Bible Dictionaries
Goad
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(Heb. malmad, only in Judges 3 :: 31 ), an instrument used by ploughmen for guiding their oxen. Shamgar slew six hundred Philistines with an ox-goad. "The goad is a formidable weapon. It is sometimes ten feet long, and has a sharp point. We could now see that the feat of Shamgar was not so very wonderful as some have been accustomed to think." In 1 Samuel 13:21 , a different Hebrew word is used, Dorban , Meaning something pointed. The expression ( Acts 9:5 , omitted in the RSV), "It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks", i.e., against the goad, was proverbial for unavailing resistance to superior power.
Copyright Statement
These dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by Thomas Nelson, 1897. Public Domain.
Bibliography Information
Easton, Matthew George. Entry for 'Goad'. Easton's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ebd/g/goad.html. 1897.