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Satyr
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
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sat´ẽr , sā´tẽr ( שׂעיר , sā‛ı̄r , literally "he-goat"; שׂער , sā‛ir , "hairy" ( Genesis 27:11 , of Esau), and Arabic sha'r , "hair"; plural שׂעירים , se‛ı̄rı̄m ): For se‛ı̄rı̄m in Leviticus 17:7 and 2 Chronicles 11:15 , the King James Version has "devils," the Revised Version (British and American) "he-goats," the English Revised Version margin "satyrs," the Septuagint has τοῖς ματαίοις , toı́s mataı́ois , "vain things." For se‛ı̄rı̄m in Isaiah 13:21 , the King James Version and the English Revised Version have "satyrs," the English Revised Version margin "he-goats," the American Standard Revised Version "wild goats," Septuagint δαιμόνια , daimónia , "demons." For sā‛ir in Isaiah 34:14 , the King James Version and the English Revised Version have "satyr," the English Revised Version margin "he-goat," the American Standard Revised Version "wild goat." Septuagint has ἔτερος πρὸς τὸν ἔτερον , héteros prós tón héteron , "one to another," referring to daimonia , which here stands for cı̄yı̄m , "wild beasts of the desert."
The text of the American Standard Revised Version in these passages is as follows: Leviticus 17:7 , "And they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices unto the he-goats, after which they play the harlot"; 2 Chronicles 11:15 , "And he (Jeroboam) appointed him priests for the high places, and for the he-goats, and for the calves which he had made"; Isaiah 13:21 f (of Babylon), "But wild beasts of the desert ( cı̄yı̄m ) shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures ('ōḥı̄m ); and ostriches (benōth ya‛ănāh ) shall dwell there, and wild goats (se‛ı̄rı̄m ) shall dance there And wolves ('ı̄yı̄m ) shall cry in their castles, and jackals (tannı̄m ) in the pleasant palaces"; Isaiah 34:11 , Isaiah 34:13 , Isaiah 34:14 , Isaiah 34:15 (of Edom), "But the pelican ( ḳā'āth ) and the porcupine (ḳippōdh ) shall possess it; and the owl (yanshōph ) and the raven (‛ōrēbh ) shall dwell therein:... and it shall be a habitation of jackals (tannı̄m ), a court for ostriches (benōth ya‛ănāh ). And the wild beasts of the desert (cı̄yı̄m ) shall meet with the wolves ('ı̄yı̄m ), and the wild goat (sā‛ı̄r ) shall cry to his fellow; yea, the night monster (lı̄lı̄th ) shall settle there ... There shall the dart-snake (ḳippōz ) make her nest ... there shall the kites (dayyōth ) be gathered, every one with her mate."
The question is whether sā‛ı̄r and se‛ı̄rı̄m in these passages stand for real or for fabulous animals. In Leviticus 17:7 and 2 Chronicles 11:15 , it is clear that they are objects of worship, but that still leaves open the question of their nature, though it may to many minds make "devils" or "demons" or "satyrs" seem preferable to "he-goats." In Isaiah 13:20 we read, "neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall shepherds make their flocks to lie down there." This may very likely have influenced the American Committee of Revisers to use "wild goat" in Isaiah 13:21 and Isaiah 34:14 instead of the "he-goat" of the other passages. In the American Standard Revised Version, no fabulous creatures (except perhaps "night-monster") are mentioned here, but the Septuagint employs daimonia , "demons" in Isaiah 13:21 for se‛ı̄rı̄m and in Isaiah 34:14 for cı̄yı̄m ; ὀνοκέταυροι , onokéntauroi , from ὄνος , ónos , "ass," and κένταυρος , kéntauros , "centaur," in Isaiah 13:22 and Isaiah 34:14 for 'ı̄yı̄m , and again in Isaiah 34:14 for lı̄lı̄th ; σειρῆνες , seirḗnes , "sirens," in Isaiah 13:21 for benōth ya‛ănāh , and in Isaiah 34:13 for tannı̄m . We must bear in mind the uncertainty regarding the identity of cı̄yı̄m , 'ı̄yı̄m ,'ōḥı̄m and tannı̄m , as well as of some of the other names, and we must recall the tales that are hung about the name lı̄lı̄th (the King James Version "screech owl," the King James Version margin and the Revised Version (British and American) "night-monster," the Revised Version margin "Lilith"). While sā‛ı̄r is almost alone among these words in having ordinarily a well-understood meaning, i.e. "he-goat," there is good reason for considering that here it is used in an exceptional sense. The translation "satyr" has certainly much to be said for it. See GOAT; JACKAL .
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Bibliography Information
Orr, James, M.A., D.D. General Editor. Entry for 'Satyr'. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/isb/s/satyr.html. 1915.
