Lexicon
צָפִיר
tsa.phir
H6842
H:N-M Hebrew

male goat

6
Occurrences
3
Books
Hebrew
Language

tsa.phir denotes a male goat, whether listed among offerings or portrayed in Daniel's vision.

The attested uses chiefly portray a male goat in Daniel's vision, including a goat with a prominent horn and its later identification with a king; it also occurs in plural offering lists as animals brought for sacrifice.

Senses in use

  1. Male goat in Daniel's vision · dominant

    In Daniel 8:5, singular construct forms occur in the vision of a goat coming from the west with a conspicuous horn between its eyes; the APB renders the scene with “a male goat” and later “the goat.” Daniel 8:8 continues this figure as its great horn is broken and four horns arise, while Daniel 8:21 uses a singular absolute form when the APB identifies “The shaggy male goat” with the king of Javan.

  2. Male goats among sacrificial animals · common

    In 2 Chronicles 29:21, a masculine plural construct form appears in the list of animals brought as a sin offering for the kingdom, sanctuary, and Judah; the APB includes seven male goats in that list. Ezra 8:35 likewise has a masculine plural construct form among the returning exiles' offerings, where the APB lists twelve male goats as a sin offering.

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the animal as “male goats” in the offering lists and as “a male goat,” “the goat,” and “The shaggy male goat” in Daniel's vision. These are translation-level renderings of the clauses rather than definitions.

Passages featuring this word

Across Scripture