* Although goats and sheep can be very similar, these are some ways that they are different:
* Goats have coarse hair; sheep have wool.
* The tail of a goat stands up; the tail of a sheep hangs down.
* A sheep usually like to stay with their herd, but goats are more independent and tend to wander away from the herd.
* In Bible times, goats were often the main source of milk in Israel.
* Goat skins were used for tent coverings and to make bags for holding wine.
* In both the Old and New Testaments, the goat was used as a symbol for unrighteous people, perhaps because of their tendency to wander away from the one taking care of them.
* The Israelites also used goats as symbolic sin bearers. When one goat was sacrificed, the priest would lay his hands on a second live goat and send it into the desert as a symbol of the animal bearing the people's sins.
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