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Leviticus 16:8
One definition comes from separating the word azazel into two roots. The first root is 'azaz (Strong's #5810), which means “to strengthen” or “to prevail.” The second root is the well-known el (Strong's #410), a title of God. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia says combining these roots would give azazel a meaning of “the strength of God.” However, the difficulty with this starting point is that it does not clearly relate to what happens within the chapter, particularly the second goat. To give an idea of the ambiguity of the Hebrew, other scholars use the exact same roots to suggest that azazel means “a powerful god,” but with a lowercase g, meaning a demon. This is because el is used on rare occasions for a god other than the true One. So, the same roots are used, but they lead to very different interpretations.
David C. Grabbe
Azazel: Beginnings
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