Genesis 49:10

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 

Exodus 4:2

4:2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” ⁴ 

Exodus 4:17

4:17 You will also take in your hand this staff, with which you will do the signs.” ⁵ 

Psalms 110:2

110:2 The Lord ⁶  extends ⁷  your dominion ⁸  from Zion.

Rule in the midst of your enemies!

Psalms 125:3

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 

Ezekiel 19:14

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.”

Ezekiel 21:10

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 

Ezekiel 21:13

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.’

Ezekiel 37:16-20

37:16 “As for you, son of man, take one branch, and write on it, ‘For Judah, and for the Israelites associated with him.’ Then take another branch and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the branch of Ephraim and all the house of Israel associated with him.’ 37:17 Join ¹⁶  them as one stick; ¹⁷  they will be as one in your hand. 37:18 When your people ¹⁸  say to you, ‘Will you not tell us what these things mean?’ 37:19 tell them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to take the branch of Joseph which is in the hand of Ephraim and the tribes of Israel associated with him, and I will place them on the stick of Judah, ¹⁹  and make them into one stick – they will be one in my hand.’ ²⁰  37:20 The sticks you write on will be in your hand in front of them.

Micah 7:14

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 

[49:10]  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.

[49:10]  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.

[49:10]  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.

[4:2]  ⁴ tn Or “rod” (KJV, ASV); NCV, CEV “walking stick”; NLT “shepherd’s staff.”

[4:17]  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.

[110:2]  ⁶ tn Since the Lord is mentioned in the third person (note the use of the first person in v. 1), it is likely that these are the psalmist’s words to the king, not a continuation of the oracle per se.

[110:2]  ⁷ tn The prefixed verbal form is understood here as descriptive-dramatic or as generalizing, though it could be taken as future.

[110:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “your strong scepter,” symbolic of the king’s royal authority and dominion.

[125:3]  ⁹ tn Or “for.”

[125:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “a scepter of wickedness.” The “scepter” symbolizes royal authority; when collocated with “wickedness” the phrase refers to an oppressive foreign conqueror.

[125:3]  ¹¹ tn Or “rest.”

[125:3]  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.

[19:14]  ¹³ tn The verse describes the similar situation recorded in Judg 9:20.

[21:10]  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.

[21:13]  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.

[37:17]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “bring near.”

[37:17]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “one to one for you for one stick.”

[37:18]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “the sons of your people.”

[37:19]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “I will place them on it, that is, on the stick of Judah.”

[37:19]  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.

[7:14]  ²¹ tn Or “with your scepter” (the Hebrew term can mean either “rod” or “scepter”).

[7:14]  ²² tn Heb “the flock of your inheritance.”

[7:14]  ²³ tn Or “in the midst of Carmel.” The Hebrew term translated “pastureland” may be a place name.

[7:14]  ²⁴ sn The regions of Bashan and Gilead, located in Transjordan, were noted for their rich grazing lands.

[7:14]  ²⁵ tn Heb “as in the days of antiquity.”