Topical Bible: Goat: Numerous

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In the biblical context, goats hold significant symbolic and practical roles throughout the Scriptures. They are frequently mentioned in various contexts, including sacrificial practices, pastoral life, and metaphorical teachings.

Sacrificial Use:

Goats were commonly used in sacrificial offerings as prescribed in the Mosaic Law. In Leviticus 16, during the Day of Atonement, two goats were used: one for a sin offering and the other as the scapegoat. The scapegoat, upon which the sins of the people were symbolically placed, was sent into the wilderness, signifying the removal of sin. Leviticus 16:10 states, "But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat."

Pastoral Life:

Goats were integral to the agrarian lifestyle of the Israelites. They provided milk, meat, and hair for clothing. In Genesis 30:32-35, Jacob's agreement with Laban to separate the speckled and spotted goats from the flock demonstrates their economic importance. Goats were also part of the wealth of the patriarchs, as seen in Genesis 32:14 , where Jacob sends "two hundred female goats and twenty male goats" as a gift to Esau.

Symbolism and Metaphor:

In biblical literature, goats often symbolize sin and separation from God. In Matthew 25:32-33 , Jesus uses the imagery of sheep and goats to describe the final judgment: "All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left." Here, goats represent those who are not righteous and are separated from the faithful.

Prophetic and Poetic References:

Goats are also mentioned in prophetic and poetic passages. In Daniel 8, the vision of the ram and the goat symbolizes the conflict between the Medo-Persian Empire and the Greek Empire, with the goat representing Greece. Daniel 8:21 clarifies, "The shaggy goat represents the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king."

Cultural and Religious Practices:

In ancient Near Eastern cultures, goats were often associated with fertility and vitality. This cultural backdrop provides context for understanding the biblical references to goats. The Israelites, however, were instructed to avoid pagan practices involving goats, as seen in Leviticus 17:7 : "They must no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat demons to which they have prostituted themselves. This will be a permanent statute for them for the generations to come."

Conclusion:

Throughout the Bible, goats serve as a multifaceted symbol, representing both practical aspects of daily life and deeper spiritual truths. Their presence in sacrificial rites, pastoral settings, and metaphorical teachings underscores their importance in the biblical narrative.

Nave's Topical Index

Deuteronomy 32:14
Butter of cows, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and you did drink the pure blood of the grape.
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Songs 4:1
Behold, you are fair, my love; behold, you are fair; you have doves' eyes within your locks: your hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.
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Songs 6:5
Turn away your eyes from me, for they have overcome me: your hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.
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1 Samuel 25:2
And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
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2 Chronicles 17:11
Also some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents, and tribute silver; and the Arabians brought him flocks, seven thousand and seven hundred rams, and seven thousand and seven hundred he goats.
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Library

Preaching the Gospel, Healing the Sick
... The leader of the party is frequently our old friend, Goat's Mother, the members
of her clan being numerous and of an inquisitive nature. ...
/.../the fulfilment of a dream of pastor hsis/chapter xxii preaching the gospel.htm

How Abram Fought with the Assyrians, and Overcame Them, and Saved ...
... that he should have a son, and that his posterity should be very numerous; insomuch
that ... this:"He took an heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 10 how abram fought.htm

Chapter xv
... Abram cannot as a spiritual man have thought of this seed only as numerous descendants;
for ... Take me a three year old heifer, a three year old she-goat, a three ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xv.htm

Leviticus
... 1 Samuel 30:25); and traces of growth are numerous, notably in the differences between ...
community shall offer the same, a ruler shall offer a he-goat, one of ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/leviticus.htm

Argument: Octavius Attests the Fact that Men were Adopted as Gods ...
... His nurse is a she-goat, and as an infant he is taken away from ... further the multitude
of Jupiters, the monstrous appearances of Jupiter are as numerous as his ...
/.../the octavius of minucius felix/chapter xxi argument octavius attests the.htm

His Unconscious Preparation for his Work
... His father was one of those numerous Jews who were scattered in that age over ... was
the commonest one in Tarsus"the making of tents from the goat's-hair cloth ...
/.../stalker/the life of st paul/chapter ii his unconscious preparation.htm

The Exile --Continued.
... of, but the points of correspondence with the earlier date are too numerous to make ...
as he lurked among the rugged cliffs by "the fountain of the wild goat.". ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/the life of david/vii the exilecontinued.htm

The Procession of Sorrow
... representation in wood of our guilt and doom"we see the great Scape-goat led away ...
So numerous has the family of man now become, that there is a death every ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 9 1863/the procession of sorrow.htm

Apion Book 2 Footnotes
... by the many revelations he had received from God, and the numerous miracles God
had enabled him ... to swear by an oak, by a goat, and by a dog, as also by a gander ...
//christianbookshelf.org/josephus/against apion/apion book 2 footnotes.htm

Translated from the Greek.
... man, and the successive descendants of the first men until they became numerous;
and other ... contained in the legislation, let us observe that the goat-stag is ...
/.../origen/origen de principiis/translated from the greek.htm