Which Temple official selected the Yom Kippur scapegoat by lot?

The High Priest selected the Yom Kippur scapegoat by lot.

In the Temple service described in Leviticus, the High Priest presented two goats before God on Yom Kippur. Lots determined their roles: one goat was designated “for the Lord” and sacrificed as part of the atonement service, while the other was designated for Azazel and sent into the wilderness after the people’s sins were symbolically confessed over it.

The High Priest, or Kohen Gadol, had a unique role in the Yom Kippur ritual. He performed the special sacrifices, entered the Holy of Holies—the only occasion on which that was permitted—and placed his hands on the scapegoat before it was led away. The lot therefore selected the goat’s function, while the High Priest conducted the ceremony.

A common misunderstanding is that “scapegoat” originally meant any person unfairly blamed. In English, that figurative meaning developed from this ancient ritual. The Temple procedure could no longer be performed after the Second Temple was destroyed in 70 CE, because it required both the Temple and its High Priest.