Biblical Hebrew Forum

[ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk (Ben and Jo Crick)]

On Sat  1 Feb 2003 (21:30:04 +0100), watts-westmaas AT zonnet.nl wrote:
> What exactly is meant by this word in Isaiah 34:14 and 13:21 that is
> different from the idea of a he-goat?

 "This word" = &a`iYR is a Satyr, a goatlike demon (compare the Greek god 
Pan).
 The word also occurs in Leviticus 17:7, where it seems to be a reference to
 the Egyptian idolatries carried over from the Exodus. Joshua 24:14 and 
Ezekiel
 20:7, 23:8 refer. He-goat worship was a part of the Egyptian religion.

 The He-goat is ritually kosher (Exodus 12:5; Numbers 7); not so the Satyrs
 and the other creatures mentioned in Isaiah 13:21 and 34:14 - the Owl in
 particular (Leviticus 1!:16-17). Judge the Satyr by the company he keeps!

> Also does the word SHeD (shin,dalet) come from SHooD (shin,yud,dalet),
> meaning: To Swell Up?

 $eD means an idol; Deuteronomy 32:17; Psalm 106:37; LXX DAIMONIA.
 $aD means a mammary gland or teat of an animal or a woman; hence possibly
 a goddess. Hence possibly a swelling?
 $uWD or $aDaD means to lay waste (Psalm 91:6).

 Sorry I can't be more helpful.

 Ben
-- 
 Revd Ben Crick BA CF, and Mrs Joanna (Goodwin) Crick
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