'Scepter' in the Bible
“The scepter [of royalty] shall not depart from Judah,Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,Until Shiloh [the Messiah, the Peaceful One] comes,And to Him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
“I see Him, but not now;I behold Him, but not near.A star shall come forth from [the descendants of] Jacob,A scepter shall rise out of [the descendants of] IsraelAnd shall crush the forehead of MoabAnd destroy all the sons of Sheth.
“All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that for any man or woman who comes to the king to the inner court without being summoned, he has but one law, that he is to be put to death, unless the king holds out to him the golden scepter so that he may live. And as for me, I have not been summoned to come to the king for these [last] thirty days.”
When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she found favor in his sight; and the king extended to her the golden scepter which was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the top of the scepter.
Then the king held out to Esther the golden scepter. So Esther arose and stood before the king.
Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;The scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
“Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;Ephraim is My helmet;Judah is My scepter.
“Gilead is Mine, Manasseh is Mine;Ephraim also is the helmet of My head [My stronghold, My defense];Judah is My scepter.
The Lord will send the scepter of Your strength from Zion, saying,“Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”
For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land of the righteous,So that the righteous will not reach out their hands to do wrong.
“The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked,The scepter of the [tyrant] rulers
“Show sympathy for him, all you [nations] who are around him,And all you [distant nations] who know his name;Say, ‘How has the mighty scepter [of national power] been broken,And the splendid staff [of glory]!’
‘And the fire [of Zedekiah’s rebellion] has gone out from its branch;It has consumed the vine’s shoots and fruit,So that it has in it no [longer a] strong branchAs a scepter to rule.’”This is a dirge (funeral poem to be sung), and has become a dirge.
‘It is sharpened to make a slaughter,Polished to flash and glimmer like lightning!’Shall we then rejoice [when such a disaster approaches]? But it rejects and views with contempt the scepter of My son [Judah].
For this sword has been tested [on others]; and what if it views with contempt the scepter [of Judah]? The scepter shall be no more [but shall be swept away],” says the Lord God.
“I also will break the bar [of the gate] of Damascus,And cut off and destroy the inhabitant from the Valley of Aven (Wickedness),And the ruler who holds the scepter, from Beth-eden (Damascus);And the people of Aram [conquered by the Assyrians] will go into exile to Kir,”Says the Lord.
“And I will cut off and destroy the inhabitants from Ashdod,And the ruler who holds the scepter, from Ashkelon;And I will unleash My power and turn My hand [in judgment] against Ekron,And the rest of the Philistines [in Gath and the towns dependent on these four Philistine cities] shall die,”Says the Lord God.
“Now gather yourself in troops, O daughter of troops;A state of siege has been placed against us.They shall strike the ruler of Israel on the cheek with a rod (scepter).
Shepherd and rule Your people with Your scepter [of blessing],The flock of Your inheritance and Your possessionWhich dwells alone [separate and secure from attack] in the forest,In the midst of a garden land.Let them feed in Bashan and GileadAs in the days of old [the days of Moses and Elijah].
“And they will pass through the sea of distress and anxiety [with the Lord leading His people, as at the Red Sea]And He will strike the waves in the sea,So that all the depths of the Nile will dry up;And the pride of Assyria will be brought downAnd the scepter [of the taskmasters] of Egypt will pass away.