2 Kings 21:13 kjv
And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down.
2 Kings 21:13 nkjv
And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab; I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.
2 Kings 21:13 niv
I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab. I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.
2 Kings 21:13 esv
And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria, and the plumb line of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.
2 Kings 21:13 nlt
I will judge Jerusalem by the same standard I used for Samaria and the same measure I used for the family of Ahab. I will wipe away the people of Jerusalem as one wipes a dish and turns it upside down.
2 Kings 21 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Kgs 21:11-12 | "Because Manasseh king of Judah has committed these abominations... Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I am bringing such disaster upon Jerusalem and Judah that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle." | Manasseh's sin and prophesied judgment |
| Amos 7:7-8 | "He showed me: behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in His hand. And the LORD said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of My people Israel..." | God's use of plumb line for judgment |
| Isa 28:17 | "And I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plummet..." | Justice and righteousness as tools of judgment |
| Lam 2:8 | "The LORD determined to lay in ruins the wall of the daughter of Zion; He stretched out a line; He did not restrain His hand from destroying..." | God's measured destruction of Zion |
| 2 Kgs 17:5-6, 18 | "Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land and came to Samaria, and for three years he besieged it... until he carried Israel away to Assyria... the LORD removed Israel out of His sight..." | Samaria's destruction as a precedent |
| 1 Kgs 21:20-22 | "Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD. “Behold, I will bring disaster upon you. I will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel." | Prophecy of Ahab's complete destruction |
| 2 Kgs 10:11, 17 | "So Jehu struck down all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, all his great men and his acquaintances and his priests, until he left him none remaining... So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Samaria, till he had wiped them out..." | Fulfillment of Ahab's family destruction |
| Zech 1:16 | "Therefore thus says the LORD, ‘I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion; My house shall be built in it, declares the LORD of hosts, and a measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.’" | Measuring line for restoration (post-judgment) |
| Jer 19:10-11 | "Then you shall break the flask in the sight of the men who go with you, and shall say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: So will I break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter's vessel, so that it can never be mended.’" | Irrevocable judgment compared to breaking |
| Isa 6:11-12 | "Then I said, “How long, O Lord?” And He said: “Until cities are laid waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is utterly desolate..." | Land desolation due to sin |
| Ezek 14:13-14 | "Son of man, if a country sins against Me by committing treachery, and I stretch out My hand against it... even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness." | God's hand of judgment inescapable |
| Lev 18:24-25, 28 | "Do not defile yourselves by any of these things... for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become defiled, and the land became defiled, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants." | Land's reaction to defilement (vomiting out) |
| Ps 75:8 | "For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and He pours from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it and drink it down to its dregs." | Cup of wrath imagery for judgment |
| Heb 12:29 | "for our God is a consuming fire." | God's consuming holiness and judgment |
| Jer 15:6 | "You have rejected Me, declares the LORD; you are going backward, so I have stretched out My hand against you and destroyed you; I am weary of relenting." | God's weary relenting leading to judgment |
| Mal 3:2 | "But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap." | Refiner's fire as a purging agent |
| Rom 2:5 | "But because of your hard and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath..." | Consequences of persistent unrepentance |
| Rev 16:1-21 | Narratives of God's final judgments poured out on the earth. | Eschatological judgments and pouring out of wrath |
| 1 Pet 4:17 | "For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" | Judgment starting with God's people |
| Prov 29:1 | "He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing." | Sudden, irreversible breaking from unresponsiveness |
2 Kings 21 verses
2 Kings 21 13 Meaning
This verse declares God's irrevocable judgment upon Jerusalem due to Manasseh's profound idolatry and wickedness. It communicates a thorough, precise, and complete destruction, akin to how Samaria and the house of Ahab were purged, likening Jerusalem's fate to a dish being completely emptied, wiped clean, and turned upside down. It signifies that God will cleanse Jerusalem of its abominations, even if it means utter desolation.
2 Kings 21 13 Context
Chapter Context (2 Kings 21): Chapter 21 details the reign of Manasseh, king of Judah (697/696–642 BC). His rule is described as the most idolatrous and wicked in Judah's history. He rebuilt the high places, erected altars for Baal, worshipped heavenly hosts, sacrificed his own son, and placed a carved Asherah pole in the very Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem. He also shed much innocent blood. His sins surpassed those of the nations God had dispossessed before Israel. This verse (2 Kgs 21:13) is God's direct prophetic response, a declaration of impending, irreversible judgment delivered by His servants, the prophets (v. 10).
Historical Context: Manasseh reigned for 55 years under the suzerainty of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. His religious policies included deep syncretism and polytheism, possibly influenced by Assyrian practices and a desire to align Judah with the dominant power. The reference to Samaria recalls the utter destruction of the northern kingdom's capital in 722 BC by Assyria, which God allowed due to Israel's idolatry. The "house of Ahab" refers to the Omride dynasty in Israel, known for its extreme Baal worship, which was thoroughly eradicated by Jehu (2 Kings 9-10) by divine command. These served as past examples of God's decisive and complete judgment on persistent wickedness among His people. The verse highlights that even Jerusalem, the chosen city with the Temple, was not immune to such a judgment if it mirrored the apostasy of Samaria and Ahab.
2 Kings 21 13 Word Analysis
- And I will stretch: Hebrew: v'natiti (וְנָטִיתִי) - from נָטָה (natah), "to stretch out," "incline," or "pitch." This signifies a deliberate, active, and measured action on the part of God. It implies His intention and sovereignty in executing the judgment.
- over Jerusalem: Specifies the direct target of the divine judgment – the capital of Judah, highlighting that even the privileged status of the city would not prevent judgment for its sin.
- the measuring line of Samaria: Hebrew: qav shomron (קָו שֹׁמְרוֹן) - qav (קָו) means a "line" or "cord," often used for building or demolition. The phrase suggests that the same standard or method of destruction that God applied to Samaria will be applied to Jerusalem. Samaria was utterly destroyed and its people exiled due to idolatry, setting a precedent.
- and the plummet of the house of Ahab: Hebrew: mishqolet beit ach'av (מִשְׁקֹלֶת בֵּית אַחְאָב) - mishqolet (מִשְׁקֹלֶת) refers to a "plummet" or "leveling tool," used in construction to ensure straightness, but here applied to destruction, implying exactitude and completeness in judgment. The "house of Ahab" refers to the Omride dynasty, which was completely cut off and annihilated for its deep idolatry and evil. This is another precedent, showing that God’s judgment would spare no one, not even royal lines, who persisted in wickedness.
- and I will wipe: Hebrew: u'machiti (וּמָחִיתִי) - from מָחָה (machah), meaning "to wipe," "blot out," "erase," or "annihilate." This strong verb denotes a thorough, complete removal, leaving nothing behind.
- Jerusalem: Repetition of the target for emphasis, underscoring the severity of its fate.
- as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down: Hebrew: ka'asher yimcheh ha'ish et-hatztzallachath, machoh v'haphach al-paneiha (כַּאֲשֶׁר יִמְחֶה הָאִישׁ אֶת־הַצַּלַּחַת, מָחֹה וְהָפַךְ עַל־פָּנֶיהָ) - This is a powerful, vivid, and highly relatable simile.
- "wipes a dish": tzallachath (צַּלַּחַת) typically refers to a bowl or deep dish. The imagery conveys the thoroughness of cleansing – removing all residue, indicating total desolation and emptying of Jerusalem.
- "wiping it": The repetition of "wiping" (מָחֹה - machoh, infinitive absolute form for emphasis) intensifies the action, emphasizing that the process will be complete and relentless.
- "and turning it upside down": v'haphach al-paneiha (וְהָפַךְ עַל־פָּנֶיהָ) literally means "and turn it on its face." This conveys the act of emptying out all contents, rendering it utterly desolate and unusable. It’s a metaphor for stripping the city of its inhabitants, its glory, and its very essence, leaving it barren. This everyday domestic act is given chilling cosmic significance, revealing the simple ease with which God can bring about total destruction when His justice demands it.
2 Kings 21 13 Bonus section
The judgment prophesied in this verse was ultimately fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, captured and destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC, carrying the remaining inhabitants into exile. This marked the end of the Kingdom of Judah. The irreversibility of this specific decree from God, as highlighted by Manasseh's prolonged and extensive sin, serves as a crucial pivot point in the history of Judah, emphasizing that Manasseh’s wickedness was of a scale that solidified the decision for national destruction. Despite the later reforms of King Josiah, the theological understanding within the books of Kings attributes Judah's eventual downfall primarily to the sins of Manasseh and the innocent blood he shed. While God is long-suffering and gracious, there comes a point where divine justice demands full retribution for accumulated evil, and even a beloved city or nation can be completely emptied out.
2 Kings 21 13 Commentary
2 Kings 21:13 stands as a solemn divine pronouncement, underscoring God's uncompromising holiness and justice in the face of persistent and egregious sin, even from His chosen people. Manasseh's profound spiritual defilement of Jerusalem, reaching into the very heart of the Temple, forced God's hand. The "measuring line of Samaria" and "plummet of the house of Ahab" are potent metaphors, asserting that divine judgment is impartial and precedent-driven. Just as Samaria (the capital of Israel) was utterly removed for its idolatry, and Ahab's dynasty annihilated for its wickedness, so too would Jerusalem face a similar, precise, and total reckoning. The vivid simile of "wiping a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down" graphically illustrates the completeness of the purging. It suggests a thorough cleaning and emptying out, not of filth from the city, but of the city itself. All its inhabitants, its spiritual "contents," and its pride would be swept away, leaving it desolate. This serves as a stark reminder that divine patience has limits, and unrepentant sin leads to irreversible consequences, fulfilling the covenant curses of Deuteronomy for disobedience. It teaches that proximity to God or a "chosen status" does not grant immunity from judgment when wickedness is rampant.