τράγος G5131
A male goat, he-goat; used in the NT exclusively for sacrificial animals in cultic contexts.
Refers specifically to a male goat, distinguished in Greek from the generic 'aix' (she-goat). All four New Testament occurrences appear in Hebrews, where the author contrasts the blood of goats and bulls with the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ. The French 'boucs' and Spanish 'machos cabrios' both specify the male gender of the animal, underscoring that these were not just any goats but the particular victims prescribed for Levitical atonement rituals. The rhetorical force in Heb 10:4 — 'it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins' — depends on recognizing these as the most solemn offerings available.
Senses
1. sense 1 — A male goat designated for sacrificial use, especially in Day of Atonement rituals. All four NT occurrences (Heb 9:12,13,19; 10:4) contrast the blood of goats with the superior sacrifice of Christ. The French 'boucs' and Spanish 'machos cabríos' both explicitly mark the masculine gender, reflecting the Levitical requirement for male animals. The word evokes the entire Old Covenant sacrificial system that Hebrews argues has been superseded. 4×
AR["تُيوسٍ", "تُيُوس"]·ben["ছাগগুলির", "ছাগলের"]·DE["Boecke"]·EN["goats", "of-goats"]·FR["boucs"]·heb["תְּיָשִׁים"]·HI["बकरों", "बकरों,"]·ID["kambing-kambing"]·IT["tragōn"]·jav["wedhus", "wedhus-wedhus-jaler"]·KO["염소들의"]·PT["bodes", "de-bodes"]·RU["козлов"]·ES["de-machos-cabríos", "machos-cabríos"]·SW["mbuzi", "ya-mbuzi"]·TR["teçelerin"]·urd["بکروں-کا", "بکروں-کے"]
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
τράγος [ᾰ], ὁ, he-goat, Refs 8th c.BC+; opposed to αἴξ (she-goat), Refs 5th c.BC+; τῶν αἰγῶν τῶν τράγων Refs 5th c.BC+; τράγος γένειον.. πενθήσεις you will mourn your beard like the goat in the proverb, Refs 4th c.BC+; Κιλίκιοι τράγοι, of longhaired men, Refs; of men, τράγου ὄζειν, τράγου πνεῖν, to smell like a goat, Refs 1st c.AD+ __2 the age when change of voice and other signs of puberty…