Encyclopedia of The Bible – Wild Goat
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Wild Goat

WILD GOAT (אַקּﯴ, H735, wild goat all Eng. VSS; found only in Deut 14:5; most scholars agree that this cannot be identified; יְּעֵלִ֑ים, wild goat all Eng. VSS). It is essential to distinguish between two closely related and often confused species. The Nubian Ibex (Capra nubiana) is still found in W. Pal. The wild goat strictu sensu is C. aegagrus, also called Bezoar, which is the main wild ancestor of domesticated goats, whereas the Ibex has never been tamed. The Wild Goat at one period lived as far S as Pal. where remains have been found in Stone Age deposits, but it is unlikely that the Israelites knew it. (See Zeuner, ch. 6, for full discussion.) The wild goat is most prob. the Ibex (q.v.). See Goat.