Coulter occurs in 1Sa 13:20-21, as the translation of אֵת (eth), an agricultural instrument, rendered elsewhere "plough-share" (Isa 2:4; Mic 4:3; Joe 3:10), for which, however, a different word stands in the passage in 1 Samuel. The Sept. renders it by the general term σκεῦος, implement, in 1 Samuel, but plouwshare in the other passages. The Rabbins understand it to be a mattock. It was probably the facing- point or shoe of a plow, analogous to our coulter, as it was of iron, with an edge that required sharpening, and was easily transformed into a sword. Such an appendage to the plow, however, is not now in use in the East, SEE AGRICULTURE, but would be greatly needed in improved cultivation, considering the frail structure of the plow itself, the point being usually only of wood (see Wilkinson's Ancient Egyptians, 2:14, 17). SEE PLOUGH.
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More