תַּ֫יִשׁ (ta.yish)
ta.yish
male goat
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun tayish refers specifically to a male goat, distinguishing it from the female or young kid. In the biblical text, this animal appears in only three verses, located in Genesis, II Chronicles, and Proverbs. Its limited usage suggests it was a recognized but not overwhelmingly common term in everyday speech compared to more generic words for livestock.
Context reveals its practical value. In Genesis 32:14, Jacob sends a large gift of tayish to his brother Esau as a peace offering, highlighting the goat’s worth as a valuable commodity and a gesture of reconciliation. Similarly, in II Chronicles 29:21, King Hezekiah includes tayish in the sacrifices for restoration of the temple worship, showing its role in religious ritual. Proverbs 30:26 notes their social structure, observing that although they are not mighty, they organize themselves in groups, illustrating order emerging from modest strength.
Translators consistently render tayish as "he-goat" or "male goat," preserving the specific gender distinction. This precision matters in sacrificial laws and gift-giving contexts where the type of animal carried symbolic weight. The word grounds abstract concepts of provision and peace in tangible, agricultural reality.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word tayish refers specifically to a male goat, a detail that matters in ancient agricultural life. Unlike generic terms for livestock, this word highlights gender and strength, often associated with robustness or specific social behaviors among the herd.
In Proverbs 30:31, Solomon lists the male goat alongside the greyhound and the king as figures of dignity and movement. This suggests that even creatures of modest means possess a natural order and worth. It reminds us that value is not always tied to overwhelming power but often to faithful presence within one's role.
When we encounter this term, we are grounded in the tangible reality of daily provision. The Bible uses such specific language to show that God cares about the details of creation, from the king’s court to the shepherd’s field. This attention to detail invites us to see our own lives as part of a carefully ordered world.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- the/ male goats1×
- and/ male goats1×
- a male goat1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- תָ֑יִשׁ1×
- וּ/תְיָשִׁ֕ים1×
- הַ/תְּיָשִׁ֜ים1×
Key Verses
-
Proverbs 30:31
the greyhound; the male goat; and the king against whom there is no rising up.
This verse places the male goat in a list of dignified movers, highlighting its natural authority and orderly behavior despite not being the largest animal.
-
II Chronicles 17:11
Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and silver for tribute. The Arabians also brought him flocks: seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred male goats.
Here the word appears in a record of tribute, showing that male goats were significant enough to serve as valuable gifts between nations.
-
Genesis 30:35
That day, he removed the male goats that were streaked and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.
Although this verse focuses on selection for breeding, it uses the term to distinguish specific male traits in Jacob’s management of his flock.