Rod

There are several meanings of rod in the scriptures. A shepherd’s rod was a club approximately three feet long, with a knob on one end. It was used to beat wolves away from the herd. A staff, sometimes called a rod, is longer; it was used for walking, resting, or for guiding the sheep, as in Lev. 27:32; Ps. 23:4.

Moses’ and Aaron’s rods represented authority, as in Ex. 4:1–5; 7:9–12, 17. A rod was also used for punishing a wayward child, as in Prov. 13:24; 22:15; or to whip a supposed offender, as in 2 Cor. 11:25 and Matt. 27:26. A measuring rod was about 10 feet, 10 inches (330 centimeters) long and was used to determine distances (see Ezek. 40:3). Isa. 11:1 speaks of a rod (Hebrew Khoter—a twig or shoot), which has been identified in latter-day revelation as a prophet of the Restoration (D&C 113).