The holy Scriptures have a variety of meanings concerning this word. We perfectly well understand the sense if taken naturally. A rod may be formed from all the various trees of the wood. But when it is used figuratively, the meaning is not so clear. Thus the Lord Jesus himself is called a rod out of the stem of Jesse. (Isaiah 11:1) And his church is called the rod of his inheritance. (Psalms 74:2; Jeremiah 10:16) Sometimes the expression is made use of to denote the exercise of the Lord's power. Thus speaking of his enemies he saith, "Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron." (Psalms 2:9) And by the exercise of it for his people, he shall make them willing in the day of his power. (Psalms 110:3) And the Psalmist comforts himself in the Lord's exercise of it over him when he saith "thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." (Psalms 23:4) I refer to the Scripture for the general account of the rod "of Moses and Aaron's rod that budded," and the like. (Exodus 3:1-22 etc. Numbers 17:8)