The Greek noun rhomphaia refers to a large, broad, curved sword — specifically the Thracian broadsword, heavier and more terrifying than the Roman machaira. It was used both literally and as a metaphor for overwhelming divine power.
Rhomphaia appears in Luke 2:35 in Simeon's prophecy to Mary: 'And a sword (rhomphaia) will pierce your own soul too.' The choice of this massive weapon — not the ordinary machaira — intensifies the anguish. Standing at the cross, watching her son die, Mary would feel the full weight of this rhomphaia. But the sword appears again in Revelation (1:16; 2:12, 16; 19:15, 21) as the weapon issuing from Christ's mouth — the Word of God that judges the nations. The same instrument that pierced Mary's soul becomes the weapon of final justice. Rhomphaia thus holds together suffering and sovereignty: the sword that wounds in grief is the sword that rights all wrongs in the end.