Hebrew word study  – staff  – mish’enah משענה  mem shin ayin nun hei

Psalms 23:4: “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

Tradition and most of our Christian commentators tell us the rod was a weapon the shepherd used to fight off predators that threatened his sheep.  The staff was the walking stick with the crook on the top used to pull a sheep who might start going astray.  Actually, the Hebrew word for rod as mentioned in the last chapter shavat is a word used for the staff carried by a shepherd. 

Most historians believed the shepherd carried a rod and a staff and I won’t argue the point nor am I going to try and explain the use of the rod and staff by a shepherd.  I will just examine this word for staff from the Hebrew. Obviously, the rod and staff are two different items allegedly carried by ancient shepherds. We know one is a staff that has a crook at the end like a cane but we are not sure about the other.  Lexicographers, associate the shavat with this cane-like staff which is also rendered as a scepter or a rod.

So what is the staff? The word staff in Hebrew is mish’enah which comes from the Hebrew root word sha’an which in a verbal form means to support and to rest upon, hence the noun could also be a staff or leaning post. Actually, the shavat could be a mish’enah. Since one of these words shavat or mish’enah would have to mean the staff the translators just choose to use mish’enah for staff. I’m fine with that.  In fact Rabbi, Samson Hirsch refers to the mish’enah as both a rod or a staff.  However, the mishe’enah is used for supporting or leaning upon where the shavat is used as something to express your authority.  It is safe to say that maybe the stick with the crook at the end that we associate with a shepherd is the mish’enah as it would seem that anyone walking any distance with a big stick, regardless of what shape you are in would use it as a support or walking stick. When the shepherd would stop to let his sheep graze and watch over them standing in one place his mish’enah would be used to support him as he stood in one place.  Of course, the sermons you hear on the good shepherd would not include this bit of information for surely our Good Shepherd, Jesus, would not need any support or stick to lean upon to rest.  Besides what comfort can you draw from someone else’s walking stick? 

Let’s look a little deeper into this word mish’enah and examine its Semitic root sha’an.  It is a word rooted in the Persian word su’na which carries the idea of a place to recline, a place of shade. To find a place to recline means you trust your surroundings, no predatory is nearby to attack. When you recline you are not as alert as you are when you are standing.  The same with the shade.  A shady place means there is something to block your vision but you are again trusting your surroundings. To have something to lean upon or support you again requires an element of trust that the stick will not break. In other words, the common denominator that this word sha’an is built upon is the idea of something being trustworthy. 

So, we not only find comfort in the fact that the rod or scepter will always be extended to us, forgiveness and mercy will always be available because of the sacrifice of Jesus we can also find comfort in the staff or the trustworthiness of our shepherd.  We can always go to Him for support and he will not let us down. We can lean upon him when we just cannot stand any longer. When we just cannot go on and continue this life’s journey we can sha’an trust that He will pick us up and carry us.  I may be looking upon the shadows of God in this world, but it is the object of the shadow that I lean upon. The rod and the staff put not only the caring protection of a shepherd upon us,  it also is a picture of an errant child who runs to his father in time of trouble or need and is held by him. All his naughty acts are forgiven and his father covers him with His protection. We see our Savior carrying the authority over all that would come against us with his shavat – rod and we find his arms open to receive us, pick us up and carry us which is symbolized in his staff.

I recall when I was five years old, I started afternoon kindergarten. My older brother who was three years older than me was charged with getting me to school safely. This consisted of paying attention so I did not fall behind when we walked with his two friends the two blocks to school. My brother and his two friends were playing around on our journey one day and lost track of time.  When we arrived at the school, the playground was empty and the doors were shut. I remember one of my brother’s friends saying in absolute horror – “We’re late!”  I was not sure what that word meant (I was only five years old) but I knew it was something bad.  My older brother cried out: “Miss Scarpelli will kill us.”  I wasn’t sure about that word kill either but I knew it was something I did not want to participate in. Everyone took off running but unfortunately, my five year old legs just could not keep up with my brother and his friends. When I arrived at the door my brother and his friends had already opened the door and it slammed shut when I arrived.  My brother and his friends in their panic forgot all about me. I tried to open the door but this school was built during the depression and this was one of those heavy, solid doors which could resist a nuclear blast even if the atom was not yet split when this school was built.  My five-year-old arms could not open this door and for the first time in my life, I found myself in the valley of the shadows where one gets killed by a teacher.  

Since I could not get into the school I walked home, by myself the whole two blocks only to find my mother was using this free time to do some shopping. I could not even get into my home. So, I did what any self-respecting five-year-old who is about to be killed by his teacher would do.  I stood on the porch crying waiting for my teacher to come and do her worst.  

My father was a milkman, had his own truck which he used to do home deliveries and He usually finished his route about this time. Sure enough, I had only stood on the porch for a few minutes when he pulled up in his milk truck. The instant he saw me he stopped his truck in the middle of the street, jumped out and ran up to me and knelt down, and asked what was wrong.  I remember sobbing that I was “late, late, late for school and my teacher was going to kill me.”  My father immediately took my hand and put me in the milk truck and drove me into the ‘valley of the shadow of death.”  But I feared no evil for my father was with me and I knew I could trust him because he carried a staff of trust. I could absolutely trust him to make sure the teacher would not kill me.  We arrived at the school where he pulled open that heavy door as if it were paper.  He led me right to my classroom, walked past the teacher, and put me in a circle where all the other students were standing in preparation for some kind of game. I was as proud as could be when my big, strong, muscular father walked into the class with me.  He then approached that teacher with the authority of a scepter and I could not hear what he said to my teacher but I am sure he advised her she was not to kill me.  I feared no evil that afternoon for I knew I was under my father’s protection.  His shavat – authority and mish’enah – trust comforted me.

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