The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, and the scepter of the rulers.
The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, and the scepter of the rulers.
Jehovah hath broken the staff of the wicked, the sceptre of the rulers;
The stick of the evil-doers, the rod of the rulers, is broken by the Lord;
The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the scepter of the rulers.
Yahweh has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers,
The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, the sceptre of the rulers;
The Lord hath broken - Yahweh, by the hand of Cyrus.
The staff of the wicked - That is, the scepter of the king of Babylon. The word rendered 'staff' (מטה maṭēh) may mean either a bough, stick, staff, rod, or a scepter. The scepter was the symbol of supreme power. It was in the form of a staff, and was made of wood, ivory, or gold. It here means that Yahweh had taken away the power from Babylon, and destroyed his dominion.