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INTRODUCTION
The ritual found in Leviticus 16 has hugely intrigued ancient and modern biblical scholars. ... One of them is set to be ‘for YHWH’, and one ‘for Azazel’. ... With a specially appointed person, the animal was accompanied and left out in the wilderness ‘for Azazel’ (Lev. 16. ... The keyword here that has kept the imagination alive is ‘for Azazel’. What exactly is the meaning of the word? What about the whole ritual and its theological application? Can we determine who/what lies beneath this puzzling expression, and once certain about its identity to place the whole ritual in a proper realization/perspective? ... 16.6-22 and try, if possible, to come up with some interpretation for the phrase ‘for Azazel’. ... Once identified, the question then would be what is its relation to the whole picture of the Day of Atonement. Would the identity and meaning of ‘Azazel’ affect our biblical concept of atonement? In addition, the more intriguing question,’ Why would the Old Testament author link up the goat ritual ‘for Azazel’ with the Day of Atonement? ... However, in the focus will be the idea of ‘Azazel’ and its possible influence on the Day of Atonement understanding. ... 16.6-22 has some peculiar linguistic features . ... Ju, “uncleanness”, in its plural form (comm noun fem pl const), is rare in the OT. In its five occurrences, three are here (vv. 16[2], 19) and the other two are in Ezek. ... 16 to mean ‘ the sanctuary’. ... 10 has as its object the goat that will carry away the sin’s of the people, and in v. 16 the sanctuary is its object . ... 50, but is the only way to address Aaron that way in the whole book of Leviticus. ... n"[, “cloud” in its two occurrences is used differently. ... 16 we have lzEaz"[] which occurs only in this text (Lev. 16. ... Besides, this is the most striking and bewildering expression of the whole Day of Atonement, the dispatch of the goat into the wilderness. ... Perhaps, the Day of Atonement is unique in its theological bearing, and the cultic context used elsewhere in the Hebrew bible is not totally comparable and applicable. ... But when it comes to determine the concept in its details, then the struggle begins. ...
A STUDY ON THE WORD “lzEaz"[]”
The word lzEaz"[],, “Azazel” occurs only four times in the Old Testament, and all these places are here in Lev. 16. Its identity and meaning have been argued since ancient and medieval times. ... Probably, the safest approach is to judge it according to its immediate biblical context.
As far as it comes to the word itself ‘for Azazel’ scholars render at least five major interpretations listed below:
1) The first one takes it as a descriptive term for the goat itself. ... It argues that the term is composite of two words z"[], “goat”, and lzEa, “go away,” i. ... “the goat that departs”, hence “the (e) scapegoat”. The problem, however, we may have with this interpretation is, that if the goat is a description for itself, how it can be ‘sent for itself’?
2) A second possibility is that ‘for Azazel’ is taken as an abstract term meaning “entire removal”; the phrase lzEaz"[]l; then means “for removal”. If accepted, this view is posing a problem with the strict parallel that exists between ‘for YHWH’ and ‘for Azazel’. ...
3) The word lzEaz"[]l is the goat’s destination, or the place to which this goat departs. ... Driver supports this position and takes it as a place name from the root zz[, which according to him is cognate to the Arabic ‘azazu’ – “rough ground” to which a formative l has been added.
Approximate Word count = 2901
Approximate Pages = 11.6
(250 words per page double spaced)
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