How did cleromancy use marked arrows or sticks to seek an oracle?

In ancient Arabian religion, cleromancy—known as istiqsām—was a primary method used by priests to interpret oracles and seek divine guidance.1

To perform this ritual, a question was posed to a deity, and the answer was determined by drawing lots from a collection of marked arrows or sticks. These items were inscribed with various potential outcomes, such as positive, negative, or expectative responses. While many inscriptions reference these oracles, physical evidence is rare; however, a bundle of sticks potentially used for this divinatory purpose was discovered in a Sabaean temple in 1987.1