū·ṣə·p̄îr ūṣəp̄îr ūṣəp̄îrê utzeFir utzefiRei veHatztzaFir wə·haṣ·ṣā·p̄îr wəhaṣṣāp̄îrLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 2 Chronicles 29:21 HEB: וּכְבָשִׂ֣ים שִׁבְעָ֗ה וּצְפִירֵ֨י עִזִּ֤ים שִׁבְעָה֙ NAS: and seven male goats KJV: and seven he goats, INT: lambs seven male goats and seven Ezra 8:35 Daniel 8:5 Daniel 8:5 Daniel 8:8 Daniel 8:21 6 Occurrences |
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