prik : As a noun (= any slender pointed thing, a thorn, a sting) it translates two words: (1) שׂך , sēkh , a "thorn" or "prickle." Only in Numbers 33:55 , "those that ye let remain of them be as pricks in your eyes," i.e. "shall be a source of painful trouble to you." (2) κέντρον , kéntron "an iron goad" for urging on oxen and other beasts of burden: "It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks" (the King James Version of Acts 9:5 , where the Revised Version (British and American) omits the whole phrase, following the best manuscripts, including Codices Sinaiticus, A, B, C, E; the King James Version of Acts 26:14 , where the Revised Version (British and American) has "goad," margin "Greek: 'goads' "), i.e. to offer vain and perilous resistance. See GOAD . As a verb (= "to pierce with something sharply pointed," "to sting"), it occurs once in its literal sense: "a pricking brier" (Ezekiel 28:24 ); and twice in a figurative sense: "I was pricked in my heart" (Psalm 73:21 ); "They were pricked in their heart" (Acts 2:37 , κατανύσσω , katanússō , Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) compungo; compare English word "compunction").
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) was edited by James Orr, John Nuelsen, Edgar Mullins, Morris Evans, and Melvin Grove Kyle and was published complete in 1939. This web site includes the complete text.
WikipediaThe ISBE is a classic Bible reference compiled from nearly 10,000 entries written by over 200 different Bible scholars and teachers. In addition to the encyclopedia articles, all of the major words of the Bible are represented and defined.
The historical, cultural, and linguistic information in the ISBE can be of great value in Bible study and research.
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