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.