"With a rod of iron..."

"Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Thine inheritance,
And the very ends of the earth as Thy possession.
Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron,
Tthou shalt shatter them like earthenware." --Psalm 2:8-9

Where this is quoted in Revelation (Rev. 19:15) the word "rule" is "poimaino", from Strong's #4165: to tend as a shepherd, feed (cattle), rule.

It is derived from 4166: poimen: a shepherd (lit or fig): shepherd, pastor. Both of these are derived from "poema", which simply means plan.

David Chilton's book "Days of Vengeance" asserts that the Hebrew verb can be read either as "break" or "rule", depending on the vowel points used, and that the LXX rendered it as "rule", so that this was the use adopted by the NT writers (Days of Vengeance, Dominion Press, #486 #21).

This seems logical, but I am not nearly familiar enough with the Hebrew to swear to it. Maybe next week...

In any case, "poimaino" reads much more consistently in the Revelation text (two-edged sword being the gospel, etc), but I really do want to look at the Hebrew before subscribing to it fully. If however, it is correct, the rod of iron takes on an entirely new meaning, as it is meant for those that would harm the nations, not for the nations themselves.