قَالَ هِىَ عَصَاىَ أَتَوَكَّؤُا۟ عَلَيْهَا وَأَهُشُّ بِهَا عَلَىٰ غَنَمِى وَلِىَ فِيهَا مَـَٔارِبُ أُخْرَىٰ
Important Words:
عصا (rod). عصا الرجل means, he beat the man with a rod. عصا القوم means, he brought together the people, or he made them agree on some matters of common concern. عصا means, a rod strong enough to support the weight of a man; communal and family life; a community; the shin-bone. شق العصا means, he separated himself from the community. شقوا عصا المسلمین means, they caused a split in the ranks of the Muslim community (Aqrab & Lane).
مآرب (uses) is the plural of مأربة which is derived from أرب (ariba). They say أرب بالشیء i.e. he became devoted to the thing. أرب الیه او به means, he wanted it and sought it. أربة means, want; intellect. غیر اولی الاربة means, idiots; persons deficient in intellect; persons such as have no need of women. مآرب means, wants, uses, needs, requirements, purposes (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
God had only asked Moses what was in his hand. Moses did not confine himself to giving a direct reply, viz. that it was only a rod that he had held in his hand but also went on to enumerate some of its uses. It may be that taking advantage of his communion with the Divine Being, Moses desired to prolong the blessed talk.
As stated above it was a vision that Moses had seen and "rod" in the language of visions signifies a Prophet’s own community or people and "sheep" signifies those who do not actually belong to his community but only are under his care and protection. Moses’s reply meant that he not only invited and welcomed the help of his own people and relied upon their support in the furtherance of his own cause but also looked after the interests of other people who were under his protection but did not actually belong to his community.
Ma’arib (uses) is the plural of Ma’ribah, which is derived from ariba. They say Ariba Ilaihi, i.e. he wanted it and sought it; and Ma’arib means, wants, uses, needs, requirements, purposes (Lane).