The expression “one line for life and another for death” comes from 2 Samuel 8:2.

THE PHRASE YOU’RE ASKING ABOUT: “LINE TO LIFE / LINE TO DEATH”

This wording appears when David deals with Moab:

2 Samuel 8:2 (KJV)

“And he smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive.”

This is where the “lines of life and death” concept comes from.

Where it does NOT appear

There is no “line to life / line to death” wording in 2 Samuel 10.
Chapter 10 is about:

• David sending comfort to Hanun

• The ambassadors being humiliated

• Joab fighting Ammon and Syria

• Joab saying:
  “Let the Lord do that which seemeth him good.” (2 Sam 10:12)

No measuring lines appear in that chapter.

WHAT THE “LINES” MEANT IN 2 SAMUEL 8:2

David used a measuring line to determine Moabite captives’ fate:

• Two lines = execution

• One full line = spared

This was an ancient Near Eastern method for assigning judgment after war.

The passage emphasizes:

• God’s judgment on Moab (who had mistreated David’s family—1 Sam 22:3–4 background)

• David acting under divine authority as king

• The seriousness of rebellion against Israel’s God-appointed ruler

It was not random cruelty, but war judgment consistent with God’s justice during that era.

? In short:

“Line to life” and “line to death” ? 2 Samuel 8:2, not 10.

If you want, I can break down exactly:

• Why David judged Moab this way

• How this aligns with conservative Baptist doctrine

• What the “line” physically looked like

• How ancient kings used measuring lines in warfare

Just tell me.

Here is the clear, practical, physical explanation of the “line” in 2 Samuel 8:2 — what it actually looked like, and how David used it.

WHAT THE “LINE” LOOKED LIKE (PHYSICALLY)

A measuring line in the ancient Near East was:

• A long, durable cord or rope

• Usually made of flax, hemp, or woven leather strips

• Knotted at regular intervals to mark measurements

• Typically 50–100 feet long for land measuring

• Straight, lightweight, and rolled up when not used

Think of it as the ancient equivalent of a surveying tape measure, but made of natural cord.

It was a standard military and construction tool used for:

• Surveying land

• Measuring boundaries

• Organizing building dimensions

• Dividing spoils, captives, or territory

HOW THE LINE WAS USED TO JUDGE THE MOABITES

2 Samuel 8:2 (KJV)

“Even with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive.”

This describes a method of sorting prisoners after battle.

Here’s how the procedure worked physically:

? STEP 1 — The captives were laid on the ground

The Moabite prisoners were forced to lie down side by side on the ground in rows.

This is consistent with:

• Assyrian records

• Egyptian war reliefs

• Babylonian chronicles

All show captives prostrated for identification or judgment.

? STEP 2 — The measuring line was stretched across them

David’s men stretched the cord across the length of the row of captives.

• The rope would be pulled taut

• It would mark off distinct intervals (like “sections”)

• Each interval determined the fate of the men beneath it

? STEP 3 — Two sections (two lines) were marked for execution

“Two lines measured he to put to death”

That means:

• The first two measured sections/intervals = the men under those sections were executed

• The executions would be immediate (usually by sword)

This method ensured:

• No favoritism

• No bribery

• No chaos

• No random selection

It was precise.

? STEP 4 — One section (one full line) was marked for life

“One full line to keep alive.”

Meaning:

• The third measured section = the men under that section were spared

• They became servants or subjects under Israel

This produced a 2-to-1 ratio:

• Two parts judged

• One part spared

The term “full line” may also imply the spared group was measured generously—possibly slightly larger than the first two intervals.

WHY USE A MEASURING LINE? (HISTORICAL PRACTICE)

This method was:

? Impartial

Boundaries were set by a uniform line, not personal decisions.

? Efficient

Quickly sorted large groups of prisoners.

? Common in ANE warfare

Assyrians, Hittites, and Egyptians used lines or rods to:

• Divide captives

• Separate tribute

• Determine land boundaries

? Symbolic of Divine Judgment

In Scripture:

• Measuring lines symbolize judgment or allocation (Isaiah 34:11; Lamentations 2:8; Amos 7:17)

So David’s act is both:

• A practical military action

• A symbolic act of divine justice

SUMMARY IN ONE SENTENCE

The “line” was a long knotted measuring cord, stretched across rows of Moabite captives so David could divide them into measured groups—two measured sections for execution and one for mercy—as a precise, impartial method of judgment after battle.