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Bible Lexicons
Old Testament Hebrew Lexical Dictionary Hebrew Lexicon
Strong's #5799 - עֲזָאזֵל
- Brown-Driver-Briggs
- Strong
1) entire removal, scapegoat
1a) refers to the goat used for sacrifice for the sins of the people
1b) meaning dubious
- Book
- Word
remove, see Bähr Symb. ii. 668 Win ii. 659 ff. Me Schenkel BL. i. 256; > most, proper name of spirit haunting desert, Thes Di Dr Hastings, DB [a fallen angel, Leviticus 16:8 ff. being late, according to Che ZAW xv (1895), 153ff., Ency. Bib., who derives from עזזאֿל; compare Benz Ency. Bib.], as in Jewish angelology, where probably based on interpret. of Leviticus 16:8 ff.; name not elsewhere); — ׳ע Leviticus 16:8,10 (twice in verse); Leviticus 16:26 in ritual of Day of Atonement, = entire removal of sin and guilt from sacred places into desert on back of goat, symbol of entire forgiveness.
עֲזָאזֵל only found in the law of the day of atonement (Leviticus 16:8, 10 Leviticus 16:10, 26 Leviticus 16:26), respecting which many conjectures have been made. I have no doubt that it should be rendered averter, ἀλεξίκακος (עֲזָאזֵל for עֲזַלְזֵל, from the root עָזַל, عزل to remove, to separate; comp. Lehrg. p. 869). By this name is I suppose to be understood originally some idol to be appeased by sacrifices (as Saturn and Mars, see מֹלֶךְ ), [no such idea as this can be admitted by any one who indeed believes in the inspiration of Scripture; God could never mix up idolatrous rites with his own worship]; and afterwards I suppose from the names of idols being often applied to demons (see the book of Enoch, chap. 10; Spencer on the Ritual Laws of the Hebrews, iii. diss. viii.), this name was used for that of an evil demon inhabiting the wilderness, who had to be appeased by sacrifices by this very ancient and Gentile rite. The name Azazel عزازيل (in Golius, p. 317, incorrectly عرازيل) is also used by the Arabs as that of an evil demon (see Reland, De Rel. Muhammed. p. 189; Meninski, h. v.). The etymology above proposed is that which was of old expressed by the LXX., although generally overlooked or else misunderstood. There לַעֲזָאזֵל is rendered in verse 8, τῷ Ἀποπομπαίῳ (i.e. Ἀποτροπαίῳ, Ἀλεξικάκῳ, Averrunco); verse 10, εἰς τὴν ἀποπομπήν (ad averruncandum); verse 16, εἰς ἄφεσιν, compare the remarks on the use of the Greek word ἀποπομπαῖος given by Bochart in Hieroz. P. I. p. 561; Vossius ad Epist. Barnabæ, p. 316, and Suicer. Thes. Eccl. i. p. 468. The fathers of the Church incorrectly understood the word Ἀποπομπαῖος as applying to the goat, although it is clear in verse 8 that לַעֲזָאזֵל and לַיהוָֹה stand in opposition to each other. So however the Vulg. χαπερ εμισσαριυσ, Symm. ἀπερχόμενος, ἀπολελυμένος (as if it were compounded of עֵז a goat, and אָזַל to depart). Bochart himself loc. cit. understood it to mean the place into which the goat should be sent; and he thought עֲזָאזֵל عزازيل was the pluralis fractus, from the sing. عزّيل, عزّال, pr. separations; hence desert places; but there are in Hebrew no traces of the pluralis fractus, and the place to which the goat should be sent is rather indicated by the word הַמִּדְבָּרָה verses 10, 21, and אֶל־אֶרֶץ גְּזֵרָה verse 22.
