Lev 16:8-10 | TNotes | STEP | 16:8 The Hebrew term ‘aza’zel ( Azazel ) is found only in 16:8 , 10 , 26 . This word has generally been interpreted in four different ways: (1) as a word meaning “the goat of going away”; (2) as a demon that lived in the wilderness; (3) as a strengthened form of the Hebrew word for “go, leave,” meaning “utter loss”; and (4) as a rocky cliff over which the goat was pushed. Since this goat represented the removal of the sins of Israel from the camp (16:22 ), the first interpretation is probably the simplest solution.

‏ Leviticus 16:8-10

16:8 ^a The Hebrew term ‘aza’zel (Azazel) is found only in 16:8 ^b, 10 ^c, 26 ^d. This word has generally been interpreted in four different ways: (1) as a word meaning “the goat of going away”; (2) as a demon that lived in the wilderness; (3) as a strengthened form of the Hebrew word for “go, leave,” meaning “utter loss”; and (4) as a rocky cliff over which the goat was pushed. Since this goat represented the removal of the sins of Israel from the camp (16:22 ^e), the first interpretation is probably the simplest solution.