2 Samuel 8:2

8:2 He defeated the Moabites. He made them lie on the ground and then used a rope to measure them off. He put two-thirds of them to death and spared the other third. ¹  The Moabites became David’s subjects and brought tribute. ² 

2 Samuel 8:2

8:2 He defeated the Moabites. He made them lie on the ground and then used a rope to measure them off. He put two-thirds of them to death and spared the other third. ³  The Moabites became David’s subjects and brought tribute. ⁴ 

2 Samuel 21:13

21:13 David ⁵  brought the bones of Saul and of Jonathan his son from there; they also gathered up the bones of those who had been executed.

Isaiah 28:17

28:17 I will make justice the measuring line,

fairness the plumb line;

hail will sweep away the unreliable refuge, ⁶ 

the floodwaters will overwhelm the hiding place.

Isaiah 34:11

34:11 Owls and wild animals ⁷  will live there, ⁸ 

all kinds of wild birds ⁹  will settle in it.

The Lord ¹⁰  will stretch out over her

the measuring line of ruin

and the plumb line ¹¹  of destruction. ¹² 

Lamentations 2:8

ח (Khet)

2:8 The Lord was determined to tear down

Daughter Zion’s wall.

He prepared to knock it down; ¹³ 

he did not withdraw his hand from destroying. ¹⁴ 

He made the ramparts and fortified walls lament;

together they mourned their ruin. ¹⁵ 

Ezekiel 40:3

40:3 When he brought me there, I saw ¹⁶  a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring stick in his hand. He was standing in the gateway.

Zechariah 2:1-2

Vision Three: The Surveyor

2:1 (2:5) I looked again, and there was a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2:2 I asked, “Where are you going?” He replied, “To measure Jerusalem ¹⁷  in order to determine its width and its length.”

Revelation 11:1

The Fate of the Two Witnesses

11:1 Then ¹⁸  a measuring rod ¹⁹  like a staff was given to me, and I was told, ²⁰  “Get up and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and the ones who worship there.

Revelation 21:15

21:15 The angel ²¹  who spoke to me had a golden measuring rod with which to measure the city and its foundation stones and wall.

[8:2]  ¹ tn Heb “and he measured [with] two [lengths] of rope to put to death and [with] the fullness of the rope to keep alive.”

[8:2]  ² tn Heb “and the Moabites were servants of David, carriers of tribute.”

[8:2]  ³ tn Heb “and he measured [with] two [lengths] of rope to put to death and [with] the fullness of the rope to keep alive.”

[8:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “and the Moabites were servants of David, carriers of tribute.”

[21:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:17]  ⁶ tn Heb “[the] refuge, [the] lie.” See v. 15.

[34:11]  ⁷ tn קָאַת (qa’at) refers to some type of bird (cf. Lev 11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (see Zeph 2:14). קִפּוֹד (qippod) may also refer to a type of bird (NAB “hoot owl”; NIV “screech owl”; TEV “ravens”), but some have suggested a rodent may be in view (cf. NCV “small animals”; ASV “porcupine”; NASB, NRSV “hedgehog”).

[34:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “will possess it” (so NIV).

[34:11]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew text has יַנְשׁוֹף וְעֹרֵב (yanshof vÿ’orev). Both the יַנְשׁוֹף (“owl”; see Lev 11:17; Deut 14:16) and עֹרֵב (“raven”; Lev 11:15; Deut 14:14) were types of wild birds.

[34:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “stones,” i.e., the stones used in a plumb bob.

[34:11]  ¹² sn The metaphor in v. 11b emphasizes that God has carefully planned Edom’s demise.

[2:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “he stretched out a measuring line.” In Hebrew, this idiom is used (1) literally: to describe a workman’s preparation of measuring and marking stones before cutting them for building (Job 38:5; Jer 31:39; Zech 1:16) and (2) figuratively: to describe the Lord’s planning and preparation to destroy a walled city, that is, to mark off for destruction (2 Kgs 21:13; Isa 34:11; Lam 2:8). It is not completely clear how a phrase from the vocabulary of building becomes a metaphor for destruction; however, it might picture a predetermined and carefully planned measure from which God will not deviate.

[2:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “He did not return His hand from swallowing.” That is, he persisted until it was destroyed.

[2:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “they languished together.” The verbs אָבַּלּ (’aval, “to lament”) and אָמַל (’amal, “languish, mourn”) are often used in contexts of funeral laments in secular settings. The Hebrew prophets often use these terms to describe the aftermath of the Lord’s judgment on a nation. Based on parallel terms, אָמַל (’amal) may describe either mourning or deterioration and so makes for a convenient play on meaning when destroyed objects are personified. Incorporating this play into the translation, however, may obscure the parallel between this line and the deterioration of the gates beginning in v. 9.

[40:3]  ¹⁶ tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.

[2:2]  ¹⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[11:1]  ¹⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[11:1]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “a reed” (but these were used for measuring). Cf. Ezek 40:3ff.

[11:1]  ²⁰ tn Grk “saying.”

[21:15]  ²¹ tn Grk “the one”; the referent (the angel of v. 9) has been specified in the translation for clarity.