I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab …: The various images in this verse all point to the idea of divine punishment and destruction, but this may not be immediately evident in a literal rendering. The measuring line and the plummet were used in the work of construction, but here they are used figuratively for a work of destruction that will be done with great accuracy and precision. A measuring line was a cord, made of various materials, often of flax, that allowed builders and carpenters to measure lengths. A plummet (also called a plumb line) consisted of a weight made from a stone hanging from a cord. It was used to make sure walls were built straight up and down. The capital of the southern kingdom, Jerusalem, would be destroyed in the same way that Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom, had already been devastated by the Assyrians (2 Kgs 17.5-23; 18.9-10). The house of Ahab, whose family had been totally annihilated (2 Kgs 10.11, 17), stands for the whole northern kingdom of Israel. According to this prophetic word, the southern kingdom of Judah would meet with the same fate as their northern neighbors.

In many languages it will be unwise to retain the images of the measuring line and the plummet since they may detract from the essential meaning rather than enhancing it. But the idea of punishment will probably have to be spelled out clearly. New Living Translation reads “I will judge Jerusalem by the same standard I used for Samaria and by the same measure I used for the family of Ahab.”

I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish is literally “I will wipe Jerusalem as he wipes a dish.” The referent for the pronoun “he” is indefinite. The metaphor is intended to depict the complete extermination of the population of the city of Jerusalem. In some languages it will be possible to say “I will remove all the people from Jerusalem just as a person removes everything from a dish when he wipes it completely clean.”

Turning it upside down: The turning of a plate upside down at the end of a meal showed that the person was completely satisfied. So some commentators feel that the image of the dish shows not only that Jerusalem would be totally emptied, but also suggests that the LORD had had enough of Judah’s sinfulness. He was no longer willing to tolerate such behavior.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .