Goad
Summary
A pointed instrument used to drive oxen while plowing, also known for its use as a weapon by Shamgar and as a powerful biblical metaphor for resisting God's will.
☩Description and Use
The goad was an essential farming implement in the ancient Near East, consisting of a straight branch of oak or other strong wood about eight feet long. One end was fitted with a sharp pointed spike for prodding oxen forward while plowing, and the other end had a flat chisel-shaped iron blade for scraping earth from the plow. Only one hand was needed to hold and guide the light plow, leaving the other free to wield the goad. These implements were kept sharpened, and in times when the Philistines controlled metalworking in Israel, the Hebrews had to go to them to sharpen their goads.
☩Shamgar's Weapon
Shamgar, the son of Anath, used an ox-goad as a weapon to slay six hundred Philistines. Given the size and weight of these implements—eight feet long with an iron-shod point—they could indeed serve as formidable weapons in the hands of a strong and skilled fighter. This extraordinary feat demonstrated how God could use unlikely means and instruments to deliver His people.
☩Figurative and Spiritual Significance
The goad appears metaphorically in Scripture. The words of the wise are compared to goads, pricking and stimulating the hearer toward right action. Most significantly, the risen Christ used the proverb 'It is hard for thee to kick against the goads' when appearing to Saul on the Damascus road. This Greek and Jewish expression described futile and painful resistance to superior power—as when a fractious ox kicks against the driver's goad and only injures itself more. Saul's persecution of the church was such useless resistance against the will of God.
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Goad," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. III (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Goad," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. II (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.James Hastings (ed.), "Goad," in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, vol. I (T. & T. Clark, 1915–1918).
- 4.George Morrish, "Goad," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).