מַלְמֵד (mal.mad)
mal.mad
oxgoad
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun malmed refers to a specific agricultural tool: an oxgoad. This was a long wooden pole, often tipped with iron, used by farmers to guide and urge their draft animals forward. It served as both a steering device and a stimulus for movement, allowing the handler to direct the beast with precision.
Its most notable appearance in Scripture is in Judges 3:31, where it is identified as the weapon used by Ehud. The text notes that Ehud made this implement himself, describing it as having a hilt on one end and a blade extending from the other. This detail transforms a common farming tool into an instrument of unexpected justice, highlighting how ordinary objects can be repurposed for dramatic historical events.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word malmed refers to an oxgoad, a long wooden pole often tipped with iron that farmers used to guide their draft animals. It was not merely a stick for striking, but a tool for steering and urging forward, requiring constant attention from the handler to keep the beast on the right path.
In Judges 3:31, Ehud uses this ordinary farming implement as a weapon against six hundred Philistines. This shift from agricultural utility to divine justice reminds us that God can use common, everyday objects to bring about significant change. It suggests that your daily tools and routines are not separate from God’s work but can be part of it.
When you feel small or insignificant in the face of large challenges, remember Ehud’s oxgoad. God does not require grand or unusual instruments to accomplish His purposes. He often works through the simple, faithful actions available to you right now, turning ordinary moments into opportunities for deliverance and hope.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- with/ [the] goad of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- בְּ/מַלְמַ֖ד1×
Key Verses
-
Judges 3:31
After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad. He also saved Israel.
This verse uniquely shows the oxgoad repurposed as a weapon of justice by Ehud, transforming an agricultural tool into an instrument of national deliverance.