When it comes to translating anything out of another language, idioms are often one of the most difficult things to deal with. You are faced with an unavoidable dilemma. Do you translate the idiom directly as it appears and potentially lose your readers in terms of their understanding? Or, do you try and give the thought of the idiom instead, sacrificing a word for word translation? Our Bibles are full of idioms, and translators of all the English versions have had to wrestle with this very issue. One such idiom appears in Acts 26:14, and nearly all English translations have sought to translate it literally. What then, does it actually mean?
‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ Acts 26:14.
A goad is not something that we are terribly familiar with in our society today. A good practice when you run across an unfamiliar term in the Bible is to see how else it is used in Scripture. This will often give you a good idea of what the term actually means. Remember however, that the term that is important to look up is the original Greek or Hebrew term, as often times the English equivalents are translated differently. This is where a trusty old concordance can be a handy tool.
The Greek term uses here for goad is κέντρον (kentron). The term is used only a few other times in the New Testament. Paul uses the exact same term in 1 Corinthians 15 when he discusses the resurrection:
The Greek term uses here for goad is κέντρον (kentron). The term is used only a few other times in the New Testament. Paul uses the exact same term in 1 Corinthians 15 when he discusses the resurrection:
"O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 1 Cor 15:55–56.
The term is translated here in the ESV as "sting." A similar image is given for us in the Revelation of John:
They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. Rev 9:10.
So the primary meaning of the word is something sharp or pointy like a stinger. Paul uses it in a more metaphorical sense, while John uses it in a more literal sense. However, that only gets us half way to properly understanding our idiom. We realize that a goad is something sharp, but why would anyone kick something sharp? This is where a little more cultural understanding can fill in the rest of the gaps. A good Bible Dictionary can help with this piece of the puzzle.
Goad. A sharpened metal point on the end of a long pole. Goads were used by farmers to prod animals to keep them moving1
You can see in the illustration above that the man is holding a goad in his left hand. So, as a tool, a goad was a "stinger" or sharp point attached to the end of stick, to keep prodding the oxen or donkey forward while plowing. It served to keep the worker a safe distance away while he spurred on the animals to keep working.
Why would he need to be a safe distance away? If you have ever worked on a farm or around horses, you know to stay out of the blind spots of these animals. Their kicks are strong and if they connect, they could do some serious damage.
What does all of this have to do with Paul? Well, you could imagine that if a worker were using a goad on an animal, that it might be inclined to kick. However, that would not help at all, and in fact it would only serve to hurt the mule further, as its foot would connect directly with a sharp point! This is the crucial insight for understanding the Lord's rebuke of Paul in our text. It is not just simply that Paul was being stubborn and refusing to submit to God, but in fact he was hurting himself all the while! Ben Witherington III summarizes this idiom perfectly for us:
Why would he need to be a safe distance away? If you have ever worked on a farm or around horses, you know to stay out of the blind spots of these animals. Their kicks are strong and if they connect, they could do some serious damage.
What does all of this have to do with Paul? Well, you could imagine that if a worker were using a goad on an animal, that it might be inclined to kick. However, that would not help at all, and in fact it would only serve to hurt the mule further, as its foot would connect directly with a sharp point! This is the crucial insight for understanding the Lord's rebuke of Paul in our text. It is not just simply that Paul was being stubborn and refusing to submit to God, but in fact he was hurting himself all the while! Ben Witherington III summarizes this idiom perfectly for us:
In Jesus’ message to Saul/Paul spoken from heaven, the reference to κέντρα was a metaphorical way of saying that as Saul was persecuting the church, he was actually hurting himself. Saul was sinning against God by resisting God’s plan for his life. And . . . he is hurting himself.
God’s message to us is the same. The more we sin against God, the more we resist his plan for our lives, and the more we tune out his call into our lives, the more pain we will feel. Indeed, we are only hurting ourselves when we keep running into the brick wall of sin. Later on in life we may, like Paul, wonder whether God perhaps considers us the chief of sinners. But, as God showed his forgiving mercy to Paul, he will show his forgiving mercy to us if we repent of our sins, turn to Jesus Christ as Lord, and accept his will for our lives.3
Something we often don't believe God about is the fact that his regulations and commandments are for our own good. We get the picture in our heads that the Christian life is a drag, and we are kept from doing the things we really want to do just because God said. Beloved, God is not a cosmic killjoy out to ruin all of our fun! That is a lie and the world has swallowed it hook, line, and sinker. Rather, God's commands and instructions for us are really for our own good and happiness! I can promise you that if you are a true believer in Jesus Christ, that you will never find more joy and satisfaction in your life than when you are being obedient to him and following his will. Brothers and sisters, let's learn from Paul and stop kicking against the goads.
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1 Ronald F. Youngblood, F. F. Bruce, and R. K. Harrison, Thomas Nelson Publishers, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1995).
2 Myers, Richard. Images from A Standard Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2012.
3 Ben III Witherington, “Kicking Against the Goads (Acts 26:14),” in Devotions on the Greek New Testament: 52 Reflections to Inspire & Instruct, ed. Verlyn D. Verbrugge and Scott J. Duvall (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 57.
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1 Ronald F. Youngblood, F. F. Bruce, and R. K. Harrison, Thomas Nelson Publishers, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1995).
2 Myers, Richard. Images from A Standard Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2012.
3 Ben III Witherington, “Kicking Against the Goads (Acts 26:14),” in Devotions on the Greek New Testament: 52 Reflections to Inspire & Instruct, ed. Verlyn D. Verbrugge and Scott J. Duvall (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 57.