One wonders how many have used the term “scapegoat” without knowing its true significance. Most have a sense of what it means—a person blamed for the wrongs of another or one chosen for punishment to satisfy a need for public justice even though they haven’t done the wrong. We equate the scapegoat with the “fall guy” or the “whipping boy.” Though these connections resonate with some of the purpose of the scapegoat, they miss much of the richness of what the goat truly represented. Before we look closely at what the term “scapegoat” actually means, let us examine what was placed upon it.

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