GOAT. Six Heb. words for goat are tr. fairly uniformly in all Eng. VSS. The figures in brackets are all KJV (עֵז, H6436, [fem.], goat [55] she-goat [5]); this is the basic word for goat generally used in nonsacrificial contexts; also used for sacrificial animals, esp. sin offering, where it cannot be differentiated from שָׂעִיר֮, H8538; hence בְנֵֽי־עִזִּימ׃֮, kids of the flock [1]; עַתּוּד, H6966, he-goat [18], goat [18], ram [2]; hence by derivation, “chief one” KJV, “leader” RSV, Isaiah 14:9; used most often for the peace offerings made by the various families after the completion of the Tabernacle; most other passages are also sacrificial, with few lit. and fig. שָׂעִיר֮, H8538, goat [23] he-goat [1] kid [30] also devil [2] and satyr [2]; with the single exception of the first occurrence [Gen 37:31, a goat killed to provide blood for putting on Joseph’s robe] this is used only for the sin offering and scapegoat; גְּדִי, H1531, [male], gediyyāh [fem.], kid [10], hence גְּדָיֵ֥י עִזִּ֖ים [7]; except for Isaiah 11:6, “leopard shall lie down with the kid,” all are literal and only one is sacrificial—a special burnt offering [Judg 13:19]; prob. used only for kids of up to a few months, otherwise too young for standard sacrifices; תַּ֫יִשׁ, H9411, he-goat [4], three in lit. contexts, and likely to be a nickname; צָפִיר, H7618, goat [2], he-goat [1], hence צְפִיר־הָֽעִזִּימ׃֙, he-goat [4], a late word, prob. Aram., three times for sin offering and four times symbolic [Dan 8]; ἐρίφιον, G2252, young kid, goat [1]; ἔριφος, G2253, kid, goat [1], kid [1]; τράγος, G5543, (masc.), goat [4]; these occur too rarely to show usage but trágos is found only in Hebrews 9 and 10, referring to sāîr, the sin offering; two general terms are also used for small cattle, i.e. sheep and goats, mixed or separate, צֹאן, H7366, a collective term for the group; שֶׂה, H8445, a member of such a group, almost always sing. (See Sheep for more detailed discussion.) עֵ֫דֶר֒, H6373, tr. flock, drove or herd, used mostly of sheep, but occasionally of goats, e.g. Song of Solomon 4:1, “like a flock of goats.” The sexes are properly called he-goat and she-goat, but billy [-goat] and nanny [-goat] are much used. The young are known only as kid.

1. Origin and domestication. Many authorities consider the goat was the first domesticated ruminant. The main wild ancestor is still alive—the Bezoar, or Cretan Wild Goat (Capra aegagrus), which is reddish-brown in summer and gray-brown in winter. Its overall range is from India to Crete, but its numbers have been much reduced; it has disappeared from many areas, and elsewhere is very rare. A few remain in the mountain parts of Crete and an island of the Cyclades. Other wild goats from farther E have contributed to the stock, but the position is complicated. (See Zeuner, ch. 6.) All are hill animals and very sure-footed; they are browsers as much as grazers. Two factors add to the problem of dating: first, for some time the tame form did not differ markedly from the wild. Second, in many cases even experts cannot distinguish some bones of sheep and goats.

The earliest accepted evidence for domestication is from the Neolithic pre-pottery levels of Jericho, with carbon dating of 6,000-7,000 b.c. The remains of some horns show damage suggestive of close confinement. Material from N Iran is of similar age, prob. indicating an earlier origin from which both areas were supplied. Among the early goats, two types are recognized—with corkscrew and with scimitar horns. Gradually the variety increased in size, proportions, color and hair type; but the wide range of breeds now seen, esp. in Europe, is of modern origin. These show a wide range of colors, including black, white and parti-colored. The only Biblical mention of color is the spotted and speckled goats of Genesis 30. Ancient Egyp. art illustrates all these.

2. Uses. The goat was first kept for its milk. The meat was eaten, normally, of young only, e.g., Judges 6:19, “Gideon...prepared a kid,” the standard meal for a stranger arriving unexpectedly. Later, the kid was less highly rated. Luke 15:29ff. compares it unfavorably with the fatted calf. Goatskins became the standard material for water bottles in countries of limited rainfall, and the hair was spun and woven into cloth. It seems that the sheep was tamed fairly soon after the goat (see Sheep). Sheep began to replace goats in the areas where it could thrive, i.e. the less hilly places with better grazing, largely because it yielded much better meat, with ample fat, and wool instead of rather coarse hair. The goat was still valued as a milk-producer, but when the domestic cow became available, the goat was more and more confined to the rougher and drier areas. By the time of the patriarchs. sheep and cattle prob. greatly outnumbered goats. Milk is mentioned forty-two times in the OT; only four are specifically goats’ milk, three of which refer to the prohibition against seething (boiling) a kid in its mother’s milk (Exod 23:19, etc).

3. Damage to vegetation. Second to man, and with man’s help, goats have been the most important land-destroyers in history (see Fauna). In Mediterranean lands, they climb trees and destroy them by eating twigs and leaves. This is illustrated in ancient art. The goat is hardy, and if allowed to escape it can quickly establish itself and develop a feral race. The damage to vegetation continues, sometimes until the habitat is destroyed and, if it is an island, goats die of starvation.

4. Place in Biblical narrative. Numerous references in OT and NT show that the goat was important to the Hebrews, though the range of names and total numbers are far below the sheep and cattle. Goats are spoken of only once in thousands. “The Arabs also brought...seven thousand seven hundred he-goats” (2 Chron 17:11). In most W countries, the problem of dividing sheep from goats (Matt 25:32f.) would never arise, for flocks are unlikely to mix and the two species are not easily confused. This is not so, however, in many lands around Pal., where they often run together and native breeds may be alike in size, color, and shape. The usually up-turned goat tail may be the only obvious difference. Apart from one symbolic passage (Dan 8), the goat seems to have no fig. significance, but some seventy percent of the occurrences refer to animals for sacrifice. This would seem to have been its main importance to the Hebrews (see above). In addition, goats’ hair was the material woven by Heb. women to cover the Tabernacle (Exod 26:7), and it is still used in tentmaking by the Bedouin. The context of scarlet, fine linen, etc. may imply superior quality cloth, perhaps comparable to cashmere from the Kashmir goat today. It is likely that long-haired races from farther E had become established by this time. In general, little can be inferred from the context about the natural history or habits of the goat.

Bibliography G. S. Cansdale, Animals and Man (1952); F. E. Zeuner, A History of Domesticated Animals (1963).