# separate the sheep from the goats

> English word · Verb

## Definitions
1. To divide the members of a group into those that are superior and those that are inferior.

## Etymology
From the New Testament discourse of the Sheep and the Goats, particularly Matthew 25:32–33: “And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.”

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/separate-the-sheep-from-the-goats