עָתוּד
𐤏𐤕𐤅𐤃
ʻâthûwd
H6259 adjective
SILEX Entry
Definition
Male goat, specifically a he-goat or young male goat, frequently used for sacrificial purposes or as a metaphor for strength and leadership. In only a few instances is the underlying sense of 'prepared' or 'ready' even visible—most often the term is a zoological designation.
Semantic Range
male goat, he-goat, chief male of a flock; metaphorical leader or prominent individual; (rarely) one who is prepared or made ready
Root / Etymology
From the root ע-ת-ד (עתד), meaning 'to be ready, prepared, or equipped.' עָתוּד is the passive participle form, but in the majority of its biblical use, the term refers to a male goat rather than a state of preparedness. The extension from 'prepared' or 'readied' to 'male goat' is possibly via the notion of the goat being prepared or set apart for specific tasks (such as sacrifice or leadership in a flock), but this semantic shift is somewhat obscure and debated in modern scholarship.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, עָתוּד is most commonly a term for a he-goat, particularly one of sufficient maturity or stature for sacrificial ritual, as seen in Numbers 7 and elsewhere. The word also occurs in more metaphorical contexts, as in Jeremiah 50:8 and Zechariah 10:3, where powerful leaders or rulers are compared to 'he-goats'—animals noted for leading the flock. In these metaphorical extensions, the emphasis is on qualities of leadership, strength, and prominence rather than the literal animal. While the underlying root idea refers to being 'prepared' or 'ready,' the lexical meaning in context is usually zoological, not descriptive of state or condition. Other Hebrew terms for goat include שָּׂעִיר (saʿir, billy goat, often with demonic or wilderness connotations), גְּדִי (gədi, kid or young goat), and אֵז (ʾez, generic goat). English versions sometimes translate עָתוּד as 'he-goat,' 'chief one,' or 'leader,' with variation depending on context, but most occurrences refer to the animal rather than an abstract quality.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
passive participle of עָתַד; prepared; ready.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
עתד (ʿ-t-d) — to be prepared, to be ready, to equip
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H6257 | עָתַד | they prepared themselves |
| H6260 | עַתּוּד | mature he-goats of |
| H6263 | עֲתִיד | prepared ones |
| H6264 | עָתִיד | prepared one |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6259-01 |
עתודים | tvdym | HAampa |
ready | he-goats | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6259-01 |
Esther 8:13 | עתודים | tvdym | HAampa |
ready | he-goats |