What does the goat symbolize in the bible?

Asked 3 years ago

What was the biblical meaning of a goat, and why were they sacrificed?

Osasere Okunloye

Monday, November 15, 2021

In most Bible illustrations, the goat is used to signify stubbornness, rebellion and disobedience.
However, this is quite different from the he-goat in Daniel's prophecy in Daniel chapter 7 and 8. In Daniel's prophecy, a male goat with a great horn at the centre of its head destroyed the ram with two horns. This male goat signifies the Greecian empire which conquered the Medo-Persian Empire (the ram with two horns) with the help of their first king- Alexander, the great (who was the great horn at the middle of the head of the goat). The great horn being later broken in Daniel Chapter 8 signifies the untimely death of Alexander the Great. After his death, his kingdom was divided into four weaker kingdoms (Daniel 8:8,22) namely: Greece and Macedonia, Asian Minor, Egypt and Palestine, Syria and Babylon.