A king’s elaborate ceremonial staff (Ps 45:6). Originally a club that could also be used for digging (Num 21:18), the scepter appeared frequently in ancient art and in the biblical writings as royal regalia with an established role in protocol (Amos 1:5; Amos 1:8; Isa 14:5; Esth 4:11; Esth 5:2; Esth 8:4). Israel in the wilderness period was the scepter (i.e., constituted the sovereignty) of God (Num 24:17). Judah acquired similar status (Gen 49:10; Ps 60:7; Ezek 19:11) as the origin of the Davidic king, the mighty scepter God sends forth from Zion. By metonymy, “scepter” might stand for any national sovereignty, e.g., Moab (Jer 48:17) or Egypt (Zech 10:11). The single NT reference to scepter (Heb 1:8) is a variation of (Ps 45:6).
