Sceptre

The sceptre (Hebrew shebet, a staff or rod; Greek skeptron) was the symbol of royal authority in the ancient Near East — a staff or wand held by the ruler as an emblem of sovereign power. In biblical usage, the sceptre is closely connected with the concept of kingship and its transfer. Jacob's blessing prophesied that "the sceptre shall not depart from Judah" until Shiloh comes (Gen. 49:10), a messianic prophecy pointing to the perpetual royal line of Judah and its culmination in the Messiah. Balaam's oracle spoke of "a sceptre" rising from Israel (Num. 24:17). In the Persian court, Ahasuerus extended his golden sceptre to Esther as a gesture permitting her to approach him without death (Esther 4:11; 5:2–3). Psalm 45:6 — quoted in Hebrews 1:8 and applied to Christ — declares: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; the sceptre of your kingdom is a sceptre of uprightness." The sceptre thus becomes a symbol of Christ's eternal and righteous reign.