Scapegoat

• This everyday expression means a person or group who are falsely blamed for another’s mistake or wrongdoing, because it is expedient to do so.
• The phrase comes from The Bible, Leviticus 16:7-10 KJV.

The Story in the Bible

• In the Bible, the scapegoat was the goat that was chosen to be the symbolic removal of the people’s transgressions. After the scapegoat had been ritually blamed, he was released into the wilderness, carrying the people’s transgressions with it.