ἔρῐφος G2056
a young goat, kid; a small goat suitable for sacrifice or as food
This noun denotes a young goat or kid. In Matthew 25:32, Jesus separates sheep from goats in his parable of final judgment—the righteous sheep on his right, the wicked goats on his left. In Luke 15:29, the elder brother complains that his father never gave him 'even a young goat' to celebrate with friends, contrasting his own loyal service with the lavish feast for the prodigal. The multilingual glosses are consistent: Spanish 'cabrito/cabritos' (young goat/goats), French 'chevreau' (kid). In ancient culture, kids were valuable for meat and sacrifice, less prestigious than sheep but still significant.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Spanish 'cabrito/cabritos' (kid/goats) and French 'chevreau' (young goat) consistently identify this as a young goat. In Matthew 25:32, Jesus uses sheep and goats as figures for the righteous and unrighteous in final judgment—goats (ἐρίφων) representing those who failed to show mercy and will be sent away. The contrast with sheep may reflect cultural associations: sheep more valuable and docile, goats more independent. In Luke 15:29, the elder brother bitterly notes he never received 'even a young goat' (ἔριφον) for a party—a lesser gift than the fattened calf slaughtered for the prodigal, yet still denied him. The detail reveals his resentment: he feels unrewarded despite faithful service. 2×
AR["الْجِدَاءِ", "جَدْيًا"]·ben["ছাগল", "ছাগলদের"]·DE["ἐρίφων", "ἔριφον"]·EN["goats", "young-goat"]·FR["chevreau"]·heb["גְּדִי", "הַעִזִּים"]·HI["बकरियों", "बकरी"]·ID["kambing"]·IT["capretto"]·jav["cempé,", "wedhus"]·KO["염소들", "염소를"]·PT["cabrito", "cabritos"]·RU["козлов", "козлёнка"]·ES["cabrito", "cabritos"]·SW["mbuzi"]·TR["keçilerin", "oğlak"]·urd["بکری-کا-بچہ", "بکریوں"]
Related Senses
H6629 1. flock, sheep/goats (small livestock) (274×)H1241 1. cattle, herd (bovine livestock) (183×)H0352a 1. ram (male sheep) (156×)H6499 1. young bull, bullock (130×)H3532 1. lamb, young male sheep (105×)H2543 1. donkey (male ass) (96×)H7794 1. ox, bull (79×)H7462b 1. shepherd (agent noun) (76×)H5795 1. she-goat(s), female goat(s) (68×)H7462b 2. to shepherd, tend, pasture (60×)H1581 1. camel (domestic animal) (54×)H0738b 1. lion (46×)G4263 1. sheep (39×)H5739 1. flock or herd of livestock (38×)H5695 1. calf, young bull (35×)H0738a 1. lion (large predatory feline) (34×)H0860 1. female donkey (34×)H3611 1. dog (animal) (32×)H3715a 1. young lion, lion cub (31×)G0721 1. Lamb (29×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἔρῐφος, ὁ (ἡ, Refs 7th c.BC+, kid, ἄρνεσσιν..ἢ ἐρίφοισι Refs 8th c.BC+ __II Ἔριφοι, οἱ, the constellation Haedi, Refs 4th c.BC+