Original Word: מִשְׁעֵנָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: mish`enah
Pronunciation: mish-eh-naw'
Phonetic Spelling: (mish-ay-naw')
KJV: staff
Word Origin: [feminine of H4937 (מִשׁעֵן מִשׁעָן - Support)]

1. support (abstractly), i.e. (figuratively) sustenance or (concretely) a walking-stick

staff

Or mishteneth {mish-eh'-neth}; feminine of mish'en; support (abstractly), i.e. (figuratively) sustenance or (concretely) a walking-stick -- staff.

see HEBREW mish'en

מַשְׁעֵנָה noun feminine id., see foregoing (masculine and feminine to exhaust the category = support of every kind).

מִשְׁעֶ֫נֶת noun feminine staff; — absolute Judges 6:21; 2 Kings 4:31; construct 2 Kings 18:20 +; suffix מִשְׁעַנְתּוֺ Exodus 21:19; Zechariah 8:4, etc.; plural suffix מִשְׁעֲנֹתָם Numbers 21:18; — staff, Exodus 21:19 (E) Numbers 21:18 (J) Judges 6:21; 2 Kings 4:28; 2 Kings 4:29; 2 Kings 2:31; Zechariah 8:4; figurative of political support, מִשְׁעֶנֶת הַקָּנֶה הָרָצוּץ 2 Kings 18:21 = Isaiah 36:6, compare Ezekiel 29:6; of ׳י as shepherd Psalm 23:4 (+שֵׁבֶט).

Overview

The Hebrew term rendered “staff” or “support” appears twelve times in the Old Testament and always carries the idea of something upon which a person relies. Whether literal or figurative, it consistently points to the realities of human frailty and the greater sufficiency of the Lord.

Everyday Implement of Mobility and Age

Zechariah 8:4 pictures Jerusalem’s future peace with “old men and old women… each with a staff in hand because of advanced age”. Here the staff is simply the walking stick that steadies a vulnerable body. Its mention underscores the anticipated longevity, security, and dignity of life under God’s restored blessing.

Shepherding, Comfort, and Guidance

In Psalm 23:4 the psalmist confesses, “Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me”. The shepherd’s staff guided, rescued, and reassured sheep. By selecting this word, David highlights the Lord’s personal involvement in directing and protecting His people. The staff comforts because the Shepherd is present and competent.

Instrument of Authority and Miraculous Power

Numbers 21:18 recalls how Israel’s leaders “dug” the well “with their staffs.” The staff here symbolizes rulership; the nobles’ rods direct labor and provision.

Judges 6:21 describes the Angel of the LORD touching Gideon’s offering with His staff, whereupon fire consumed it—a vivid demonstration that true authority belongs to God.

Elisha employed his servant’s staff in the resurrection narrative of 2 Kings 4:29-31. Although Gehazi’s first attempt failed, the account affirms that power is not intrinsic to the object but to the God who commissions it.

Metaphor for National and Personal Reliance

Several prophets employ the word to challenge misplaced trust. Assyria’s envoy taunts Judah for leaning “on this broken reed of a staff—on Egypt” (2 Kings 18:21; Isaiah 36:6). Ezekiel 29:6 repeats the indictment, promising Egypt’s downfall because it proved unreliable support. Isaiah 3:1 expands the metaphor: “the Lord GOD of Hosts is about to remove from Jerusalem… the whole staff of bread and water.” Food and water are not merely provisions; they are the supports that sustain society, and God can withdraw them at will.

Physical Restoration after Injury

Exodus 21:19 offers civil legislation for an injured man who, having been struck, later “rises and walks outside with his staff.” The verse ties legal restoration to physical recovery, with the staff marking the transition from incapacity to resumed responsibility.

Themes for Ministry and Personal Application

1. Human Support Is Limited

Staffs break, Egypt fails, bread can be withheld. Scripture calls believers to lean ultimately on the Lord, not on unstable human props.
2. Divine Support Is Sufficient

The Shepherd’s staff never falters; His guidance brings comfort even “through the valley of the shadow of death.”
3. Authority Belongs to God

Whether in Gideon’s offering or Elisha’s miracle, a staff becomes a conduit only when wielded under divine commission.
4. Hope for the Aged and Vulnerable

Zechariah’s vision assures that God’s kingdom makes space for the fragile, giving them both staff and safety.

Summary

Throughout the Old Testament the staff functions as a concrete reminder of dependence—sometimes rightly placed on the LORD, sometimes fatally placed on idols, armies, or foreign alliances. It challenges every generation to examine what it truly leans upon and invites wholehearted reliance on the unfailing Shepherd.

בְּמִשְׁעֲנֹתָ֑ם במשענתם הַמִּשְׁעֶ֙נֶת֙ המשענת וּ֝מִשְׁעַנְתֶּ֗ךָ וּמַשְׁעֵנָ֑ה ומשענה ומשענתך מִשְׁעֶ֥נֶת מִשְׁעֶנֶת֩ מִשְׁעַנְתִּ֖י מִשְׁעַנְתִּ֣י מִשְׁעַנְתּ֖וֹ מִשְׁעַנְתּ֛וֹ משענת משענתו משענתי bə·miš·‘ă·nō·ṯām bəmiš‘ănōṯām bemishanoTam ham·miš·‘e·neṯ hammiš‘eneṯ hammishEnet miš‘antî miš‘antōw miš‘eneṯ miš·‘an·tî miš·‘an·tōw miš·‘e·neṯ mishanTi mishanTo misheNet ū·maš·‘ê·nāh ū·miš·‘an·te·ḵā ūmaš‘ênāh umasheNah ūmiš‘anteḵā umishanTechaInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts