17 All you who are around him, bemoan him, and all you who know his name; say, How is the strong staff broken, the beautiful rod!
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
The Prophet seems indeed to exhort all neighbors to sympathy; but we have stated for what purpose he did this; for it was not his object to show that the Moabites deserved pity, so that their neighbors ought to have condoled with them in their calamities: but by this figurative mode of speaking he exaggerated the grievousness of the evils which were soon to happen to the Moabites; as though he had said, "This judgment of God will be so dreadful as to make all their neighbors to tremble; all who had previously known the state of the people of Moab, will be smitten with such terror as will make them to groan and mourn with them." In short, the Prophet had nothing else in view than to show that God's vengeance on the Moabites would not be less severe and dreadful than it had been on the ten tribes, and what it would be on the tribe of Judah. Say ye, he says, how is the staff broken? He introduces here all their neighbors as astonished with wonder; for the same purpose are other things mentioned, even to show that the calamity of Moab would be deemed a prodigy, for the people thought them unassailable, and no one had ever dared to attempt anything against their land. This, then, was the reason why the Prophet here asks as one astonished, even in the person of all nations, How has it happened that the staff is broken? and the beautiful rod? [1] These are metaphorical words, which refer to the royal dignity and the condition of the whole people. It follows --
1 - The literal rendering is, -- How has the rod of strength been broken, The staff of honor? "How" is by what means, or how much: the first seems to be the meaning here. The rod and the staff are the same -- the sceptre an ensign of power and of honor or glory. -- Ed.
The lamentation over Moab uttered by those "round about him," i. e., the neighboring nations, and those "that know his name," nations more remote, who know little more than that, there is such a people, takes the form of an elegy. The metaphorical expressions, "staff of strength," and "rod" or "scepter of beauty," indicate the union of power and splendor in the Moabite kingdom.
How is the strong staff broken - The scepter. The sovereignty of Moab is destroyed.
All ye that are about him, bemoan him; and all ye that know his name, say, (l) How is the strong staff broken, [and] the beautiful rod!
(l) How are they destroyed that put their trust in their strength and riches?
All ye that are about him, bemoan him,.... The neighbouring nations, such as the Ammonites, and others, are called upon to condole the sad case of Moab; all upon the borders of the country of Moab, either within them or without them:
and all ye that know his name; not only that had heard of his fame and glory, but knew in what grandeur and splendour he lived; these have a form of condolence given them:
say, how is the strong staff broken, and the beautiful rod! the mighty men of war, the staff of the nation, in which they trusted, destroyed; their fortified cities demolished; the powerful kingdom, which swayed the sceptre, and ruled in great glory, and was terrible and troublesome to others, now pulled down. The Targum is,
"how is the king broken that did evil, the oppressing ruler!''
bemoan--Not that Moab deserves pity, but this mode of expression pictures more vividly the grievousness of Moab's calamities.
all ye that know his name--those at a greater distance whom the fame of Moab's "name" had reached, as distinguished from those "about him," that is, near.
strong staff . . . rod--Moab is so called as striking terror into and oppressing other peoples (Isaiah 9:4; Isaiah 14:4-5); also because of its dignity and power (Psalm 110:2; Zac 11:7).
Staff - A staff and a rod are as well, ensigns of power and government, as instruments to punish offenders.
*More commentary available at chapter level.