Scapegoat

The scapegoat was one of two male goats selected for the annual Day of Atonement ritual prescribed in Leviticus 16. Aaron cast lots over the two goats: one was offered as a sin offering for the LORD, and the other — designated "for Azazel" (Lev. 16:8, RV) — was the scapegoat. The high priest confessed all the iniquities of the Israelites over the live goat, laying his hands on its head and symbolically transferring the nation's sins to it, then sent it away into the wilderness to a desolate land (Lev. 16:20–22). This goat "bore upon him all their iniquities" and carried them away so they would no longer be present in the camp. The term "Azazel" is variously interpreted as a proper name for a demon inhabiting the desert, a place name (a precipice), or a descriptive word meaning removal. The two goats together dramatized two aspects of atonement: propitiation (the sacrificed goat) and removal of sin (the scapegoat). The English word "scapegoat" — meaning one who bears blame for others — derives directly from this text.