Misinterpretations often include viewing the imagery of the measuring line and plummet as literal construction tools God will use for rebuilding rather than symbols of precise judgment and destruction, or applying the prophecy exclusively to modern geopolitical events like contemporary Jerusalem without regard for its historical fulfillment in the Babylonian exile; others mistakenly see it as a promise of purification leading to immediate restoration instead of warning of irreversible consequences for unrepentant idolatry, or detach it from the context of Manasseh's reforms under Josiah that delayed but did not avert the ultimate judgment.
II Kings 21:13
King James Version (1769)
13 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.
In this passage, God declares judgment on Jerusalem for the idolatry and wickedness under King Manasseh, likening the city's fate to the total destruction of Samaria and the royal house of Ahab, measured out precisely like a builder's line and plummet, and wiped clean as one turns a dish upside down to scour it completely, emphasizing inevitable exile and desolation as divine retribution for persistent sin while highlighting God's justice and patience exhausted.