Isaiah 28:17
And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The architectural tools, the "line" and "plumb line," aren't just about measurement but about divine judgment and righteousness being applied with absolute precision. This imagery reveals that God's justice isn't arbitrary; it's as exact and unwavering as a carpenter's tools, leaving no room for the "refuge of lies" that these people had built their trust upon.
This verse follows a prophecy where Isaiah warns the proud and spiritually drunk leaders of Judah that their false sense of security and their "covenant with death" will be exposed. God declares that He will use precise standards of justice and righteousness to judge them, contrasting this with the flimsy "refuge of lies" they've built. The coming judgment, depicted as hail and overwhelming waters, will dismantle their deceptive defenses and expose their ultimate vulnerability.
What does it mean for God to use a 'line' and 'plumb line' in His judgment? This imagery reveals the absolute precision of His standards.
The verse uses powerful architectural metaphors: 'justice the line' and 'righteousness the plumb line.'
This isn't about a wishy-washy, subjective morality. It points to an unyielding, perfect standard that God Himself upholds. It means there's no
In times of trouble, we all seek shelter. But what happens when our chosen hiding places are built on lies?
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Isaiah 28:17 is available in the Sola app.
The second half of the verse starkly contrasts God's perfect standard with the flimsy refuges people create:
In the context of Isaiah, the people of Judah were relying on alliances with other nations and their own cleverness to protect them from Assyria. But God declares these strategies, built on deceit and a rejection of His truth, would be washed away. They were trusting in 'death' and 'making falsehood their refuge' (Isaiah 28:15), a trust that would lead to utter ruin.
Understand the original words
tsedaqah · Hebrew Noun
A state of moral rightness, fairness, and adherence to the law; it describes the quality of character that aligns with God's own holiness and the standard He demands for His people.
mishqoleth · Hebrew Noun
A tool used to ensure vertical alignment; in a spiritual sense, it represents the standard of God's holiness by which the lives and structures of men are measured and found wanting.
This verse is spoken during a time of immense pressure on Judah from the Assyrian Empire, with Jerusalem itself having recently survived a devastating siege. The prophet contrasts the illusory 'refuge of lies' that the people trusted in—likely political alliances or false security—with God's true standard of justice and righteousness.
Late 8th Century BC
Assyrian Expansion and Threat
The Neo-Assyrian Empire was a dominant military and political force in the Near East, often demanding tribute and exerting influence over smaller kingdoms like Israel and Judah.
c. 732 BC
Fall of Samaria (Israel's Capital)
The capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians, leading to the deportation of many Israelites and the end of the kingdom as a sovereign entity.
c. 722 BC
Assyrian Conquest of Northern Kingdom
Sennacherib's campaign scattered the remaining population of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, increasing the sense of vulnerability for the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
c. 705-681 BC— this verse
Sennacherib's Reign and Invasion of Judah
The Assyrian king Sennacherib campaigned against Judah, capturing many fortified cities and besieging Jerusalem, though the city was miraculously spared.
c. 681-669 BC
Assyrian Empire in Decline
While still powerful, the Assyrian Empire began to show signs of internal strife and faced challenges from rising powers like Babylon and the Medes.
Jesus uses similar imagery of a house built on a weak foundation being destroyed by storms, directly paralleling Isaiah's warning about false refuges being overwhelmed.
2 Kings 21:13This passage describes God stretching out the 'line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab' over Jerusalem, signifying divine judgment and destruction using the same architectural measuring tools.
Jeremiah 6:13-15Jeremiah also addresses the people's false sense of security, stating that 'they have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace,' echoing Isaiah's theme of a 'refuge of lies'.
Amos 7:7-9Amos describes a plumb line being set over Israel, indicating God's intention to judge them with exactness, which resonates with Isaiah's use of 'justice as the line and righteousness as the plumb line'.
barnesIsaiah 28:17: "Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place."
Judgment also will I lay to the line - The sense of this is, I will judge them according to the exact rule of law, as an architect frames everything according to the rule which he uses. In other words, there shall be no mercy intermingled. The line is used by a carpenter for measuring; the plummet consists of a…
bensonIsaiah 28:17: "Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place."
Isaiah 28:17 . Judgment also will I lay to the line, &c. — I will execute just judgment, as it were by a line and plummet annexed to it; that is, with exactness and care. I will severely punish and utterly destroy all who reject that stone. For the line and plummet, or the plumb-line, was not only used in erecti…
The architectural tools, the "line" and "plumb line," aren't just about measurement but about divine judgment and righteousness being applied with absolute precision. This imagery reveals that God's justice isn't arbitrary; it's as exact and unwavering as a carpenter's tools, leaving no room for the "refuge of lies" that these people had built their trust upon.
This verse follows a prophecy where Isaiah warns the proud and spiritually drunk leaders of Judah that their false sense of security and their "covenant with death" will be exposed. God declares that He will use precise standards of justice and righteousness to judge them, contrasting this with the flimsy "refuge of lies" they've built. The coming judgment, depicted as hail and overwhelming waters, will dismantle their deceptive defenses and expose their ultimate vulnerability.
This verse follows a prophecy where Isaiah warns the proud and spiritually drunk leaders of Judah that their false sense of security and their "covenant with death" will be exposed. God declares that He will use precise standards of justice and righteousness to judge them, contrasting this with the flimsy "refuge of lies" they've built. The coming judgment, depicted as hail and overwhelming waters, will dismantle their deceptive defenses and expose their ultimate vulnerability.
"And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”" — The architectural tools, the "line" and "plumb line," aren't just about measurement but about divine judgment and righteousness being applied with absolute precision. This imagery reveals that God's…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
