moses' rod
Preserved but no longer current.
The divining-rod (<?.v.) is sometimes so called, after the rod with which Moses worked wonders before Pharaoh (Ex. vii, 9), or the rod with which he smote the rock to bring forth water (Ex. xvii, 6).
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “moses' rod” mean?
The divining-rod (<?.v.) is sometimes so called, after the rod with which Moses worked wonders before Pharaoh (Ex. vii, 9), or the rod with which he smote the rock to bring forth water (Ex. xvii, 6).
Is “moses' rod” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.