Azazel in the Bible—Scapegoat, Leviticus 16, and the Removal of Sin
1. Introduction: Azazel in the Bible and the Day of Atonement
Azazel in the Bible appears only in Leviticus 16 (vv. 8, 10, twice in v. 10, and v. 26), within the liturgy of the Day of Atonement. Two male goats are selected by lot: one “for the LORD,” the other “for Azazel.” The high priest lays Israel’s sins on the live goat and sends it into the wilderness (Lev 16:20–22). The text itself is laconic, yet it has prompted intense debate about the name’s meaning, the rite’s origin, and the theological logic of atonement. Read in the full sweep of Scripture, the scapegoat dramatizes how God removes guilt from His people (Psalm 103:12), anticipates the Gospel’s climactic removal of sin (Hebrews 9–10), and signals the future end of evil when God dwells with the cleansed people forever (Revelation 21:3–4).
2. Name and Etymology: Strong, Cliff, or “Goat That Goes”?
Scholars have proposed several explanations for Azazel:
A derivation from ʿzz (“to be strong”) + ʾl (“god”), yielding a form like ʿzzʾl, attested in Second Temple materials (e.g., 4Q180; 11QTemple).
A geographical term: “rugged cliff” or “precipitous place,” the destination to which the goat is driven (cf. Targumic renderings).
A compound from “goat” (ʿēz) + “to go away,” producing the sense “goat that goes away”, the source of “scapegoat” (LXX ἀποπομπαῖος; Vulgate caper emissarius).
The Hebrew of Leviticus 16 supports the ritual function regardless of etymology: the goat “for Azazel” is not sacrificed but sent away into the wilderness “for Azazel” (Lev 16:10, 21–22). Whatever the name’s origin, the text emphasizes removal rather than appeasement.
3. What Leviticus 16 Actually Says
The final form of Leviticus 16 carefully balances two complementary acts:
Blood atonement by the goat “for the LORD” (Lev 16:15–19), cleansing sanctuary and people.
Elimination by the goat “for Azazel” (Lev 16:20–22), bearing confessed iniquities into a desolate land.
Key features of Azazel in the Bible here:
The live goat is not an offering to a rival; it is a carrier of impurity.
The rite culminates in distance: the sins are carried into the wilderness, away from the congregation (Lev 16:21–22).
The wilderness imagery evokes exile, curse, and uninhabited places—symbolically the domain where covenant life is not (cf. Deuteronomy 8:15; Isaiah 35:1).
The structure shows that atonement in Israel’s Scripture includes both propitiation (Godward cleansing) and expiation (removal of defilement).
4. Competing Models: Desert Demon, Egyptian Parallels, or Anatolian–Syrian Origin?
Three major models have been advanced for Azazel in the Bible and the scapegoat rite:
Nomadic/Desert-demon model: Azazel is a desert spirit; the goat is dispatched “to” him. This view capitalizes on the contrast “for the LORD / for Azazel” and on associations with śĕʿîrîm (“goat-demons,” Lev 17:7; Isaiah 13:21; 34:14). Yet Hebrew wording stresses “for Azazel into the wilderness” (not “to Azazel”), and the goat is emphatically not sacrificed.
Egyptian model: the name reflects Egyptian terms for “culprit” and “expel,” linking Azazel to expulsion concepts and even to Seth. But this proposal fits poorly with Leviticus 16 and lacks secure linguistic footing.
South Anatolian–North Syrian (elimination-rite) model: the rite is a classic eliminatio—a living substitute carries away pollution—known from Hurrian/Hittite contexts (Kizzuwatna), with wider Mediterranean analogues (e.g., pharmakos). On this reading, Azazel marks the elimination destination/logic, rather than a rival god.
Among these, the elimination-rite model best explains the ritual grammar of Leviticus 16 and preserves monotheistic integrity.
5. Ritual Logic: Removal Without Appeasement
In the literary context of Azazel in the Bible, the goat is a vehicle:
The high priest confesses Israel’s sins onto the goat (Lev 16:21).
The goat bears the iniquities away “to a remote region” (Lev 16:22).
A designated man releases the goat; the action concludes with the goat’s disappearance from the camp’s world.
This is not a payment to a demon. It is a dramatized unloading of moral and ritual debris from God’s dwelling and God’s people. The sanctuary is cleansed (blood rites), and the community is cleared (elimination). The two goats together picture the comprehensive scope of atonement.
6. From Leviticus to the Prophets: Removal, Return, and Restoration
The prophets and writings expand the hope embedded in Azazel in the Bible:
Removal of guilt: “You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19); “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12).
Return from wilderness: Where exile and desolation marked curse, God promises a way in the wilderness and waters in the desert (Isaiah 43:19–21).
Restoration: Cleansing leads to renewed presence—God dwelling among a purified people (Ezekiel 37:23–28).
Thus the scapegoat’s vanishing horizon opens a canonical storyline: sin is not simply covered; it is removed to make room for God’s presence.
7. Early Jewish Interpretations: Demonization and Dualism
Later Jewish literature often demonizes Azazel:
In 1 Enoch, Azazel teaches forbidden arts, embodies ungodliness, and awaits judgment.
In Apocalypse of Abraham, Azazel appears as a serpentine tempter and ruler of the nations.
These expansions amplify the adversarial dimension of evil but go well beyond Leviticus 16, where Azazel in the Bible remains ritually functional and the goat is not an offering to a rival power. The canonical text maintains monotheistic focus: the LORD alone ordains atonement and removes sin.
8. Gospel Fulfillment: The Sin-Bearer Outside the Camp
The Gospel gathers every line of Leviticus 16 into the person and work of Jesus:
Once-for-all cleansing: Christ enters the holy places “by means of His own blood” (Hebrews 9:12), accomplishing what yearly goats could only prefigure (Hebrews 10:1–4).
Removal through bearing: “The LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6); He bears sins in His body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24).
Outside the camp: the Messiah suffers “outside the gate” (Hebrews 13:11–13), echoing the expulsive dimension of the scapegoat, as the Sin-Bearer carries our guilt away from the covenant community to reconcile us to God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
In Anthony Delgado’s Gospel framing, this is not only personal forgiveness but kingdom cleansing: a people made holy for God’s dwelling, a foretaste of the world made new.
9. Eschatological Horizon: Atonement Completed, Evil Removed
Azazel in the Bible anticipates an end where evil is finally absent:
The cry “It is finished” (John 19:30) signals the decisive act, yet history moves toward the day when the accuser is silenced (Revelation 12:10–11) and death and Hades are cast away (Revelation 20:14).
The wilderness of exile gives way to a garden-city where “nothing unclean will ever enter it” (Revelation 21:27).
The scapegoat’s disappearing silhouette becomes a cosmic reality: sin and uncleanness are not merely distant; they are gone.
10. Discipleship and Worship: Living the Logic of Removal
The theology behind Azazel in the Bible shapes Christian practice:
Confession: We name sins specifically, trusting the faithful and just God who forgives and cleanses (1 John 1:9).
Holiness: Having been sprinkled clean (Hebrews 10:22), we pursue purity of heart and community integrity (Ephesians 5:25–27).
Hope: We live between the once-for-all atonement and the final removal of every stain, bearing witness that the Lamb takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29).
Bible Verses on Azazel, Atonement, and the Removal of Sin
“He shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat… and the goat shall bear all their iniquities to a remote area.” (Leviticus 16:21–22)
“As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12)
“You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:19)
“Come now, let us reason together… though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” (Isaiah 1:18)
“The LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6)
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)
“He entered once for all into the holy places… by means of his own blood.” (Hebrews 9:12)
“We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10)
“So Jesus also suffered outside the gate… therefore let us go to him outside the camp.” (Hebrews 13:12–13)
“Nothing unclean will ever enter it.” (Revelation 21:27)
