Topical Bible: The Goat: The Young of Considered a Delicacy

◄ The Goat: The Young of Considered a Delicacy ►

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In biblical times, the goat held significant economic and cultural value among the Israelites and neighboring peoples. The young goat, in particular, was esteemed as a delicacy, often featured in meals of special significance and hospitality.

Biblical References and Cultural Context

The consumption of young goats is mentioned in several biblical narratives, highlighting their role in ancient Near Eastern cuisine. In Genesis 27:9, Rebekah instructs Jacob to fetch two young goats so she can prepare a savory dish for Isaac, illustrating the use of young goats in preparing meals intended to please and honor. The Berean Standard Bible states: "Go to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can make them into a delicious meal for your father, the kind he loves."

Similarly, in Judges 6:19, Gideon prepares a young goat as part of an offering to the Angel of the LORD, signifying its value in both culinary and religious contexts. The BSB records: "So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. He placed the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, and he brought them out and offered them to Him under the oak."

Symbolism and Significance

The young goat also appears in parables and teachings of Jesus, symbolizing hospitality and celebration. In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the elder son expresses his frustration to his father, saying, "Look, all these years I have served you and never disobeyed a commandment of yours. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends" (Luke 15:29). This reference underscores the young goat's association with festivity and communal joy.

Dietary Laws and Practices

While young goats were considered a delicacy, the Israelites were bound by dietary laws that governed their preparation and consumption. Exodus 23:19 commands, "You must not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk," a prohibition repeated in Exodus 34:26 and Deuteronomy 14:21. This commandment reflects a broader principle of separation and holiness in Israelite dietary customs, emphasizing the sanctity of life and the avoidance of pagan practices.

Economic and Pastoral Importance

Beyond their culinary appeal, goats were integral to the pastoral economy of ancient Israel. They provided milk, meat, and hides, and their adaptability to arid environments made them a reliable resource for sustenance and trade. The young goat, as a symbol of wealth and provision, often featured in sacrificial offerings and covenantal meals, underscoring its multifaceted role in biblical society.

In summary, the young goat was more than just a source of nourishment; it was a symbol of hospitality, celebration, and religious observance, deeply woven into the fabric of biblical life and law.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 27:9
Go now to the flock, and fetch me from there two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for your father, such as he loves:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Judges 6:19
And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out to him under the oak, and presented it.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Iranian Conquest
... and transfer the crown to the young prince: his ... with him," and one sees that he
considered Medes and ... [Illustration: 056a.jpg COIN BEARING HEAD OF MOUFLON GOAT]. ...
/.../chapter ithe iranian conquest.htm

The Nile and Egypt
... time of the Pharaohs, was the solemn casting to the waters of a young girl decked ...
irruption of the river into the bosom of the land was still considered as an ...
/.../chapter i the nile and egypt.htm

The Temples and the Gods of Chaldaea
... flattened skull protruded the horns of a goat: the entire ... indicate that at the outset
he was considered to be ... The earth was united to the young sun with every ...
/.../chapter iithe temples and the.htm

Ancient Chaldaea
... Olivier is considered, indeed, to have discovered wild cereals in ... the dog"namely,
the ass, ox, goat, and sheep ... All the young men of Uruk, the well-protected ...
/.../chapter iancient chaldaea.htm

the Legendary History of Egypt
... There she gave birth to the young Horus, nursed ... loaf from the bread offerings was
considered as abominable ... germ, and with refinements of delicacy often lacking ...
/.../chapter iii -the legendary history of.htm

The Reaction against Egypt
... him"such as a lion, a stag, or wild goat. ... prove that the Ramses family was, and
considered itself to ... execution of bas-reliefs of great delicacy, perhaps the ...
/.../chapter iithe reaction against egypt.htm

The Last Days of the Old Eastern World
... regular tribute, but were obliged to send annually two chaenikes of pure gold, two
hundred pieces of ebony, twenty elephants' tusks, and five young slaves, all ...
/.../chapter iithe last days of 2.htm

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
... domestic use, such as the ass, buffalo, sheep, goat, dog, and ... use such of these works
as they considered worthy of ... i.1). He must have been quite young in the ...
/.../chapter iiithe medes and the.htm

The First Chaldaean Empire and the Hyksos in Egypt
... They were merely the priestly representatives or administrators of Babel"shakannaku
Babili"and their authority was not considered legitimate until ...
/.../chapter ithe first chaldaean empire.htm