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| == Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament <ref name="term_57423" /> ==
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| <p> The word ῥάβδος is translated ‘sceptre’ in Hebrews 1:8 and ‘rod’ in Hebrews 9:4, 1 Corinthians 4:21, Revelation 2:27, etc. In Hebrews 11:21, ‘Jacob … worshipped [leaning] upon the top of his staff.’ The reference is to the act of the patriarch when he received the solemn oath of Joseph, that he would bury him with his fathers (‘Israel bowed himself upon the bed’s head,’ Genesis 47:31). In Hebrews the words are an exact quotation from the Septuagint. The difference of translation has arisen from the different ways of vocalizing מטּה. The Septuagintread it as מַטָּה, ‘staff,’ and the Massoretes as מִטָּה, ‘bed.’ The question is, Which is the more likely to be right? The date of the Septuagintis uncertain (see Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible (5 vols), article‘Septuagint’), and the rise of the Massoretic system of vocalization is even more obscure (see Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible (5 vols)iv. 730a). It is not improbable that the Septuagintgives an earlier and more correct interpretation. The phrase ‘bed’s head’ is both curious and difficult. It suggests ideas which are associated with an early Victorian ‘four-poster,’ and are quite out of place in relation to a bed in the East (see Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible (5 vols), article‘Bed’). Usually the bed was laid on the floor or on a low platform, but sometimes a slight portable frame was used ( 2 Samuel 3:31). There is a reference to the head of a bed in 1 Samuel 19:13, The bed’s head may simply mean the place where the pillow was laid. [[ Dillmann]] and Driver (Comm. on Genesis) accept the reading of the Massoretic text. To get over the difficulty, Cheyne (Encyclopaedia Biblica, article‘Staff’) suggests that ראש, ‘head,’ should be read as צָרָשׂ, ‘couch.’ There is no difficulty of interpretation if the Septuagintis followed: Jacob may have stood up to receive the oath of Joseph. [[Equally]] it may be said that there is no difficulty if the bed or couch had an end which might be called its ‘head,’ and that Jacob leaned upon it. It is impossible to decide whether ‘staff’ or ‘bed’ is right, but the fact that the Septuagintis the oldest commentary on the [[Hebrew]] Bible makes its reading the more probable. </ p> <p> Literature.-Comm. on [[ Genesis]] by [[A.]] Dillmann (1897), [[S.]] [[R.]] Driver (Westminster Com., 1904), and [[J. ]] Skinner ( International Critical Commentary, 1910) in loc.; [[F.]] Rendall, Com. on Hebrews, 1883; Encyclopaedia Biblica, article‘Staff’; Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible ( 5 vols) , articles ‘Bed,’ ‘Rod,’ ‘Sceptre’; Smith’s Dict. of the Bible, article‘Staff’; [[C]] Geikie, Hours with tits Bible, new ed. vi. [1884] 28n. </p> <p> John Reid. < /p> | | Staff <ref name="term_57436" /> |
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| | <p> <b> [[ Staff.]] </ b> —Two different words occurring in the [[ Gospels]] are rendered ‘staff’ in Authorized and Revised Versions. —( 1) ῥάβδος, ( 2) ξύλον. </p> <p> < b> 1. </ b> Only once is ῥάβδος found in the Gospels, viz. in the Synoptic account of the instructions given by Jesus to the Twelve as He sent them on their mission ( Mark 6: 8 = Matthew 10: 10 = Luke 9: 3) . It denotes, of course, the ordinary walking-staff of the traveller, which, as used in the East, is somewhat longer than the walking-stick we know, and is simply a long, slightly-tapering rod, serviceable for support and for defence. </p> <p> The main interest of the reference to the staff in the connexion above mentioned lies in the textual difference exhibited by the parallel passages. The instruction as given in Mark 6: 8 was that the Twelve were to take nothing with them, ‘except a staff only’ ( εἰ μὴ ῥάβδον μόνον) ; whereas, according to Mt. ( μηδὲ ῥάβδον) and Lk. ( μήτε ῥάβδον), they were to take nothing at all, not even a staff. Wright cites this in suppport of a suggestion that Mt. and Lk. were ‘affected by the tendency to expect exceptional severity in the case of religious teachers’ ( < i> Synopsis </ i> , p. 57). But perhaps it is adequately explained as due at first to a mere copyist’s assimilation to the other negative items that occur. In both Mt. and Lk., again, there is a v. 1. in some [[ Manuscripts]] which gives the plural ῥάβδους, ‘neither staves. ’ This variant is not necessarily to be ascribed to a set purpose to afford a loophole for harmonizing the accounts. The Authorized Version, however, reading ‘staves’ in both cases, lies open to suspicion on this point; for in & nbsp;Matthew 10:10 it gives ‘nor yet staves, ’ with the extraordinary marginal note ‘Gr. < i> a staff </ i> , ’ showing that their text actually read ῥάβδον. So the way is left open for the puerile suggestion that the accounts are consistent, inasmuch as Jesus meant that His disciples were not to take more than one staff each! Yet Wyclif’s earlier version ( following the Vulgate) had rendered ‘nether a yerde’ in Matthew 10:10 (similarly Luke 9:3), careless of the discrepancy with Mark 6: 8 (‘but a yerde oneli’). Cf. Tindale in Matthew 10: 10 ‘nor yet a rodde.’ The superiority of Mk.’s account is self-evident: there is a touch of perfect naturalness about it. </p> <p> <b> 2. </b> The ξύλον mentioned in Mark 14: 43 (|| Matthew 26: 47, and see Luke 22: 52), like the sword, is distinctly a weapon. John 18: 3 uses the general expression ὅπλα. The ξύλα ( Authorized and Revised [[ Versions]] ‘staves’) were the wooden truncheons or clubs of the [[ Jewish]] police ( ὑπηρέται). [[ Josephus]] ( <i> [[Bj]] </i> ii. ix. 4) mentions them as weapons used by Pilate’s soldiers in attacking a crowd of [[ Jews]] at Jerusalem. < /p> < p> [[J. ]] [[ S.]] Clemens. </p> |
| == Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types <ref name="term_198334" /> ==
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| <p> Exodus 12:11 (c) The Lord's people are pilgrims in this land of sin, sorrow and death. The staff is a sign or a figure of this transient character. It means that the friend was ready for the journey, and prepared to go. We are not to take the place of being citizens here as a finality in our lives. </p> <p> Psalm 23: 4 (c) The rod is for the enemies, while the staff is for the protection and restfulness of the Christian. The staff represents GOD's promises and the loving care of the [[Shepherd]] on which we lean and repose with confidence. </p> <p> Isaiah 3: 1 (b) The staff represents the means of protection and provision for Israel. Because of their disobedience the Lord is promising that He will remove all such blessings from that rebellious nation. </p> <p> Isaiah 9: 4 (c) We may learn from this that the Lord promised to His people complete deliverance from the burdens imposed by oppressing conquerors, the neighboring nations, so that they would be set free from oppression. Since the coming of [[Christ]] is prophesied in verse6, we probably may believe that He is teaching us that because the [[Saviour]] comes into the life, the soul is set free from the bondage of Satan and the oppressing power of sin. </p> <p> Isaiah 10:5, Isaiah 10:15 (c) In this case the staff represents the [[Assyrian]] who would be used by the Lord to punish His people Israel. However, He would not permit the [[Assyrians]] to boast of their power and victories, for they were only an instrument in the hand of a righteous [[God. ]] </p> <p> Isaiah 14:5 (b) The broken staff tells the story of the power of [[God]] to conquer the enemies of Israel, and to prevent them from injuring His people. </p> <p> Isaiah 30:32 (c) We may learn from this strange passage that the Lord will conquer the Assyrians, and in every place where this enemy has conquered [[Israel]] the suffering shall be replaced with the blessing of [[God,]] and with musical instruments. </p> <p> Jeremiah 48: 17 (b) [[Moab]] had been a very strong, vigorous nation occupying a beautiful site. Now GOD's wrath was poured out upon that city, their armies whipped, their strongholds captured. </p> <p> Ezekiel 29:6 (a) Israel had leaned on Egypt for support, but Egypt failed them and did not give the succour and help that Israel expected. </p> <p> Hosea 4:12 (b) [[Evidently]] Israel was depending upon idols for help, and was following the counsel which they received from their divinations. These counsels led them into evil paths. </p> <p> Zechariah 11:10-14 (b) These two staves indicate "authoritative rule and abounding resources." The stave called "beauty" represents GOD's infinite love and wonderful grace toward His people Israel. He broke this staff to show Israel He was now no longer intending to deal with them kindly, but rather with severity. The breaking of the other staff , bands, revealed that He would now cease giving the necessary resources to these two countries and refuse to further provide for them, or protect them. </p> | | == References == |
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| == Webster's Dictionary <ref name="term_178548" /> ==
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| <p> '''(1):''' ''' (''' n.) An arbor, as of a wheel or a pinion of a watch. </p> <p> '''(2):''' ''' (''' n.) The five lines and the spaces on which music is written; - formerly called stave. </p> <p> '''(3):''' ''' (''' n.) [[Plaster]] combined with fibrous and other materials so as to be suitable for sculpture in relief or in the round, or for forming flat plates or boards of considerable size which can be nailed to framework to make the exterior of a larger structure, forming joints which may afterward be repaired and concealed with fresh plaster. </p> <p> '''(4):''' ''' (''' n.) [[A]] pole, stick, or wand borne as an ensign of authority; a badge of office; as, a constable's staff. </p> <p> '''(5):''' ''' (''' n.) [[A]] long piece of wood; a stick; the long handle of an instrument or weapon; a pole or srick, used for many purposes; as, a surveyor's staff; the staff of a spear or pike. </p> <p> '''(6):''' ''' (''' n.) Hence: [[A]] body of assistants serving to carry into effect the plans of a superintendant or manager; as, the staff of a newspaper. </p> <p> '''(7):''' ''' (''' n.) An establishment of officers in various departments attached to an army, to a section of an army, or to the commander of an army. The general's staff consists of those officers about his person who are employed in carrying his commands into execution. See Etat Major. </p> <p> '''(8):''' ''' (''' n.) The grooved director for the gorget, or knife, used in cutting for stone in the bladder. </p> <p> '''(9):''' ''' (''' n.) [[A]] pole upon which a flag is supported and displayed. </p> <p> '''(10):''' ''' (''' n.) [[A]] series of verses so disposed that, when it is concluded, the same order begins again; a stanza; a stave. </p> <p> '''(11):''' ''' (''' n.) The round of a ladder. </p> <p> '''(12):''' ''' (''' n.) [[A]] stick carried in the hand for support or defense by a person walking; hence, a support; that which props or upholds. </p>
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| == King James Dictionary <ref name="term_63236" /> ==
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| <p> [[Staff,]] n. plu. [[G.,]] a bar, a rod. The primary sense is to thrust, to shoot. See Stab. </p> 1. [[A]] stick carried in the hand for support or defense by a person walking hence, a support that which props or upholds. [[Bread]] is the proverbially called the staff of life. <p> The boy was the very staff of my age. </p> <p> [[Thy]] rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Psalms 23 . </p> 2. [[A]] stick or club used as a weapon. <p> With forks and staves the felon they pursue. </p> 3. [[A]] long piece of wood a stick the long handle of an instrument a pole or stick, used for many purposes. 4. The five lines and the spaces on which music is written. 5. An ensign of authority a badge of office as a constables staff. 6. The round of a ladder. 7. [[A]] pole erected in a ship to hoist and display a flag called a flag-staff. There is also a jack-staff, and an ensign-staff. 8. In military affairs, an establishment of officers in various departments, attached to an army. The staff includes officers not of the line, as adjutants, quarter-masters, chaplain, surgeon, &c. The staff is the medium of communication from the commander in chief to every department of an army. 9. [[A]] stanza a series of verses so disposed that when it is concluded, the same order begins again. <p> Cowley found out that no kind of staff is proper for a heroic poem, as being all too lyrical. </p> 10. [[Stave]] and staves, plu. of staff. See Stave.
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| == Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible <ref name="term_54135" /> ==
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| <p> <strong> [[Staff]] </strong> . See Rod, Sceptre. </p>
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| == Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature <ref name="term_61820" /> ==
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| <p> (usually מִטֶּה, מִקֵּל, or שֶׁבֶט; άβδος; all designating a ''stick'' )''.'' The use of rods and staffs was as various with the ancient [[Israelites]] as with us. Men and animals were goaded with them ( Exodus 21:20 [comp. [[Sirach]] 33, 27]; Numbers 22:27; 1 Samuel 17:43; 2 Samuel 7:14; Proverbs 10:13; Proverbs 13:24; Isaiah 9:3), (See [[Bastinado]]); fruit was beaten with them from the trees ( Judges 6:11; Ruth 2:17; Isaiah 28:27), especially olives (q.v.). Old and infirm people carried them as supports or for defense ( Exodus 21:19; Zechariah 8:4 [see the monograph of Canz, ''De Pedo Servatoris,'' Tub. 1750]), also travelers ( Genesis 32:10; Exodus 12:11; 2 Kings 4:29; Matthew 10:10; Mark 6:8). (See [[Walk]]). [[A]] baton, like a ring, was often a sign of rank ( Genesis 38:18; Genesis 38:25; comp. Herod. 1, 19; Bonomi, Nineveh, p. 197); sometimes inscribed with the owner's name (Wilkinson, Anc. Egypt. 2, 347); and especially a badge of office ( Exodus 4:2 sq.; exe 7:9 sq.; Numbers 20:8; Numbers 21:18; Judges 5:14; 1 Samuel 14:27; Psalms 110:2; Micah 7:14). (See [[Scepter]]). The shepherd carried a staff, which he used not only as a support in climbing hills, but for the purpose of beating bushes and low brushwood in which the flocks strayed, and where, snakes and other reptiles abounded. It may also have been used for correcting the shepherd dogs and keeping them in subjection (Van Lennep, Bible Lands, p. 188). (See [[Shepherd]]). </p> <p> In Hebrews 11:21 it is cited as an example of faith that the dying Jacob "worshipped [leaning] upon the top of his staff" (προσεκύνησεν ἐπὶ τὸ ἄκρον τῆς άβδου αὑτοῦ ), a statement which Romanists have sometimes appealed to as sanctioning the worship of images, on the pretense that the patriarch's staff bore a carved head (after the Vulg. ''adoravit fastigium baculi sui'' )''.'' These words are simply quoted from the Sept. at Genesis 47:31, where the Greek translator has mistaken מַטָּה, ''bed,'' for מִטֶּה, ''staff,'' as is obvious from the parallel passage (49:33). The phrase merely indicates a reverential posture such as David assumed ( 1 Kings 1:47). See Zeibich, ''De Jacobo ad Caput Scipionis Adorante'' (Ger. 1783). (See [[Jacob]]). </p>
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| == International Standard Bible Encyclopedia <ref name="term_8692" /> ==
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| <p> ''''' staf ''''' : Many Hebrew terms are represented by this word. The "staves" of the ark translate the word בּד , <i> ''''' badh ''''' </i> , literally, "a part," hence, branch, bar, etc. ( Exodus 25:13 , Exodus 25:14 , Exodus 25:15 , Exodus 25:27 , Exodus 25:28 , etc.). Other words, as <i> '''''maṭṭeh''''' </i> , <i> '''''maḳḳēl''''' </i> , <i> '''''shēbhet''''' </i> , used of the staff in the hand, the shepherd's staff, figuratively , "staff of bread" ( <i> '''''maṭṭeh''''' </i> , Ezekiel 4:16; Ezekiel 5:16; Ezekiel 14:13 ), as indispensable for support of life, are dealt with under [[Rod]] (which see). The New [[Testament]] word is ῥάβδος , <i> '''''rhábdos''''' </i> ( Matthew 10:10 parallel Luke 9:3; Hebrews 11:21 ). See also [[Sceptre]] . </p>
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| ==References == | |
| <references> | | <references> |
| | | <ref name="term_57436"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hastings-dictionary-of-the-new-testament/staff+(2) Staff from Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament]</ref> |
| <ref name="term_57423"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hastings-dictionary-of-the-new-testament/staff Staff from Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament]</ref> | |
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| <ref name="term_198334"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/wilson-s-dictionary-of-bible-types/staff Staff from Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_178548"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/webster-s-dictionary/staff Staff from Webster's Dictionary]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_63236"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/king-james-dictionary/staff Staff from King James Dictionary]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_54135"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hastings-dictionary-of-the-bible/staff Staff from Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_61820"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/cyclopedia-of-biblical-theological-and-ecclesiastical-literature/staff Staff from Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_8692"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/international-standard-bible-encyclopedia/staff Staff from International Standard Bible Encyclopedia]</ref>
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| </references> | | </references> |
Staff [1]
Staff. —Two different words occurring in the Gospels are rendered ‘staff’ in Authorized and Revised Versions.—(1) ῥάβδος, (2) ξύλον.
1. Only once is ῥάβδος found in the Gospels, viz. in the Synoptic account of the instructions given by Jesus to the Twelve as He sent them on their mission ( Mark 6:8 = Matthew 10:10 = Luke 9:3). It denotes, of course, the ordinary walking-staff of the traveller, which, as used in the East, is somewhat longer than the walking-stick we know, and is simply a long, slightly-tapering rod, serviceable for support and for defence.
The main interest of the reference to the staff in the connexion above mentioned lies in the textual difference exhibited by the parallel passages. The instruction as given in Mark 6:8 was that the Twelve were to take nothing with them, ‘except a staff only’ (εἰ μὴ ῥάβδον μόνον); whereas, according to Mt. (μηδὲ ῥάβδον) and Lk. (μήτε ῥάβδον), they were to take nothing at all, not even a staff. Wright cites this in suppport of a suggestion that Mt. and Lk. were ‘affected by the tendency to expect exceptional severity in the case of religious teachers’ ( Synopsis , p. 57). But perhaps it is adequately explained as due at first to a mere copyist’s assimilation to the other negative items that occur. In both Mt. and Lk., again, there is a v. 1. in some Manuscripts which gives the plural ῥάβδους, ‘neither staves.’ This variant is not necessarily to be ascribed to a set purpose to afford a loophole for harmonizing the accounts. The Authorized Version, however, reading ‘staves’ in both cases, lies open to suspicion on this point; for in Matthew 10:10 it gives ‘nor yet staves,’ with the extraordinary marginal note ‘Gr. a staff ,’ showing that their text actually read ῥάβδον. So the way is left open for the puerile suggestion that the accounts are consistent, inasmuch as Jesus meant that His disciples were not to take more than one staff each! Yet Wyclif’s earlier version (following the Vulgate) had rendered ‘nether a yerde’ in Matthew 10:10 (similarly Luke 9:3), careless of the discrepancy with Mark 6:8 (‘but a yerde oneli’). Cf. Tindale in Matthew 10:10 ‘nor yet a rodde.’ The superiority of Mk.’s account is self-evident: there is a touch of perfect naturalness about it.
2. The ξύλον mentioned in Mark 14:43 (|| Matthew 26:47, and see Luke 22:52), like the sword, is distinctly a weapon. John 18:3 uses the general expression ὅπλα. The ξύλα (Authorized and Revised Versions ‘staves’) were the wooden truncheons or clubs of the Jewish police (ὑπηρέται). Josephus ( Bj ii. ix. 4) mentions them as weapons used by Pilate’s soldiers in attacking a crowd of Jews at Jerusalem.
J. S. Clemens.
References
