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שְׂעִירָה

𐤔𐤏𐤉𐤓𐤄

sᵉʻîyrâh

H8166 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שׂער to be hairy, shaggy, rough

Definition

Female goat, particularly a young she-goat. Refers generally to a female of the flock, often specifically indicating a young female goat (kid). In some contexts, the term may be used for sacrificial animals, or simply for domesticated livestock, but the primary sense is zoological: a female goat, often of a youthful age.

Semantic Range

female goat, she-goat, young female goat (kid), sacrificial animal, domesticated goat

Root / Etymology

From the root שׂער (š-ʿ-r), which fundamentally means 'to be hairy' or 'shaggy.' The form שְׂעִירָה is the feminine of שָׂעִיר (saʿir, 'he-goat, hairy one'), thus 'she-goat, female kid.' The connection is to the animal's characteristic fur.

Historical & Contextual Notes

שְׂעִירָה appears relatively infrequently in the Hebrew Bible, usually in contexts relating to sacrificial animals (e.g., Lev 4:28; Num 15:27). The animal denoted belongs to domesticated livestock rather than wild goats. While English translations usually render the word as 'she-goat' or 'female goat,' the nuance in Hebrew particularly stresses gender and occasionally age (kid). This distinguishes it from related terms like עֵז (ʿēz), which can denote simply a goat of either sex, or שָׂעִיר, which refers particularly to the 'he-goat' or literally 'hairy one.' In cultic and legal texts, the animal's sex and age were both matters of ritual specificity. Modern translations generally capture the zoological sense, but may under-represent the term's ritual specificity or the age-gender nuance present in the Biblical texts.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of שָׂעִיר; a she-goat; kid.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שׂער (ś-ʿ-r) — to be hairy, shaggy, rough

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H8163 שָׂעִיר the shaggy male-goat
H8164 שָׂעִיר tempestuous downpours
H8165 שֵׂעִיר in Seir
H8167 שְׂעִירָה to the Seirah
H8175 שָׂעַר was storm-tossed

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8166-01 שְׂעִירַ֤ת seirat HNcfsc goat-female she-goat of 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8166-01 Leviticus 4:28 שְׂעִירַ֤ת seirat HNcfsc goat-female she-goat of
H8166-01 Leviticus 5:6 שְׂעִירַ֥ת seirat HNcfsc kid of she-goat of
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