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sat´ẽr, sā´tẽr (שׂעיר, sā‛ı̄r, literally “he-goatâ€; שׂער, sā‛ir, “hairy†(, of Esau), and Arabic sha'r, “hairâ€; plural שׂעירי×, se‛ı̄rı̄m): For se‛ı̄rı̄m in and , the King James Version has “devils,†the Revised Version (British and American) “he-goats,†the English Revised Version margin “satyrs,†the Septuagint has τοῖς ματαιÌοις, toıÌs mataıÌois, “vain things.†For se‛ı̄rı̄m in , 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 δαιμοÌνια, daimoÌnia, “demons.†For sā‛ir in , 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 ἐÌτεÏος Ï€Ïὸς τὸν ἐÌτεÏον, heÌteros proÌs toÌn heÌteron, “one to another,†referring to daimonia, which here stands for cı̄yı̄m, “wild beasts of the desert.â€
The text of the American Standard Revised Version in these passages is as follows: , “And they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices unto the he-goats, after which they play the harlotâ€; , “And he (Jeroboam) appointed him priests for the high places, and for the he-goats, and for the calves which he had madeâ€; f (of Babylon), “But wild beasts of the desert (cı̄yı̄m) shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures ('oÌ„ḥı̄m); and ostriches (benoÌ„th ya‛ănaÌ„h) 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 palacesâ€; , , , (of Edom), “But the pelican (kÌ£aÌ„'aÌ„th) and the porcupine (kÌ£ippoÌ„dh) shall possess it; and the owl (yanshoÌ„ph) and the raven (‛oÌ„reÌ„bh) shall dwell therein:... and it shall be a habitation of jackals (tannı̄m), a court for ostriches (benoÌ„th ya‛ănaÌ„h). 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 (kÌ£ippoÌ„z) make her nest ... there shall the kites (dayyoÌ„th) be gathered, every one with her mate.â€
The question is whether sā‛ı̄r and se‛ı̄rı̄m in these passages stand for real or for fabulous animals. In and , 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 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 and instead of the “he-goat†of the other passages. In the American Standard Revised Version, no fabulous creatures (except perhaps “night-monsterâ€) are mentioned here, but the Septuagint employs daimonia, “demons†in for se‛ı̄rı̄m and in for cı̄yı̄m; ὀνοκεÌταυÏοι, onokeÌntauroi, from ὀÌνος, oÌnos, “ass,†and κεÌνταυÏος, keÌntauros, “centaur,†in and for 'ı̄yı̄m, and again in for lı̄lı̄th; σειÏῆνες, seireÌ„Ìnes, “sirens,†in for benoÌ„th ya‛ănaÌ„h, and in for tannı̄m. We must bear in mind the uncertainty regarding the identity of cı̄yı̄m, 'ı̄yı̄m,'oÌ„ḥı̄m 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 “Lilithâ€). 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.