tribe: rod
mat.teh denotes a tribal division and, in other contexts, a staff or rod used in action or imagery.
The term most often marks a tribal division or affiliation, as in lists of Israel’s tribal heads and named tribal descent. It also denotes a tangible staff or rod held and extended in narrative actions, while Ezekiel uses it in images of bread provision and of rods associated with ruling scepters.
Senses in use
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Tribal division or affiliation · dominant
Construct singular forms occur with named groups: in 1 Kings 8:1 the APB renders the assembly as including “all the heads of the tribes,” and in Exodus 31:2 it identifies Bezalel as belonging to Judah. In 1 Chronicles 6:62, the clause assigns cities from several named tribal groups.
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Handheld staff or rod · common
The singular forms name an object in a person’s hand or directed outward. In Exodus 14:16 the APB renders the command to lift a “rod” and stretch out a hand over the sea; in 1 Samuel 14:27 Jonathan extends the tip of the “staff” in his hand into honey.
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Support of bread · occasional
In Ezekiel 14:13, the construct singular occurs in the warning that God will “break” the “staff of bread” and send famine. Ezekiel 4:16 likewise renders the clause as breaking Jerusalem’s “supply of bread,” showing provision expressed through this image.
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Rods associated with rule · rare
Ezekiel 19:11 describes “strong rods” that became “ruling scepters,” and Ezekiel 19:14 says that no strong rod remained, “no scepter for ruling.” The verse presents rods within an image of lost ruling capacity.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the term as “tribe,” “staff,” or “rod”; in Ezekiel it also uses “staff of bread,” “supply of bread,” and “scepter.” Because the APB is a whole-verse translation, these renderings show the clauses’ presentation rather than a fixed English equivalent.