What Did Jesus Mean When He Said to Saul: “To Keep Kicking Against the Goads Makes It Hard for You”?—Acts 26:14

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The phrase spoken by the resurrected Jesus to Saul of Tarsus—later the apostle Paul—during his supernatural encounter on the road to Damascus is recorded in Acts 26:14:

“When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me in the Hebrew language: ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? To keep kicking against the goads makes it hard for you.’” (UASV)

To understand this statement fully, we must examine the literal meaning of a goad, its metaphorical usage in Scripture, and how it applies to Saul’s spiritual resistance prior to his conversion.

What Is a Goad?

A goad (Greek: κέντρον, kentron) was an agricultural tool commonly used in the ancient Near East. Farmers employed it to drive and guide oxen or other draft animals during plowing or hauling tasks. Typically, a goad was a wooden staff, around eight feet (2.5 meters) in length, with one end tipped by a sharp metal spike. The farmer would gently prick the animal to prompt forward movement or to steer it.

If the ox resisted or “kicked” against the goad, it would not harm the farmer, but only inflict pain on itself. This simple tool was both corrective and protective. It enabled the animal to stay on course and avoid unnecessary injury. Significantly, the opposite end of the goad was often shaped like a chisel or blade, used to clean hardened dirt or roots from the plow blade—making the instrument both practical and efficient.

In some biblical contexts, the goad was even used as a weapon, as when Shamgar killed 600 Philistines with a cattle goad (Judges 3:31), a testimony to its rugged utility.

Symbolic Use of Goads in Scripture

Beyond its agricultural role, the goad took on symbolic meaning in biblical literature. In Ecclesiastes 12:11, Solomon compares the words of the wise to goads:

“The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd.”

Here, the goad is used to describe instruction that prods or urges a person toward correct behavior, often when they are hesitant or stubborn. The application is clear: wise counsel, though at times uncomfortable or piercing, serves to guide and correct.

Application to Saul’s Spiritual Resistance

When Jesus said to Saul, “To keep kicking against the goads makes it hard for you,” He employed this well-known agrarian metaphor to expose Saul’s internal struggle and moral resistance.

Saul had been aggressively persecuting followers of Jesus, believing himself to be upholding Jewish orthodoxy. As a Pharisee trained under Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), Saul was zealous for the Law and viewed the early Christian movement as heretical and dangerous (Acts 8:1-3; 9:1-2). Yet it seems clear from Jesus’ words that Saul had been experiencing some inner turmoil—a growing awareness, likely born from witnessing the steadfastness, joy, and scriptural reasoning of Christians, especially martyrs like Stephen (Acts 7:54–60).

The “goads” represent these prodding truths—compelling evidences, convicting experiences, and the Spirit-driven testimony of the early disciples—that Saul had been resisting. His “kicking” against them, like a stubborn ox, did not stop the truth; it only wounded his own conscience and made his inner life more difficult.

This phrase reveals that Jesus had been working on Saul’s heart even before this confrontation. Saul’s conversion was not merely a sudden reversal brought on by a blinding light, but the culmination of accumulated truth and conviction—resisted, until it could be denied no longer.

Broader Implications

Jesus’ use of the phrase serves multiple purposes:

It highlights divine patience and forethought—Jesus had not cast Saul aside despite his persecution, but had been gradually confronting him with truth.
It emphasizes personal responsibility—Saul’s persecution of Christians was not done in innocent ignorance, but in deliberate opposition to mounting evidence.
It provides a universal principle—those who resist truth, particularly the truth of the Gospel, often do so to their own spiritual and psychological harm. Rebellion against God’s Word is not only futile but self-injurious.

Conclusion

When Jesus told Saul, “To keep kicking against the goads makes it hard for you” (Acts 26:14), He used a vivid agricultural metaphor to describe Saul’s self-destructive resistance to divine truth. Like an ox kicking against the goad meant to guide it safely, Saul had been resisting the convicting work of God through Jesus’ disciples. This metaphor exposes the futility of opposing God’s will and underscores the mercy of Christ, who, rather than abandoning Saul, confronted him in grace and redirected his zeal into faithful service. This moment marks not only Saul’s conversion but also highlights a timeless lesson: resisting God’s truth only injures the rebel, while submission leads to life and peace.

About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).