Bible Lexicons

κέντρον, τό, (κεντέω)

any sharp point:

1 horse-goad, [ ἵπποι] ἄνευ κέντροιο θέοντες Il. 23.387, cf. 430, Ar. Nu. 1297, X. Cyr. 7.1.29, etc.; διπλοῖς κέντροισι S. OT 809; ὄνειδος ἔτυψεν δίκαν διφρηλάτου μεσολαβεῖ κ. A. Eu. 157 (lyr.): post- Hom., ox-goad (Hom. βουπλήξ), used as an instrument of torture, Hdt. 3.130; κέντροις καὶ μάστιξιν Pl. Lg. 777a: prov., πρὸς κέντρα λακτίζειν (v. λακτίζω 2); δεῖ.. κέντρου πολλάκις, οὕτω δὲ καὶ χαλινοῦ Longin. 2.2; as a symbol of sovereignty, λαβὼν.. χερσὶν κέντρα κηδεύει πόλιν S. Fr. 683. metaph., goad, spur, incentive, Pi. Fr. 124.4, A. Pr. 691 (lyr.); ποῦ γὰρ τοσοῦτο κ. ὡς μητροκτονεῖν; Id. Eu. 427; κέντροις ἔρωτος E. Hipp. 39, cf. 1303; πόθου κ. Pl. R. 573a; κέντρα καὶ ὠδῖνες Id. Phdr. 251e; κ. ἐγερτικὸν θυμοῦ Plu. Lyc. 21; κέντρα πτολέμοιο, of the Argives, Orac. ap. Sch. Theoc. 14.48; κ. ἐμοῦ desire for me, S. Ph. 1039.

2. metaph., in pl., tortures, pangs, Id. Tr. 840 (lyr.): sg., τὸ κ. τοῦ θανάτου ἡ ἁμαρτία 1 Corinthians 15:56.

3. point of a spear, Plb. 6.22.4: pl., of the περόναι with which Oedipus pierced his eyes, S. OT 1318.

4. peg of a top, Pl. R. 436d.

5. of animals, sting of bees and wasps, Ar. V. 225, 407 (lyr.), al.; of scorpions, Arist. PA 683a12 (so of the constellation Scorpio, Arat. 505): hence, metaph., of malicious persons, ἐς τοὺς ἔχοντας κέντρ' ἀφιᾶσιν E. Supp. 242; πορεύεται, ὥσπερ σκορπίος, ἠρκὼς τὸ κ. D. 25.52; of Pericles as an orator, τὸ κ. ἐγκατέλειπε τοῖς ἀκροωμένοις Eup. 94.7; of Socrates, ὥσπερ μέλιττα τὸ κ. ἐγκαταλιπών Pl. Phd. 91c; οἷον ὀφθαλμῷ κ. ἐνθεῖσα Philostr. Im. 2.1; βλέμματος κ. Onomarch. ap. Philostr. VS 2.18. spur of a cock, Gp. 14.7.17. quill of the porcupine, Ael. NA 12.26. = πόσθη, Sotad. 1.

6. stationary point of a pair of compasses, Vitr. 3.1.3: generally, centre of a circle, Pl. Ti. 54e, Arist. APr. 41b15, al.; ἡ ἐκ τοῦ κ. (sc. εὐθεῖα) radius, Euc. Opt. 34; ὥσπερ κύκλον κέντρῳ περιέγραψαν τὴν πόλιν Plu. Romans 11:1-36; τὸ κ. τᾶς σφαίρας Ti.Locr. 100e; τὸ κ. τῆς γῆς Ptol. Tetr. 52; κ. βάρεος centre of gravity, Archim. Aequil. 1 Def. 4: metaph., κ. καὶ διαστήματι περιγράφειν circumscribe, Plu. 2.513c, 524f.

7. pin, rivet, Paus. 10.16.1; spur, tip, for fixing a machine in the ground, Apollod Poliorc. 144.1.

8. ῥακτηρίοις κέντροισιν, of oars, S. Fr. 802.

9. Astron., cardinal point on the ecliptic, Ptol. Tetr. 74, S.E. M. 5.12, Vett.Val. 50.18, etc.

10. hard knot in stone, Thphr. HP 5.2.3; flaw in crystals, Plin. HN 37.28.

κέντρον, κέντρου, τό (κεντέω to prick);

1. a sting, as that of bees (4 Macc. 14:19), scorpions, locusts, Revelation 9:10. Since animals wound by their sting and even cause death, Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:55 (after Hosea 13:14, the Sept.) attributes to death, personified, a κέντρον, i. e. a deadly weapon, and that κέντρον is said to be ἡ ἁμαρτία (56), because sin is death's cause and punishment (?) (Romans 5:12).

2. as in the Greek writings an iron goad, for urging on oxen, horses and other beasts of burden; hence, the proverb πρός κέντρα λακτίζειν, to kick against the goad, i. e. to offer vain and perilous or ruinous resistance: Acts 9:5 Rec.; ; cf. Pindar Pythagoras 2, 173; Aeschylus (Ag. 1624, cf.) Prom. 323; Euripides, Bacch. 795; Terent. Phorm. 1, 2, 28; Ammian. 18, 5.

κέντρον , -ου , τό

(< εκντέω , to prick),

[in LXX: Proverbs 26:3 (H4964), Hosea 13:14 (H6987), Hosea 5:12, Sirach 38:25, 4 Maccabees 14:19*;]

1. a sting (4Mac, l.c.): Revelation 9:10. Metaph. (as Hosea 13:14): τ . θανάτου , 1 Corinthians 15:55 (LXX), 1 Corinthians 15:56,

2. a goad: pl., Acts 26:14.†