Original Word: שָׂעִיר
Part of Speech: Adjective; noun masculine; noun masculine
Transliteration: sa`iyr
Pronunciation: sah-eer'
Phonetic Spelling: (saw-eer')
KJV: devil, goat, hairy, kid, rough, satyr
Word Origin: [from H8175 (שָׂעַר - To storm)]

1. shaggy
2. as noun, a he-goat
3. by analogy, a faun

devil, goat, hairy, kid, rough, satyr

Or sabir {saw-eer'}; from sa'ar; shaggy; as noun, a he-goat; by analogy, a faun -- devil, goat, hairy, kid, rough, satyr.

see HEBREW sa'ar

I. שָׂעִר adjective hairy; — masculine singular ׳אִישׁ שׂ Genesis 27:11; feminine plural יָדָיו שְׂעִרֹת Genesis 27:33 (J).

II. שָׂעִיר₅₃ noun masculine^{Numbers 15:24} he-goat, buck (hairy one; Late Hebrew id.); — absolute ׳שׂ Leviticus 4:24 +, construct שְׂעִיר Numbers 7:16 +; plural שְׂעִירִם Leviticus 16:7,8; construct שְׂעִירֵי Leviticus 16:5; Numbers 7:87; — he-goat, usually שְׂעִיר(ֿ)עִזִּים buck of goats (see עֵז p. 777): Genesis 37:31 (J), Ezekiel 43:22; Ezekiel 45:23; Leviticus 4:23; Leviticus 9:3; Leviticus 23:19 20t. Numbers (all P); ׳שְׂעִירֵי ע Leviticus 16:5; Numbers 7:87 (P); ׳שׂ alone = he-goat Leviticus 4:24 11t. Leviticus 16 (P); שְׂעִיר (הַ)חַטָּאת he-goat for sin-offering Ezekiel 43:25; Leviticus 9:15 9t. Leviticus, Numbers; ׳שְׂעִירֵי הַח2Chronicles 29:23; in Daniel 8:21 ׳הַשּׂ is probably gloss to הַצָּפִיר (compare Dr).

III. שָׂעִיר noun masculine satyr, demon (with he-goat's form, or feet; Late Hebrew id.; compare Baud^{Stud. i. 136 ff.}; hairy demons We^{Skizzen iii. 135}; Heid. 152 RS^{Semitic 113, 423: 2nd ed. 120, 441}); absolute ׳שׂ Isaiah 34:14 inhabiting desolate ruins, so plural שְׂעִירִים Isaiah 13:21; name for idols 2Chronicles 11:15 and (שְׂעִירִם) Leviticus 17:7 (H); probably also ׳בָּמוֺת הַשּׂ 2 Kings 23:8 (ᵑ0 הַשְּׁעָרִים) Hoffm^{ZAW ii (1882), 175} SS Kmp Klo Kit Benz Bur.

Overview

שָׂעִיר (saʿîr) denotes a hairy male goat and, by extension, anything shaggy or rough. Approximately fifty-nine Old Testament occurrences range from literal livestock to idolatrous “goat-demons” and prophetic imagery. The word gathers sacrificial, moral, and eschatological significance, finding its ultimate fulfillment in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ to which the sin-offering goats unmistakably point.

Occurrences and Distribution

Pentateuch – 35+ times (chiefly Leviticus, Numbers)

Historical Books – 10+ times (Judges, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles)

Poetic and Wisdom Books – 6 times (Job, Proverbs)

Prophets – 8 times (Isaiah, Daniel)

Domestic and Agricultural Setting

As a common herd animal, the male goat supplied meat, milk derivatives, and hide. The frequency with which saʿîr is listed beside bulls, rams, and lambs (e.g., Deuteronomy 14:4; 2 Kings 3:4) shows its accepted role in household economy and royal tribute.

Covenantal and Sacrificial Role

1. Regular Sin Offerings:

“He shall bring an unblemished male goat as his offering” (Leviticus 4:23).

Each New-Moon (Numbers 28:15), Feast of Unleavened Bread (28:22), Weeks (28:30), Trumpets (29:5), Day of Atonement (29:11), and Tabernacles (29:16-38) included a saʿîr “to make atonement.”

2. Day of Atonement:

Leviticus 16:5-22 presents two goats—one slain, one released. The slain saʿîr’s blood entered the Holy of Holies “because of the uncleanness of the Israelites” (16:16). Hebrews 9:11-14 applies this pattern to Christ, whose own blood achieved eternal redemption.

3. National Repentance:

Hezekiah’s revival brought “seven male goats for a sin offering for the kingdom” (2 Chronicles 29:21). The public laying of hands on the goats (29:23) underscored corporate guilt transferred to a substitutionary victim.

Idolatrous Misuse and “Goat-Demons”

Leviticus 17:7 warns, “They must no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat demons.” Centuries later Jeroboam II institutionalized such worship (2 Chronicles 11:15). Isaiah 13:21; 34:14 depict ruined Babylon and Edom populated by dancing saʿîr, dramatizing that idolatry ends in desolation. Scripture thus unmasks the demonic reality behind false worship and calls God’s people to exclusive loyalty.

Hairiness and Human Description

Genesis 27:11; 27:23 uses saʿîr of Esau’s “hairy” skin, contrasting Jacob’s smoothness. The narrative anticipates the later tension between Edom and Israel: those who live “according to the flesh” versus those who value covenant promise.

Wilderness Imagery and Topography

1 Samuel 24:2 names “the Rocks of the Wild Goats,” highlighting the animal’s sure-footedness in rugged terrain. In prophetic oracles ruined cities become haunts for saʿîr (Isaiah 34:14). The image accentuates moral barrenness: where covenant breakers once lived, only wild goats remain.

Wisdom and Royal Metaphor

Proverbs 30:31 lists “a he-goat” among things that move stately, illustrating confident leadership. Daniel 8 portrays the “shaggy goat” (saʿîr) shattering the Medo-Persian ram—an accurate prophecy of Greece under Alexander, confirmed by history and demonstrating Scripture’s reliability.

Christological Fulfillment

Every male goat sin offering prefigures the Lamb of God who “appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:26). While bulls and rams picture devotion and strength, the goat uniquely embodies substitution for sin, especially corporate guilt. The contrast between the slaughtered saʿîr and the released “scapegoat” (Leviticus 16:10) foreshadows both propitiation and expiation achieved at Calvary.

Practical Ministry Application

• Worship: Genuine atonement demands blood; thus worship must center on Christ’s cross, never on self-devised rituals reminiscent of the goat-demons.
• Holiness: The ever-present need for a sin-offering goat in Israel’s calendar urges believers to daily confession and reliance on the once-for-all sacrifice.
• Discernment: Prophetic references to saʿîr in desolate places remind the church to call culture from spiritual wastelands to the living God.
• Leadership: Like the stately he-goat (Proverbs 30:31), godly leaders advance with humble confidence, yet they do so under the blood of atonement rather than in fleshly strength.

Saʿîr thus moves from pasture to sanctuary, from idolatrous perversion to prophetic warning, and ultimately to messianic promise, enriching the biblical drama of redemption from Genesis to Hebrews.

הַשְּׂעִירִ֑ם הַשְּׂעִירִ֖ם הַשָּׂעִ֔יר הַשָּׂעִ֖יר הַשָּׂעִ֥יר הַשָּׂעִיר֙ הַשָּׂעִיר֮ השעיר השעירם וְהַשָּׂעִ֗יר וְלַשְּׂעִירִ֑ים וְשָׂעִ֖יר וּשְׂעִ֥יר וּשְׂעִ֨יר וּשְׂעִירִ֖ים וּשְׂעִירֵ֥י וּשְׂעִיר־ והשעיר ולשעירים ושעיר ושעיר־ ושעירי ושעירים לַשְּׂעִירִ֕ם לשעירם שְׂעִ֣יר שְׂעִ֤יר שְׂעִ֥יר שְׂעִירֵ֣י שְׂעִירֵ֥י שְׂעִיר־ שְׂעִרֹ֑ת שָׂעִ֔ר שעיר שעיר־ שעירי שער שערת haś·śā·‘îr haś·śə·‘î·rim haśśā‘îr hassaIr haśśə‘îrim hasseiRim laś·śə·‘î·rim laśśə‘îrim lasseiRim śā‘ir śā·‘ir saIr śə‘îr śə‘îr- śə‘îrê śə‘irōṯ śə·‘î·rê śə·‘i·rōṯ śə·‘îr śə·‘îr- seIr seiRei seiRot ū·śə·‘î·rê ū·śə·‘î·rîm ū·śə·‘îr ū·śə·‘îr- ūśə‘îr ūśə‘îr- ūśə‘îrê ūśə‘îrîm useir useiRei useiRim vehassaIr velasseiRim vesaIr wə·haś·śā·‘îr wə·laś·śə·‘î·rîm wə·śā·‘îr wəhaśśā‘îr wəlaśśə‘îrîm wəśā‘îrInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts