Jeremiah 48:17
All ye that are about him, bemoan him; and all ye that know his name, say, How is the strong staff broken, and the beautiful rod! All ye that are about him, bemoan him; and all ye that know his name, say, How is the strong staff broken, and the beautiful rod!
Jeremiah's oracle concerning Moab foretells that Moab would fall before the mighty conqueror Nebuchadnezzar. When a staff is used of a nation it represents its support or strength, and its breaking signifies that this support is withdrawn. In its application to Israel, the broken staff represents the loss of God's favor and of the prosperity Israel had enjoyed after rejecting Christ.