Though few tools are simpler than a plumb line, few are more effective at their task. A plumb line is simply a pointed weight—a plumb bob, or plummet, if you prefer—that has been suspended from a cord. The bob dangles from the cord and, through the consistent downward pull of gravity, establishes a vertical reference. Since time immemorial—ancient Egypt at least—a plumb line has been used to establish verticality for walls, towers, castles, and other structures. If you make a careful study of the floors of the great cathedrals of old, you may spot the marker that indicates where one used to hang, the reference point for the entire building.
The prophet Amos once saw a vision that involved a plumb line. He saw the Lord standing beside a wall with a plumb line in his hand. Amos looked and realized that the wall was not perfectly parallel to it. In fact, the line showed that the wall was leaning, that it was dangerously buckled. Amos might have been tempted to try some repair work, but the Lord warned that the wall was too far out of the vertical to be fixed. It was only a matter
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