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ἐρίφιον

eríphion

G2055 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ἐριφ- young goat, kid

Definition

A young goat, particularly a kid, typically under a year old. In some contexts used figuratively to denote a person (often negatively, by symbol or analogy). The primary sense is zoological; symbolic meanings appear in parabolic or metaphorical discourse.

Semantic Range

young goat, kid; symbol for a person (especially in illustrative or parabolic contexts); occasionally contrasted with sheep as character types in parables

Root / Etymology

Diminutive of ἔριφος ('young goat, kid'); formed with the diminutive suffix -ιον. Cognate with other Greek diminutive animal terms.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Ἐρίφιον is primarily used in Hellenistic and Koine Greek to refer to a young goat. The diminutive form emphasizes the youth and smallness of the animal, often contrasted with αἴξ (adult goat) or ἀρνίον (lamb). In the New Testament (e.g., Luke 15:29; Matthew 25:33), ἐρίφιον is sometimes used in parabolic contexts involving animals as social or moral symbols; e.g., contrasting sheep and goats as types of people or moral states. In Greek literary and agricultural texts, the term remains neutral, simply a juvenile goat. The English tradition of translating figurative uses as 'goat' or, contextually, as 'wicked person' (e.g., Matthew 25:33) reflects interpretive choices; ἐρίφιον itself only denotes a young goat, and any symbolic significance arises from the narrative context, not the word's innate meaning. There was no fixed association between goats and 'wickedness' in classical or Hellenistic Greek, so caution should be used in importing such associations solely from later interpretive traditions.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἔριφος; a kidling, i.e. (genitive case) goat (symbolically, wicked person):--goat.

Root Family

ἐρίφιον (eriphion) — young goat, kid

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
G2055-01 ἐρίφια eriphia N ACC N PL young goats 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
G2055-01 Matthew 25:33 ἐρίφια eriphia N ACC N PL young goats
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