Sometimes, we see something in scripture that we really like. A specific word or phrase in a specific translation speaks to us, and we get excited about that phrase. For example, in the KJV Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision the people perish.” I’ve heard quite a few people use that to say that if we can’t visualize our end goal, we’ll fail. But more modern translations often say something like “prophecy” (LEB), “prophetic vision” (NET), or “revelation” (WEB) because those are closer to the meaning of the Hebrew word chazon (H2377). “Vision” was a perfectly good translation of chazon in 1611 (in the sense of “I’ve seen a vision”), but English meanings have shifted enough that it’s no longer the best word to use and can lead to misinterpretation.

I recently came across another verse where something similar happened. In Amos 7, English translations typically talk about a “plumb line” that God placed in the midst of His people Israel. It’s an analogy that many like. A plumb line is “a line (as of cord) that has at one end a weight (such as a plumb bob) and is used especially to determine verticality” (Merriam-Webster). People have taken this analogy and run with it, and you can find dozens of articles and sermons talking about God’s plumb line and wondering if we measure up. But when I read this passage in the New English Translation, they used the word “tin” instead. It’s such a dramatically different translation that I dug into it more to see how that happened and to try and figure out what Amos 7 means.

Image of crumpled tin foil overlaid with text from Amos 7:7-8, NET version: He showed me this: I saw the Lord standing by a tin wall holding tin in his hand.
The Lord said to me, “What do you see, Amos?” I said, “Tin.” The Lord then said,“Look, I am about to place tin among my people Israel. I will no longer overlook their sin.” — Image by Rita Rózsa from Pixabay

How Did We Get to “Pumb Line?”

First, let’s take a look at the Bible verses in question. Here is how it reads in a translation that uses plumb line:

Thus he showed me and behold, the Lord stood beside a wall made by a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand.Yahweh said to me, “Amos, what do you see?”

I said, “A plumb line.”

Then the Lord said, “Behold, I will set a plumb line in the middle of my people Israel. I will not again pass by them any more. The high places of Isaac will be desolate, the sanctuaries of Israel will be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”
Amos 7:7-9, WEB

And here it is in the New English Translation:

He showed me this: I saw the Lord standing by a tin wall holding tin in his hand. The Lord said to me, “What do you see, Amos?” I said, “Tin.” The Lord then said,

“Look, I am about to place tin among my people Israel.
I will no longer overlook their sin.
Isaac’s centers of worship will become desolate;
Israel’s holy places will be in ruins.
I will attack Jeroboam’s dynasty with the sword.”
Amos 7:7-9, NET

Obviously, these are two very different translations that lead to very different interpretations of this verse. Thankfully, the NET is very good about documenting the translators’ choices and sharing the reasoning behind them in footnotes. Here’s part of what they say about the tin vs. plumb line translation:

The Hebrew word אֲנָךְ (ʾanakh), “tin,” occurs only in this passage (twice in verse 7 and twice in verse 8). The meaning “tin” is based on its Akkadian cognate annaku. The traditional interpretation of these verses (reflected in many English versions) assumed that אֲנָךְ meant “lead.” Since lead might be used for a plumb line, and a plumb line might be used when building wall, the “lead” wall was assumed to be a wall built “true to plumb” while God holds a “lead” weighted plumb line in his hand. In this view the plumb line represents a standard of evaluation. This understanding developed before Akkadian was deciphered and the type of metal clearly identified for annaku. (In Hebrew “lead” is עֹפֶרֶת; ʿoferet.)
NET footnote on Amos 7:7

One of my go-to Hebrew dictionaries confirms that the “plumb line” translation is based on the assumption that anak means “plummet, plumb, lead-weight” (BDB; H594). It still seems like quite a leap to go from a word that you think means “lead” to translating it as “plumb line.” I guess translators didn’t think lead on its own made sense, so they tried to think of what lead might be used for in the context of a wall. Since lead weights could be used on plumb lines, and plumb lines would be used to make a wall vertical, we ended up with the plumb line translation in Amos 7. But then scholars did more work with the Akkadian language and learned the Hebrew anak most likely means “tin” instead of “lead.” Now we’re back to the problem of figuring out why God would give a prophet a vision of God holding a relatively soft type of metal while standing next to a wall made of the same metal, then say He’s going to put that metal in the midst of His people.

Image of a stone wall overlaid with text from Isaiah 28:16-17, NET version: “Look, I am laying a stone in Zion, an approved stone, set in place as a precious cornerstone for the foundation. The one who maintains his faith will not panic. I will make justice the measuring line, fairness the plumb line.” — Image by meineresterampe from Pixabay

What Might “Tin” Mean?

If “plumb line” changes to “tin,” then the traditional interpretations of this scripture don’t make sense anymore. Assuming that “tin” is the correct translation, what could it mean? The NET footnote suggests a few possibilities:

Some view the tin wall and piece of tin as symbolic. If the tin wall of the vision symbolizes Israel, it may suggest weakness and vulnerability to judgment. … Their citadels, of which the nation was so proud and confident, are nothing more than tin fortresses. Various proposals depend on selecting some quality about tin and suggesting a role for that in this context. However, it is more likely that this is a case of a sound play like the next vision in Amos 8:1-2 (see also Jer 1:11-14). With the presentation technique of a sound play, the vision is not the prophecy, only the occasion for the prophecy. God gets the prophet to say a certain sound and then spins the prophecy off that. See the note at 7:8.
NET footnote on Amos 7:7

The sound play isn’t something you can easily translate, so it’s hard to see it when we read Amos in English. The NET translators hint at it by rhyming “tin” with “sin” (“Look, I am about to place tin among my people Israel. I will no longer overlook their sin” [Amos 7:8, NET]), but it’s still not obvious unless you either read Hebrew or have resources like the NET Bible to point out what’s happening in the original language.

While the sound play does sound like a reasonable explanation, the possible interpretation linked to characteristics of tin also makes sense in context. Amos 7:7-9 is just one of three visions that the Lord shows Amos in sequence. The first two both involve Yahweh revealing a judgement against Israel, first a plague of locusts and then one of consuming fire. Both times, Amos begs for a reprieve because Israel is too “small” or “weak” to withstand such punishment. Both times, Yahweh decides not to use that punishment (Amos 7:1-6). It could be that the weakness of tin is linked with the weakness that Amos identifies in Israel. Though Israel is weak, the Lord “will no longer overlook their sin” and eventually the holy places and kings will be destroyed (Amos 7:7-9).

Are There Any “Plumb Line” Scriptures?

Image of a pendulum weight on a chain overlaid with blog's title text and the words, "How do we respond when we learn that a Bible verse means something different than we first thought?" — Image from Pixabay

If you really liked the “plum line” analogy, you might find it disappointing to learn about the “tin” translation. But there is one other verse where “plumb line” is a good translation.

Therefore the Lord Yahweh says, “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation. He who believes shall not act hastily. I will make justice the measuring line, and righteousness the plumb line. The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters will overflow the hiding place.”
Isaiah 28:16-17, WEB

Here, “plumb line” is translated from mishqeleth. It means “level, leveling tool or instrument, plummet” (BDB; H4949). It’s a tool used in building, which makes sense because the context is Yahweh laying the Messiah as the foundation stone for the house He planned to build with the New Covenant church (Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:5-7).

Yahweh measures the house He’s building using instruments of justice and righteousness. We can still say that He places a plumb line in His people and expects us to measure up to His standards; we just shouldn’t use Amos 7 as the scriptural support for that idea.

As we discussed last week, all scripture is God-breathed. Sometimes, though, the involvement of fallible human beings–or even just the natural evolution of language–can muddy the meaning, especially in translation. If we learn that there’s a more accurate translation of a scripture that’s closer to the original intent, then that’s the one we should go with. We shouldn’t just accept any new interpretation blindly, but with careful investigation and prayer it’s usually possible to discern which translation(s) are more accurate when there’s a significant difference between them.

Featured image by Cloé Gérard from Pixabay

Song Recommendation: “Word of God Speak” by MercyMe

Click here to learn more about these books or to order a copy.

As I was reading Amos in my quest to write about more verses I don’t often study, some verses about the Day of the Lord caught my eye. It got me thinking about two doctrines I’ve encountered related to what the church will be doing during the great tribulation that precedes Christ’s second coming.

One doctrine, the one taught in the churches where I grew up, says that some believers will be taken to a “place of safety” where God keeps them from the tribulation. The other, taught in most Evangelical and some Messianic churches, says that a “rapture” occurs where Christ catches believers up to heaven before the tribulation starts.

Both these ideas acknowledge that Jesus is coming back in the future to set up His kingdom on earth, and there will be great tribulation throughout the earth before that happens. Rapture doctrine (at least, the pre-trib version) teaches that He will come back twice — once to gather up believers pre-tribulation and once again to set up His millennial reign. The Place of Safety doctrine teaches that some, not all, believers will be taken to a physical place of safety on earth to wait-out the tribulation until Christ’s return. Today, I want to re-think the idea that believers are going to get-out of the tribulation, and what that might mean for our faith.

A Day of Darkness

If you believe that those who are faithful to God are taken out of the world before the great tribulation starts, then praying “thy kingdom come” is easy. We’ll get out of the worst of it and bypass all this judgement stuff so we can finally get to that reward we’ve been promised. But what if it doesn’t work out that way?

What if Revelation 12:13-17 really does mean the church will be taken to a safe place, but you’re part of the commandment-keeping remnant still in the earth and persecuted by the dragon? What if there is a rapture, but it’s mid- or post-tribulation instead of pre-trib?

Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! For what good is the day of the Lord to you? It will be darkness, and not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him! Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it? (Amos 5:18-20)

There’s a note on this passage in my study Bible that says, “The people were taking for granted that the ‘Day of the Lord’ would be their day of triumph. Amos reminded them, however, that because of their unbelief and wickedness, it would be a day of judgement for them as well as the other nations.”

This made me think of us in the church, hoping for the end of the world because we know it has to come before Christ’s return, while thinking we might get out of the accompanying tribulation. Well, maybe we will, but I wouldn’t count on it. Matthew 24 clearly states Christ “will gather together His elect” “immediately after the tribulation” (Matt. 24:29-31). We have to be ready to stay faithful to God even if we go through the worst tribulation mankind has ever faced. If our faith is contingent upon being raptured away or taken to a place of safety, we could be in trouble.

Our Safe Place

I know this sounds bleak, but one thing we do know is that God’s people will suffer because our Messiah suffered (1 Pet. 2:18-25). If we really are living in the last days (as so many people think) and that includes having to go through the tribulation, I pray we’ll be those who can say “Thy will be done” rather than those who turn away because they were expecting something else.

I recently read The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. She was a Christian working with the Dutch underground in World War II who was caught and sent to several German concentration camps. At first, I thought the title refered to the secret room where she and her family hid Jews, but I soon found out she meant something else.

You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word. (Ps. 119:114)

Corrie quotes this verse near the beginning of the book, and again near the end. Her sister just died, she’s trapped in the medical ward waiting for release from the third camp she’s been held in, and she writes this: “His timing is perfect. His will is our hiding place. Lord Jesus, keep me in Your will! Don’t let me go mad by poking about outside it.” We don’t need to go anywhere for God to keep us safe. We just need to stay in His will. Our safety doesn’t depend on anything other than our relationship with Him.

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” (Ps. 91:1-2)

The New Living Translation has “place of safety” here instead of “fortress.” Reading on in this Psalm, we read of people living with “terror by night” and arrows by day (verse 5) in a place where pestilence and destruction are rampant (verse 6), and people fall dead all around you (verse 7). That’s not a physically safe location, but it doesn’t matter when you are dwelling in God.

Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling (Ps. 91:9-10)

We’ve all known Christians who’ve suffered — and we’ve probably been a suffering Christian. Clearly, this isn’t a promise for complete physical protection for every follower of God. It is a promise, though, that God won’t let anything happen to us that can’t work out for good (Rom. 8:28).

Keep Watch

We have to constantly work on developing a close relationship with God, and learning to follow Him the way He commands. That’s what’s important — not trying to figure out when He’s returning or if we’ll be raptured or where the place of safety might be. God is our focus, and if we keep our eyes on Him He will work things out.

Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matt 24:42-44)

If we knew exactly when and how God’s plan would unfold, there’d be little need for trust or faith as the “evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). We could have everything planned out and controlled and feel assured in our own efforts. but that’s not what God wants. He wants to see what we’ll do when we have to rely on Him completely.

Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt. 24:45-51)

There has been far too much smiting of fellow servants in the churches by people who don’t live like they could find themselves face-to-face with Jesus at any moment. We can’t let our faith slip because we think we have time or that we’ll get a warning. I’ve lost far too many friends to sudden, unexpected causes of death to think there are guarantees in this life.

God doesn’t call us to a life of comfort. He does promise He’ll never leave us and that, if we stay faithful, we will triumph with His son at the end. He doesn’t give us all the answers, but He gives us the only one we need. Grow closer to Him, stay vigilant, and trust Him as your place of safety.

Tag: Amos

Of Plumb Lines, Tin, and Mistranslated Scriptures