Who—or What—Is Azazel?
Examining the Hebrew term in Leviticus 16, its translation history, the major interpretations, and whether Azazel can be identified with Satan.
Part One examined why Adventist theology requires the scapegoat to represent Satan. Part Two showed what happens if the living goat represents Christ. Part Three traced the historical connection between the doctrine and 1844. Part Four now turns directly to the disputed Hebrew word: Azazel.
Much of the debate rests upon a single question: does Azazel name Satan, describe the place to which the goat was sent, or communicate the idea of complete removal?
The word Azazel is difficult, but difficulty does not give interpreters permission to insert Satan into the ritual. The identity of the living goat must be established from the text, the larger Day of Atonement ceremony, and the New Testament fulfilment in Christ.
Where the Word Azazel Appears
The Hebrew word commonly transliterated Azazel appears four times in Leviticus 16. It is associated with the living goat that is presented before the Lord and later sent into the wilderness.
Aaron casts lots: one lot for the Lord and one lot for Azazel.
The goat for Azazel is presented alive before the Lord to make atonement with it and send it into the wilderness.
The man who releases the goat for Azazel must wash before returning.
Because the term is rare and appears only in this ritual context, its precise meaning has been debated for centuries.
The Three Main Interpretations
Each interpretation attempts to account for the unusual wording. But the Adventist conclusion that Azazel must be Satan is only one interpretation among several; it is not an explicit statement of the passage.
Why Some Identify Azazel With Satan
Those who identify Azazel with Satan often emphasize the contrast between the two lots: one “for the Lord” and one “for Azazel.” If one side names a personal being, they argue, the other side may also name a personal being.
They may also appeal to later Jewish literature in which Azazel appears as an evil or rebellious supernatural figure associated with the wilderness.
The interpretive problem
Later Jewish traditions can illuminate how some people understood the word, but they cannot by themselves establish what Moses intended in Leviticus 16.
Leviticus Does Not Call Azazel Satan
The text never uses the Hebrew word for Satan in connection with the goat. It never calls Azazel the devil, the serpent, the deceiver, or the adversary. Those identifications are imported from outside the passage.
One Sin Offering, Not Two Opposing Powers
Leviticus 16:5 states that Aaron is to take two male goats for a sin offering. The goats are therefore introduced together as components of one ritual dealing with sin.
One goat dies and its blood is brought into the sanctuary. The other remains alive and carries the confessed sins away. The two actions can naturally portray sacrifice and removal without dividing the work between Christ and Satan.
One goat portrays death for sin. The other portrays sin being carried away. Together they can present two dimensions of one complete atoning work.
Does “For Azazel” Mean a Sacrifice to a Demon?
The living goat is not killed as an offering to Azazel. It is presented alive before the Lord, atonement is made with it, and it is then sent away.
This makes it difficult to describe the ritual as a sacrifice to a wilderness demon. The worship, priesthood, confession, and atoning actions all occur within the service commanded by the Lord.
| What the Text Says | What the Satan Interpretation Adds |
|---|---|
| The two goats form a sin offering | The goats represent Christ and Satan |
| The living goat is presented before the Lord | The goat belongs to Satan |
| The goat carries confessed sins away | Satan finally bears the sins of the redeemed |
| The goat is sent into a remote land | The wilderness symbolizes Satan’s millennial punishment |
The Wilderness Does Not Automatically Mean Satan
The wilderness can symbolize danger, desolation, testing, judgment, or separation. But no symbol has only one possible meaning in every passage.
In Leviticus 16, the wilderness functions as the place where the sins are removed from the camp and taken beyond the community. The emphasis is separation: the sins are carried away and do not return.
The destination of the goat serves the removal of sin. The text does not require the destination to identify the goat as Satan.
Azazel and the Idea of Removal
The traditional English word “scapegoat” arose from the idea of an “escape goat”—the goat that departs carrying the sins of the people. Although the exact etymology of Azazel remains disputed, the ritual action itself is unmistakable: the goat carries the sins away.
The visible action interprets the ceremony. Israel watches its confessed sins symbolically leave the camp and disappear into an uninhabited land.
The goat does not return the sins to Israel. It carries them away from the presence of the people.
Later Jewish Literature and the Book of Enoch
Some appeal to 1 Enoch, where Azazel is portrayed as a rebellious supernatural being who teaches corruption and is bound for judgment.
This material demonstrates that some later Jewish interpreters understood Azazel personally. But 1 Enoch was written long after Leviticus and cannot replace the wording and ritual context of the Torah.
Later tradition must remain secondary
The meaning of Leviticus 16 must be established first from Leviticus itself, then tested against the rest of Scripture.
The New Testament Identifies Christ as the One Who Removes Sin
When the New Testament explains the fulfilment of Israel’s sacrificial system, it repeatedly centers the bearing and removal of sin in Jesus Christ.
Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Christ appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.
Christ bore our sins in His own body on the tree.
Christ was manifested to take away our sins.
The New Testament never explains the scapegoat by saying that Satan ultimately bears the sins of believers. It instead presents Christ as the One who bears, puts away, and removes sin.
Satan Can Be Punished Without Becoming the Scapegoat
Rejecting the identification of Azazel with Satan does not mean that Satan escapes judgment. Scripture clearly teaches his final condemnation.
Satan is punished for his own rebellion, deception, violence, and opposition to God. His destruction is an act of judgment; it is not a second stage of the believer’s atonement.
It does not forgive sin, cleanse the conscience, remove guilt, or complete Christ’s sacrifice.
Questions Part Four Raises
Who—or What—Is Azazel?
The precise meaning of Azazel remains debated. It may refer to a wilderness destination, the departing goat, complete removal, or—in some later traditions— a personal evil being.
What Leviticus 16 does not do is explicitly identify Azazel with Satan or teach that Satan finally bears the forgiven sins of God’s people.
A disputed word must not be used to take from Christ the work Scripture repeatedly assigns to Him: bearing sin and taking it away.
Principal Passages and Sources for Further Study
- Leviticus 16:5–10, 20–26 — The two goats, Azazel, and the removal of sin.
- Isaiah 53:4–12 — The Servant bears iniquity and justifies many.
- John 1:29 — Christ takes away the sin of the world.
- Hebrews 9:11–28 — Christ bears and puts away sin through His sacrifice.
- Hebrews 10:1–18 — One offering and sins remembered no more.
- 1 Peter 2:24 — Christ bore our sins in His own body.
- 1 John 3:5 — Christ was manifested to take away sins.
- Revelation 20:7–10 — Satan’s final judgment for his own rebellion.
- 1 Enoch 8–10 — A later Jewish portrayal of Azazel as a rebellious being.
Explore the Other Parts
Return to the historical development or continue into the finished work of Christ and the spiritual danger of making Satan the scapegoat.