Greek word · G2055
ἐρίφιον
eriphion
a goat
A goat, formally a small form of ἔριφος ('goat, kid'), so potentially 'young goat' or 'kid.' In Greek of this period such small forms often had lost much of their 'little' meaning.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
ἐρίφιον, -ου, τό
(dim, of ἔριφος, which see) [in LXX: Tobit 2:13 * ;]
Matthew 25:33, Luke 15:29 (ἔριφον, WH, txt.).†
(AS)
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
From the study of Matthew 25:33
- Range of meaning
A goat, formally a small form of ἔριφος ('goat, kid'), so potentially 'young goat' or 'kid.' In Greek of this period such small forms often had lost much of their 'little' meaning.
- Against the English
Almost all versions say 'goats,' which is right. Rendering it 'kids' would press the small form too hard, because verse 32 calls the same animals ἔριφοι.
- How it drifted
English readers bring in associations of goats with stubbornness, foul smell, and, from later Christian art, the devil. These do not come from this word.
- Used elsewhere in the period
This is the only New Testament use of ἐρίφιον. The related ἔριφος appears in verse 32 and Luke 15:29, where the elder son complains he was never given even a young goat to feast on. In the Greek Old Testament, ἔριφος is good food and a fitting offering (Genesis 27:9; Judges 6:19). The small form also appears in some Greek manuscripts of Tobit 2:13.
Where it appears
Matthew · 1
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Matthew 25:33 ἐρίφια the goats
He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.
Here: Formally a 'little' form of the word for goat used in verse 32. Since both words name the same animals, the small form probably carries little or no special force here.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.