Albert Barnes Commentary Jeremiah 48:17

"All ye that are round about him, bemoan him, and all ye that know his name; say, How is the strong staff broken, the beautiful rod!" — Jeremiah 48:17 (ASV)

The lamentation over Moab uttered by those “round about him,” that is, the neighboring nations, and those “that know his name,” nations more remote, who know little more than that such a people exists, takes the form of an elegy. The metaphorical expressions, “staff of strength,” and “rod” or “scepter of beauty,” indicate the union of power and splendor in the Moabite kingdom.