Quick Definition
ῥάβδος, ου, ἡ n.f. a rod, staff
Strong's Definition
from the base of 4474; a stick or wand (as a cudgel, a cane or a baton of royalty)
KJV Usage: rod, sceptre, staff
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
noun, f. | -ου | ῥαβδίζω
6.218 · Artifacts · Miscellaneous
stick, rod a rod about 1–2 m. long; used for walking, herding, fighting off wild animals, beating people A ῥάβδος[a] could be used for a number of different purposes, such as an aid to walking, herding animals, or beating people.
MAT 10:10 · MRK 6:8 · LUK 9:3 · 1CO 4:21 · HEB 1:8 · HEB 1:8 · HEB 9:4 · HEB 11:21 · REV 11:1
37.53 · Control, Rule · Rule, Govern
rule, governing (a figurative extension of meaning of ῥάβδος ‘scepter,’ not occurring in the NT) the manner in which a person rules or governs It is rare that a staff constitutes a symbol of power and therefore would have the extended meaning of ‘rule.’ Accordingly, this expression in HEB 1:8 must often be rendered as ‘the way in which you rule your kingdom will be righteous’ or ‘you will be righteous as you rule your kingdom.’
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
ῥάβδος, -ov, ἡ, [prob. akin to pamis, Lat. verber; cf. Curtius § 513], in various senses fr. Hom. down; Sept. for 79D, DAW, 2p Nyywn, ete., a staff, walcing-stick: i. 4. @ twig, rod, branch, Heb. ix. 4 (Num. xvii. 2 sqqHebr. text xvii. 16 sqq.); Rev. xi. 1; α rod, with which one is beaten, 1 Co. iv. 21 (Plato, legg. 3 p. 700 ¢.; Plut., al.; πατάσσειν τινὰ ἐν ῥάβδῳ. Ex. xxi. 20; Is. x. 24); a staff: as used on a journey, Mt. x.10; Mk. vi. 8; Lk. ix. 3; or to lean upon, Heb. xi. 21 (after the Sept. of Gen. xlvii. 31, where the translators read 74>, for NU a bed; [ef. προσκυνέω, a.}); or by shepherds, Rev. ii. 27; xii. 5; xix. 15, in which passages as ἐν ῥάβδῳ ποιμαίνειν is fig. applied to a king, so ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ; with a rod of iron, indicates the severest, most rigorous, rule, hence ῥάβδος is equiv. to a royal sceptre (like Dav, Ps. ii. 9; xlv. 8; for 3 γ), Esth. iv. 11; v. 2): Heb. i. 8 (fr. Ps. xlv. 8).
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
ῥάβδος rhabdos 12x
a rod, wand, Heb. 9:4; Rev. 11:1; a rod of correction, 1 Cor. 4:21; a staff, Mt. 10:10; Heb. 11:21; a scepter, Heb. 1:8; Rev. 2:27
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
ῥάβδος, -ου, ἡ
[in LXX chiefly for מַטֶּה (e.g. Ge 47:31, MT, מַטֶּה, bed), also for מַקֵּל, שֵׁבֶט, etc. ;]
a staff, rod: He 9:4, Re 11:1; in particular,
a staff, such as is used on a journey: Mt 10:10, Mk 6:8, Lk 9:3, He 11:21 (LXX);
a ruler's staff, a sceptre: He 1:8 (LXX) Re 2:27 12:5 19:15;
a rod for chastisement (cf. ῥαβδίζω): ἐν ῥ. (v.s. ἐν): I Co 4:21.†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
ῥάβδος, “a rod”: P Tebt I. 4439 (B.c. 114) ἔδωκεν πληγὰς πλείους ἧι [εἸῖχεν ῥάβδωι, ‘‘gave me many blows with the rod he was carrying”: cf. P Lond 4415 (B.c, 161) (=I. p. 34, UPZ i. p. 140), P Grenf I. 5815 (ii/i B.c.). For a reminiscence of Ps 2° (cf. Rev 257 a/.) see the magical P Osl I. 1108 (iv/B.c.) κατέχων ῥάβδον σιδηρᾶν, with the editor’s note, and for a similar reminiscence of Exod 1415 see the leaden tablet from Hadrumetum, Wiinsch 4 / 51° (iii/A.D.) (= Andollent, p. 374) δρκίζω σε τὸν διαστήσαντα τὴν ῥάβδον ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ. For the form ῥαύδους -- ῥάβδους, cf. P Par 40% (8.6, 158), 417° (B.c. 158-7) (= UPZ i. pp. 148, 150), and see Mayser Gyr. p. 115. e ~ ῥαβδοῦχος, lit. ‘a rod-holder,”’ is supplied by Wilcken in P Par 245 (B.C. 164) (= U PZ i. p. 123) τῶν δ᾽ ἐκ Tod ἱεροῦ ῥαβδο[ῦχός tis Ζωίλος, with reference to a ‘‘temple-attendant” in the Serapeum at Memphis. For this usage (as distinguished from a /ictor or attendant on Roman magistrates, as in Ac 1655.88) he refers to a ῥαβδοῦχος in the Roman Serapis worship in ZG XIV. 1027, and to the paBSotxo in the temple service of Apollo in Sy/? 790 (= %1157)*4 (c. B.C. 100 ?) whose duty is to keep in order the temple precincts— ot Kal ἐχέτωσαν ἐξουσίαν κωλύειν τὸν ἀκοσμοῦντα. In P Oxy XIV. τό265 (A.D. 325) the reference is again to an official of low rank who fills the single post of ῥαβδοῦχος of certain animals—xwpav μίαν ῥαβδούχου ἑνὸς τῶν αὐτῶν ζῴων : see the editors’ note, and cf. 7d. 17 5013 (A.D. 306) and 76. XVI. 190518 (iv/v a.p.). Cf. the word ῥαβδοφόρος in P Petr 11. 8(2) (c)® (B.c. 246) and P Par 66}8 (iii/B.c.). In the latter case the editor suggests that ῥαβδοφόροι may not be more than ‘‘ conductors of works,” but for the possibility that ‘‘police” were intended see <A7chzv vi. Ῥ- 416. For the subst. paBSovxla cf. P Oxy XVI. 16261 (a.p. 325), and BGU I. 244" (time of Gallienus).
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
ῥάβδος (rhabdos) — rod. ῥάβδος, ἡ, rod, wand, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; lighter than the βακτηρία or walking-stick, [NT+5th c.BC+]
1. magic wand, as that of Circe, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; that with which Athena touched Odysseus, to restore his youthful appearance, χρυσείῃ ῥάβδῳ ἐπεμάσσατο [Refs]; that with which Hermes overpowers the senses of man, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; that with which Hades rules the ghosts, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; divining-rod, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
2. fishing-rod, [Refs 8th c.BC+]
3. limed twig, for catching small birds, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
4. shaft of a hunting-spear, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
5. staff of office, like the earlier σκῆπτρον, [LXX+5th c.BC+]; carried by a βραβευτής, [Refs 4th c.BC+]
6. wand borne by the ῥαψῳδός, τὸν ἐπὶ ῥάβδῳ μῦθον ὑφαινόμενον [Refs 3rd c.BC+] according to the measure of his (Homer's) verses, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
7. rod for chastisement, ῥ. κοσμοῦσα [Refs 5th c.BC+]; μάστιξ ἢ ῥ. riding-switch, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ῥ. βοηλάτις ox-goad, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]: of the fasces of the Roman lictors, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]; πρὸς πέντε ῥάβδους, = Latin at (i.e. ad) quinque fasces (CIL[Refs 2nd c.AD+]; compare ῥαβδονόμος, ῥαβδοῦχος.
8. shepherd's staff or crook, [LXX]
9. ῥ. κληρονομίας measuring-rod,[LXX]
10. stitch, ἔντοσθεν δὲ βοείας ῥάψε θαμειὰς χρυσείῃς ῥάβδοισι διηνεκέσιν περὶ κύκλον [Refs 8th c.BC+] (unless it means rivets, studs).
II. young shoot of some trees,[Refs 4th c.BC+]
III. streak or stripe on the skin of animals, διαποίκιλα ῥάβδοις [Refs 4th c.BC+]; of fish, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; of clothes, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; fluting of a column, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]; of minerals, vein, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; streak or shaft of light, [Refs 4th c.BC+]
IV. in Grammars,
IV.1. line, verse, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
IV.2. a critical mark, like{ὀβελός}, [Refs 5th c.AD+]
IV.3. stroke forming a letter, [Refs 4th c.BC+]