49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, 1
until he comes to whom it belongs; 2
the nations will obey him. 3
110:2 The Lord 6 extends 7 your dominion 8 from Zion.
Rule in the midst of your enemies!
125:3 Indeed, 9 the scepter of a wicked king 10 will not settle 11
upon the allotted land of the godly.
Otherwise the godly might
do what is wrong. 12
19:14 A fire has gone out from its branch; it has consumed its shoot and its fruit. 13
No strong branch was left in it, nor a scepter to rule.’
This is a lament song, and has become a lament song.”
21:10 It is sharpened for slaughter,
it is polished to flash like lightning!
“‘Should we rejoice in the scepter of my son? No! The sword despises every tree! 14
21:13 “‘For testing will come, and what will happen when the scepter, which the sword despises, is no more? 15 declares the sovereign Lord.’
7:14 Shepherd your people with your shepherd’s rod, 21
the flock that belongs to you, 22
the one that lives alone in a thicket,
in the midst of a pastureland. 23
Allow them to graze in Bashan and Gilead, 24
as they did in the old days. 25
1 tn Or perhaps “from his descendants,” taking the expression “from between his feet” as a euphemism referring to the genitals. In this case the phrase refers by metonymy to those who come forth from his genitals, i.e., his descendants.
2 tn The Hebrew form שִׁילֹה (shiloh) is a major interpretive problem. There are at least four major options (with many variations and less likely alternatives): (1) Some prefer to leave the text as it is, reading “Shiloh” and understanding it as the place where the ark rested for a while in the time of the Judges. (2) By repointing the text others arrive at the translation “until the [or “his”] ruler comes,” a reference to a Davidic ruler or the Messiah. (3) Another possibility that does not require emendation of the consonantal text, but only repointing, is “until tribute is brought to him” (so NEB, JPS, NRSV), which has the advantage of providing good parallelism with the following line, “the nations will obey him.” (4) The interpretation followed in the present translation, “to whom it [belongs]” (so RSV, NIV, REB), is based on the ancient versions. Again, this would refer to the Davidic dynasty or, ultimately, to the Messiah.
3 tn “and to him [will be] the obedience of the nations.” For discussion of this verse see J. Blenkinsopp, “The Oracle of Judah and the Messianic Entry,” JBL 80 (1961): 55-64; and E. M. Good, “The ‘Blessing’ on Judah,” JBL 82 (1963): 427-32.
4 tn Or “rod” (KJV, ASV); NCV, CEV “walking stick”; NLT “shepherd’s staff.”
5 sn Mention of the staff makes an appropriate ending to the section, for God’s power (represented by the staff) will work through Moses. The applicable point that this whole section is making could be worded this way: The servants of God who sense their inadequacy must demonstrate the power of God as their sufficiency.
6 tn Since the
7 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood here as descriptive-dramatic or as generalizing, though it could be taken as future.
8 tn Heb “your strong scepter,” symbolic of the king’s royal authority and dominion.
9 tn Or “for.”
10 tn Heb “a scepter of wickedness.” The “scepter” symbolizes royal authority; when collocated with “wickedness” the phrase refers to an oppressive foreign conqueror.
11 tn Or “rest.”
12 tn Heb “so that the godly might not stretch out their hands in wrongdoing.” A wicked king who sets a sinful example can have an adverse moral and ethical effect on the people he rules.
13 tn The verse describes the similar situation recorded in Judg 9:20.
14 tn Heb “Or shall we rejoice, scepter of my son, it despises every tree.” The translation understands the subject of the verb “despises,” which is a feminine form in the Hebrew text, to be the sword (which is a feminine noun) mentioned just before this. Alternatively, the line may be understood as “let us not rejoice, O tribe of my son; it despises every tree.” The same word in Hebrew may be either “rod,” “scepter,” or “tribe.” The word sometimes translated as “or” or taken as an interrogative particle may be a negative particle. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:672, n. 79.
15 tn Heb “For testing (will come) and what if also a scepter, it despises, will not be?” The translation understands the subject of the verb “despises,” which is a feminine form in the Hebrew text, to be the sword (which is a feminine noun) mentioned in the previous verses. The text is very difficult and any rendering is uncertain.
16 tn Heb “bring near.”
17 tn Heb “one to one for you for one stick.”
18 tn Heb “the sons of your people.”
19 tn Heb “I will place them on it, that is, on the stick of Judah.”
20 sn The reunification of Israel and Judah is envisioned as well in Ezek 33:23, 29; Jer 3:18; 23:5-6; Hos 1:11; Amos 9:11.
21 tn Or “with your scepter” (the Hebrew term can mean either “rod” or “scepter”).
22 tn Heb “the flock of your inheritance.”
23 tn Or “in the midst of Carmel.” The Hebrew term translated “pastureland” may be a place name.
24 sn The regions of Bashan and Gilead, located in Transjordan, were noted for their rich grazing lands.
25 tn Heb “as in the days of antiquity.”