Definition and Usage:
The term "pricking" in the biblical context often refers to a sharp, piercing sensation or a metaphorical expression of conviction or distress. It is used to describe both physical sensations and spiritual or emotional experiences. The imagery of pricking is frequently employed to convey the idea of being pierced by truth or conscience, leading to repentance or a change of heart.

Biblical References:

1. Acts 2:37 : "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and asked Peter and the other apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?'" In this passage, the phrase "cut to the heart" is akin to being pricked in the heart. It describes the deep conviction felt by the listeners of Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit's work through Peter's words led to a profound realization of sin and the need for salvation.

2. Acts 9:5 (KJV): "And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks." Although the Berean Standard Bible does not include this phrase, the King James Version uses "pricks" to describe the futility and pain of resisting divine conviction. This metaphor illustrates Saul's (later Paul) internal struggle against the truth of Christ, which he was persecuting.

3. Numbers 33:55 : "But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live." Here, the imagery of "thorns" and "barbs" is similar to pricking, symbolizing persistent irritation and trouble caused by disobedience to God's command.

Theological Implications:

· Conviction of Sin: Pricking often symbolizes the conviction of sin brought about by the Holy Spirit. It is a necessary step in the process of repentance and conversion, as seen in Acts 2:37. The sensation of being pricked in the heart leads individuals to seek forgiveness and transformation.

· Resistance to God's Will: The metaphor of kicking against the pricks, as mentioned in Acts 9:5, highlights the futility and self-inflicted pain of resisting God's will. It serves as a warning against stubbornness and rebellion, urging believers to submit to divine guidance.

· Consequences of Disobedience: The use of pricking imagery in Numbers 33:55 underscores the consequences of failing to fully obey God's commands. Allowing sin or ungodly influences to remain in one's life can lead to ongoing spiritual discomfort and trouble.

Practical Application:

Believers are encouraged to remain sensitive to the pricking of their conscience by the Holy Spirit. This sensitivity helps maintain a humble and repentant heart, open to correction and growth. Additionally, Christians are reminded of the importance of complete obedience to God's commands to avoid the persistent troubles that come from compromise or disobedience.1. (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Prick.

2. (n.) The act of piercing or puncturing with a sharp point.

3. (n.) The driving of a nail into a horse's foot so as to produce lameness.

4. (n.) Same as Nicking.

5. (n.) A sensation of being pricked.

6. (n.) The mark or trace left by a hare's foot; a prick; also, the act of tracing a hare by its footmarks.

7. (n.) Dressing one's self for show; prinking.

8279. sered -- a stylus
... line. From sarad; a (carpenter's) scribing-awl (for pricking or scratching measurements)
-- line. see HEBREW sarad. 8278, 8279. sered. 8280 . Strong's Numbers
/hebrew/8279.htm - 6k

8068. shamir -- a thorn, adamant, flint
... From shamar in the original sense of pricking; a thorn; also (from its keenness
for scratching) a gem, probably the diamond -- adamant (stone), brier, diamond. ...
/hebrew/8068.htm - 6k

6975. qots -- a thorn, thornbush
... thorn. Or qots {kotse}; from quwts (in the sense of pricking); a thorn -- thorn.
see HEBREW quwts. 6974, 6975. qots. 6976 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/6975.htm - 6k

2 Samuel xxiii. 1-7.
... The wicked ones, the enemies of the Church, are compared to the thorns, on account
of their pricking nature; and therefore their end is like that of thorns ...
/.../hengstenberg/christology of the old testament/2 samuel xxiii 1-7.htm

Comenius and the Hidden Seed, 1627-1672.
... Comenius reeled with horror. He saw the weapons for stabbing, for chopping, for
cutting, for pricking, for hacking, for tearing and for burning. ...
/.../hutton/history of the moravian church/chapter xvi comenius and the.htm

All Saints' Day, or St Ursula's Day
... this, so that his conscience is pure, empty and quiet, he will have to go through
great suffering; and his conscience will be constantly pricking and gnawing ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tauler/the inner way/sermon xxvii all saints day.htm

Suffocated Trees
... If a boy or girl has done wrong and is hiding it from his father and his mother,
and his conscience is pricking him all the time, then he cannot be sunny and ...
/.../chidley/fifty-two story talks to boys and girls/suffocated trees.htm

Wherefore it is Better to Take Entent to the Love of God than to ...
... song, and heaviness being cast out, the hall of their soul is fulfilled with wonderful
music, so that it has entirely lost the former pricking and evermore ...
//christianbookshelf.org/rolle/the fire of love/chapter v wherefore it is.htm

Glossary
... moisten inebriate. outray outgoing, out of bounds, outrage. pithily to the core.
plainly altogether. pricking grief, sorrow. privity secret. reek smoke. release ...
//christianbookshelf.org/rolle/the fire of love/glossary.htm

Figurative Style of Certain Messianic Prophecies in the Psalms ...
... "Thine arrows are sharp;" [3296] everywhere Thy precepts fly about, Thy threatenings
also, and convictions [3297] of heart, pricking and piercing each ...
/.../the five books against marcion/chapter xiv figurative style of certain.htm

How Servile Fear Remains Together with Holy Love.
... divine love in our souls, there is always a mercenary or servile fear left in them,
till charity, being come to perfection, takes out this pricking needle and ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter xvii how servile fear.htm

The Pilgrimage of the Saints; Or, Earth and Heaven.
... 2 But pricking thorns thro' all the ground And mortal poisons grow, And
all the rivers that are found With dangerous waters flow. ...
/.../watts/hymns and spiritual songs/hymn 2 53 the pilgrimage of.htm

The Reality of the Resurrection Proved by Facts: -1 the victory ...
... 5. Or is it like a dead man to be pricking the consciences of men, so that they
deny their hereditary laws and bow before the teaching of Christ? ...
/.../athanasius/select works and letters or athanasius/section 30 the reality of.htm

Pricking (1 Occurrence)
... its footmarks. 7. (n.) Dressing one's self for show; prinking. Multi-Version
Concordance Pricking (1 Occurrence). Ezekiel 28:24 There ...
/p/pricking.htm - 7k

Prick (2 Occurrences)
... a skewer. 2. (n.) The act of pricking, or the sensation of being pricked;
a sharp, stinging pain; figuratively, remorse. 3. (n.) A ...
/p/prick.htm - 11k

Smart (2 Occurrences)
... 3. (vt) To cause a smart in. 4. (vi) Quick, pungent, lively pain; a pricking
local pain, as the pain from puncture by nettles. 5 ...
/s/smart.htm - 8k

Nettle (2 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary. (1.) Hebrews haral, "pricking" or "burning," Proverbs
24:30, 31 (RV marg., "wild vetches"); Job 30:7; Zephaniah 2:9. Many have ...
/n/nettle.htm - 8k

Grieving (12 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 28:24 And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel,
nor any grieving thorn of all that are round about them, that despised them ...
/g/grieving.htm - 10k

Tattoo (1 Occurrence)
... camp. 2. (vt) To color, as the flesh, by pricking in coloring matter, so
as to form marks or figures which can not be washed out. 3 ...
/t/tattoo.htm - 7k

Tingle (3 Occurrences)
... 2. (vi) To feel a sharp, thrilling pain. 3. (vi) To have, or to cause, a sharp,
thrilling sensation, or a slight pricking sensation. Multi-Version Concordance ...
/t/tingle.htm - 7k

Retract (2 Occurrences)
... 5. (vi) To take back what has been said; to withdraw a concession or a declaration.
6. (n.) The pricking of a horse's foot in nailing on a shoe. ...
/r/retract.htm - 7k

Despite (18 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 28:24 There shall be no more a pricking brier to the house of Israel, nor
a hurting thorn of any that are around them, that did despite to them; and ...
/d/despite.htm - 13k

Disdain (6 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 28:24 And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel,
nor a hurting thorn of any that are round about them, that did despite unto ...
/d/disdain.htm - 9k

What is an ox goad / oxgoad in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Pricking: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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