sair · hairy, male goat

What it means

sair (שָׂעִיר) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “hairy, male goat”.

Hairy, shaggy; also male goat.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. An adult male goat, often offered in sacrifice.
2. Covered in hair, like Esau.
3. Desert demons in goat form.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Hairy, shaggy; and as a noun, the male goat, because of its hair. Of the same family are שְׂעִירָה (‘female goat’) and the name Seir. In the plural it also designates desert beings to which sacrifices were offered.

• Esau, a hairy man Genesis 27:11Genesis 27:23
• The male goat of the sin offering Leviticus 4:23Leviticus 9:3Numbers 29:5
• The two goats of the day of expiation Leviticus 16:8Leviticus 16:10Leviticus 16:21
• Sacrifices to the goats Leviticus 17:72 Chronicles 11:15
• Daniel’s shaggy goat Daniel 8:21

Historical and cultural background

On the day of expiation Aaron cast lots over two goats: one was offered for sin, and over the other, alive, he confessed the iniquities of the people and sent it “to Azazel into the wilderness” (Leviticus 16:8-10, 21-22). Jacob covered his hands with goatskins because his brother was hairy (Genesis 27:11-23).

How we translate it

“Male goat” 32 times, “goat” 16, “male goats” 5, “goats” 3; “hairy” 2 when it is an adjective, and “the shaggy one” in Daniel 8:21. שְׂעִירִים is kept as “goats” or “male goats” also in Leviticus 17:7, 2 Chronicles 11:15 and Isaiah 34:14, with a note that there it means idols or desert beings. So the reader sees the Hebrew word and the note explains its sense.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• male goat ×32
• goat ×16
• male goats ×5
• goats ×3
• hairy ×2
• shaggy one ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Genesis×3
• Leviticus×21
• Numbers×27
• 2 Chronicles×2
• Isaiah×2
• Ezekiel×3
• Daniel×1

• Genesis 27:11

  Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.

• Genesis 27:23

  He did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like the hands of Esau his brother; so he blessed him.

• Genesis 37:31

  They took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a male goat and dipped the robe in the blood.

• Leviticus 4:23

  or his sin that he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring as his offering a male goat without defect.

• Leviticus 4:24

  He shall lay his hand on the head of the goat and slaughter it in the place where one slaughters the burnt offering before YHWH; it is a sin offering.

• Leviticus 9:3

  And to the sons of Israel you shall speak, saying, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, a year old, without defect, for a burnt offering,

• Leviticus 9:15

  He presented the offering of the people, took the goat of the sin offering that was for the people, slaughtered it, and offered it for sin like the first.

• Leviticus 10:16

  Moses searched diligently for the goat of the sin offering, and look, it had been burned; and he was angry with Eleazar and with Ithamar, the remaining sons of Aaron, saying,

• Leviticus 16:5

  And from the community of the sons of Israel he shall take two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.

• Leviticus 16:7

  And he shall take the two goats and set them before YHWH at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

• Leviticus 16:8

  And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for YHWH and the other lot for Azazel.

• Leviticus 16:9

  And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot for YHWH fell and offer it as a sin offering.

• Leviticus 16:10

  But the goat on which the lot for Azazel fell shall be set alive before YHWH to make expiation over it, to send it away to Azazel into the wilderness.

• Leviticus 16:15

  Then he shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil, and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the cover of expiation and in front of the cover of expiation.

• Leviticus 16:18

  Then he shall go out to the altar that is before YHWH and make expiation for it, and he shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat and put it on the horns of the altar all around.

• Leviticus 16:20

  And when he has finished making expiation for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat.

• Leviticus 16:21

  And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions, for all their sins; and he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is ready.

• Leviticus 16:22

  And the goat shall carry on itself all their iniquities to a land cut off; and he shall let the goat go in the wilderness.

• Leviticus 16:26

  And the one who sends away the goat to Azazel shall wash his garments and bathe his body in water, and after that he may come into the camp.

• Leviticus 16:27

  And the bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make expiation in the Holy Place, someone shall take out to outside the camp, and they shall burn in the fire their skins and their flesh and their dung.

• Leviticus 17:7

  So they shall no longer sacrifice their sacrifices to the goats after which they prostitute themselves. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations.

• Leviticus 23:19

  And you shall offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two lambs a year old as a sacrifice of peace.

• Numbers 7:16

  one male goat for a sin offering;

• Numbers 7:22

  one male goat for a sin offering;

• Numbers 7:28

  one male goat for a sin offering;

• Numbers 7:34

  one male goat for a sin offering;

• Numbers 7:40

  one male goat for a sin offering;

• Numbers 7:46

  one male goat for a sin offering;

• Numbers 7:52

  one male goat for a sin offering;

• Numbers 7:58

  one male goat for a sin offering;

• Numbers 7:64

  one male goat for a sin offering;

• Numbers 7:70

  one male goat for a sin offering;

• Numbers 7:76

  one male goat for a sin offering;

• Numbers 7:82

  one male goat for a sin offering;

• Numbers 7:87

  all the cattle for the burnt offering, twelve bulls, twelve rams, twelve male lambs a year old, with their grain offering; and twelve male goats for a sin offering;

• Numbers 15:24

  then if it was done by oversight, without the knowledge of the community, all the community shall offer one young bull for a burnt offering, for a pleasing aroma to YHWH, with its grain offering and its libation according to the rule, and one male goat for a sin offering.

• Numbers 28:15

  And one male goat as a sin offering to YHWH; besides the continual burnt offering it shall be offered, and its libation.

• Numbers 28:22

  and one male goat as a sin offering to make expiation for you.

• Numbers 28:30

  one male goat to make expiation for you.

• Numbers 29:5

  and one male goat as a sin offering to make expiation for you;

And 19 more times.