SYMBOLS AND SIMILITUDES, Sticks and staves

Ezekiel 37:16-17

16. Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:

17. And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.

Zechariah 11:7-14

7. And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.

8. Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me.

9. Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another.

10. And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.

11. And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the LORD.

12. And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.

13. And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

14. Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.