Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible (1898)
SCEP'TRE, a wooden staff or wand, 5 or 6 feet long, usually overlaid with gold or decorated with golden rings, with an ornamented point. It was borne in the hands of kings and others in authority as a token of power. Gen 49:10; Num 24:17. When the sceptre was held out to be touched by an individual approaching the throne, it was a sign of the royal acceptance and favor. There is no biblical instance of a "sceptre being actually handled by a Jewish king. The term is used metaphorically. " - Smith.
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