"Scapegoat" or "Goat for Azazel"

I think traditionally the "scapegoat" was driven off into the wilderness and forced off a cliff. It was the "sin offering" that carried the sins of the people away. It may have been even an appeasement of sorts so that the demons who lived in the deserts would not attack the people.

Azaz'el, according to Enochic tradition, is essentially Satan, the fallen angel who rebelled against God and dwelt yet under the earth.

The confusing thing is that it would seem unlikely for Moses to speak about sending the goat out as an appeasement for the desert demons. So no one is really sure wht it is sent out "for Azaz'el".

 

H5799
עזאזל
‛ăzâ'zêl
az-aw-zale'
From H5795 and H235; goat of departure; the scapegoat: - scapegoat.

The HCSB transliterates, the KJV1679 translates.
What is the problem?

 

RSR,

You're right. I should have said the traditional interpretation.

 

Ed,

The "problem" is that Azazel is not a word for goat. If it was a goat then why not use "sha'ir" or one of the many other words for goat? I cannot remember the rest right now!

And the book of Enoch speaks of Azazel and Shamhazai rebelling against God and coming to earth. Shamhazai repented and was punished but Azazel remained on earth, propagating evil.

It seems strange that Azazel would be used if the implication was just sending out a goat.

 

I know no Hebrew. I depend upon STRONG's (electronic,
of course through e-Sword)

Lev 16:8 (KJV1769):
And Aaron175 shall cast5414 lots1486 upon5921 the two8147 goats;8163 one259 lot1486 for the LORD,3068 and the other259 lot1486 for the scapegoat.5799

click on 5799 and we find:

H5799
עזאזל
‛ăzâ'zêl
az-aw-zale'
From H5795 and H235; goat of departure; the scapegoat: - scapegoat.


you tell me what that means?
I'm just a layman who doesn't do Hebrew.
(but i can cut and paste )

 

Tee Hee, this is more fun than i thought

Leuiticus XVI.8 (KJV1611 first reading)
/bolding is ed's, italics are the KJV translators/:

And Aaron shall cast lottes vpon
the two Goates: one lot for the
LORD, and the other lot for the
+Scape Goat.

Margin note: + Hebr. Azazel.

1. I note that the KJV1611 says "Scape goat" and the
KJV1769 says "scapegoat"

Leuiticus XVI.8 (KJV1611 second reading)

And Aaron shall cast lottes vpon
the two Goates: one lot for the
LORD, and the other lot for the
Azazel Goat.

Strange things happen to KJVOs when they don't bother
to read the King James Version translator notes.

 

From the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament:

Strongs #1593 עֲזָאזֵל Azazel. (ASV and RSV use “Azazel,” but the former allows for the translation “removal” in the margin.)

This word appears four times in the ot, all in Lev 16 (8, 10, 26) where the ritual for the Day of Atonement is described. After the priest has made atonement for himself and his house, he is to take two goats on behalf of Israel. One is to be a sacrifice to the Lord, the other is to be the “scape goat,” i.e. the goat for Azazel. In all four appearances of this word, it has the preposition “to” attached to it.

This word has been variously understood and translated. The versions (LXX, Symmachus, Theodotian and the Vulgate) have understood it to stand for the “goat that departs,” considering it to be derived from two Hebrew words: ['ez] “goat” and ['azal] “turn off.”

By associating it with the Arabic word ['azala] “banish,” “remove,” it has been rendered “for entire removal” (IDB loc. cit.).

The rabbinic interpretation has generally considered this word to designate the place to which the goat was sent: a desert, a solitary place, or the height from which the goat was thrown (cf. Lev 16:22).

The final possibility is to regard this word as designating a personal being so as to balance the word “Lord.” In this way Azazel could be an evil spirit (Enoch 8:1; 10:4; cf. II Chr 11:15; Isa 34:14; Rev 18:2) or even the devil himself (KD loc. cit.), standing logically in antithesis to Lord. However the Enoch references to Azazel as a demon are doubtless dependent on the author’s own interpretation of Lev 16 and Gen 6:4. Some who adopt this demon reference of Lev 16 also consider the passage to be of late authorship (P document).

The actual use and meaning of this word in Lev 16 is at best uncertain. However, regardless of its precise meaning, the significant dimension is the removal of the sins of the nation by the imposition of them on the goat. In this passage sin seems to be hypostatized and therefore readily transferrable to the goat. Indeed vss 21 and 22 state that this goat is to bear away the sin of the people. Such a ritual would illustrate vividly the physical removal of defilement from the camp to a solitary place where it would no longer infest the nation.

Harris, R. L., Harris, R. L., Archer, G. L., & Waltke, B. K. (1999, c1980). Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed.) (Page 657). Chicago: Moody Press.

Rob

 

Rob,

Good article! Anything with Waltke's name on it is good by me! The ez (that's the other goat word I was thinking of!) ann azal makes good sense. Although it is possible that the Enoch tradition (not the book) is older than the writing of the Pentateuch, since it appears that Moses used some other extant material (Gen 6, Gen 14) when he penned the Torah.

 

Actually, the Book of Enoch is of much-more recent authorship than was the life of Enoch mentioned in Genesis. the book mentions a year of 365 1/4 days' duration, a length NOT known till the late 700s BC.

The year at one time was indeed only 360 days long, & the months were almost exactly 30 days each. And no, it wasn't because the ancients couldn't count nor properly observe sunrises, sunsets, and moon phases. If theur count had been off by 5 1/4 days a year, it would take just 5 years for the farmers to begin their planting a month early, etc. And the 360-day year was observed all over earth by peoples who didn't know of each others' existence.

The system began to unravel with the great earthquake mentioned by Amos, about 760 BC, culminating with the sun's reversing its course for Hezekiah.

The early Romans, as well as many other peoples, used a ten-month system for awhile, and the present names of the last 4 months reflect this. After further cosmic upheaval, we were back to 12 months, with the current length of the year discovered. Many ancient calendars still in use, including the Jewish one, add "intercalary days" to reflect those changes in the actual cycle of the objects in the sky.

In Enoch's day, the 12-month, 360-day calendar was the standard, according to all ancient literature still extant which mentions the calendar.

 

The same argument
can be used AGAINST the KJV. 'Baptism' is a
transliteration of the Greek 'baptismo'. The
English translation of 'baptistm' is 'immersion'.

 

Robycop,

"Actually, the Book of Enoch is of much-more recent authorship than was the life of Enoch mentioned in Genesis. the book mentions a year of 365 1/4 days' duration, a length NOT known till the late 700s BC."

Very true. The sections of the book of Enoch (it was certainly written in parts) date to about 300 BC to 0 AD. But the Enochic tradition is certainly older, preserving some patterns of thought from the first temple period.

Perhaps Waltke is right in that the name Azazel simply derives from a goat that was sent away, only later being applied, in name, to the idea of a fallen angel (Satan) living beneath the earth. I'll have to look and see if any of this part of Leviticus was preserved in the Qumran targums.

 

It is/was often done when the meaning is uncertain. Many of these transliterations have been incorporated into the English language (Old Testament examples include Behemoth, Levithian, Hallelujah, Alleluia; NT examples include Christ, Messiah, martyr, devil (Diabolos), Evangelism and many, many more).

One of the interesting aspects of the history of translation is how often these words develop their own meaning separate from their Biblical tradition. They may mean more today than they meant when originally written so a study of the history of the word (how and where it was used in it's historical context) would be important.

Rob

 

It seems clear that "azazel" does not mean "goat". Perhaps, as Waltke suggested (in Rob's post), it was initially just "ez azal", the goat having been sent out - with later tradition identifying this name with the demons that were said (in earlier tradition) to inhabit the wastelands.