Scapegoat

A goat which was sent into the wilderness by the high priest, as a symbol of the removal of the sins of the people.

The scapegoat as part of an OT ritual

Leviticus 16:7–10, Leviticus 16:20–22 See also Leviticus 16:26; Isaiah 53:4

Then he shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. After Aaron casts lots for the two goats, one for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat, he shall present the goat chosen by lot for the LORD and sacrifice it as a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement by sending it into the wilderness as the scapegoat.

When Aaron has finished purifying the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, he is to bring forward the live goat. Then he is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to put them on the goat’s head and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their iniquities into a solitary place, and the man will release it into the wilderness.

The scapegoat anticipates Jesus Christ's atonement

John 1:29; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 9:11–14 Jesus Christ's death is here contrasted with the OT sacrificial system.