'Gates' in the Bible

I will indeed bless you and make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the gates of their enemies.

They blessed Rebekah, saying to her:Our sister, may you becomethousands upon ten thousands.May your offspring possessthe gates of their enemies.

but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the foreigner who is within your gates.

All these were fortified with high walls, gates, and bars, besides a large number of rural villages.

but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your ox or donkey, any of your livestock, or the foreigner who lives within your gates, so that your male and female slaves may rest as you do.

Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,

You will rejoice before the Lord your God—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.

“But whenever you want, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, according to the blessing the Lord your God has given you. Those who are clean or unclean may eat it, as they would a gazelle or deer,

Within your gates you may not eat: the tenth of your grain, new wine, or oil; the firstborn of your herd or flock; any of your vow offerings that you pledge; your freewill offerings; or your personal contributions.

You must eat them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place the Lord your God chooses—you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, and the Levite who is within your gates. Rejoice before the Lord your God in everything you do,

If the place where Yahweh your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, you may slaughter any of your herd or flock He has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat it within your gates whenever you want.

“You are not to eat any carcass; you may give it to a temporary resident living within your gates, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a holy people belonging to the Lord your God. You must not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

Do not neglect the Levite within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.

“At the end of every three years, bring a tenth of all your produce for that year and store it within your gates.

Then the Levite, who has no portion or inheritance among you, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow within your gates may come, eat, and be satisfied. And the Lord your God will bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.

“If there is a poor person among you, one of your brothers within any of your gates in the land the Lord your God is giving you, you must not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother.

Eat it within your gates; both the unclean person and the clean may eat it, as though it were a gazelle or deer.

Rejoice before Yahweh your God in the place where He chooses to have His name dwell—you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, the Levite within your gates, as well as the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow among you.

Rejoice during your festival—you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, as well as the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow within your gates.

you must bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing and stone them to death.

“If a case is too difficult for you—concerning bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults—cases disputed at your gates, you must go up to the place the Lord your God chooses.

If it accepts your offer of peace and opens its gates to you, all the people found in it will become forced laborers for you and serve you.

Let him live among you wherever he wants within your gates. Do not mistreat him.

They will besiege you within all your gates until your high and fortified walls, that you trust in, come down throughout your land. They will besiege you within all your gates throughout the land the Lord your God has given you.

the afterbirth that comes out from between her legs and the children she bears, because she will secretly eat them for lack of anything else during the siege and hardship your enemy imposes on you within your gates.

Gather the people—men, women, children, and foreigners living within your gates—so that they may listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and be careful to follow all the words of this law.

At that time Joshua imposed this curse:The man who undertakesthe rebuilding of this city, Jericho,is cursed before the Lord.He will lay its foundationat the cost of his firstborn;he will set up its gatesat the cost of his youngest.

Israel chose new gods,then war was in the gates.Not a shield or spear was seenamong 40,000 in Israel.

Let them tell the righteous acts of the Lord,the righteous deeds of His warriors in Israel,with the voices of the singers at the watering places.Then the Lord’s people went down to the gates.

The men of Israel and Judah rallied, shouting their battle cry, and chased the Philistines to the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. Philistine bodies were strewn all along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.

When it was reported to Saul that David had gone to Keilah, he said, “God has handed him over to me, for he has trapped himself by entering a town with barred gates.”

David was sitting between the two gates when the watchman went up to the roof of the gate and over to the wall. The watchman looked out and saw a man running alone.

During his reign, Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho. At the cost of Abiram his firstborn, he laid its foundation, and at the cost of Segub his youngest, he set up its gates, according to the word of the Lord He had spoken through Joshua son of Nun.

Then Josiah brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and he defiled the high places from Geba to Beer-sheba, where the priests had burned incense. He tore down the high places of the gates at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city (on the left at the city gate).

So they and their sons were assigned to the gates of the Lord’s temple, which had been the tent-temple.

He built Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon—fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars—

He stationed gatekeepers at the gates of the Lord’s temple so that nothing unclean could enter for any reason.

Hezekiah reestablished the divisions of the priests and Levites for the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, for ministry, for giving thanks, and for praise in the gates of the camp of the Lord, each division corresponding to his service among the priests and Levites.

They said to me, “The remnant in the province, who survived the exile, are in great trouble and disgrace. Jerusalem’s wall has been broken down, and its gates have been burned down.”

and replied to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”

And let me have a letter written to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so that he will give me timber to rebuild the gates of the temple’s fortress, the city wall, and the home where I will live.” The king granted my requests, for I was graciously strengthened by my God.

I went out at night through the Valley Gate toward the Serpent’s Well and the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire.

So I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been burned down. Come, let’s rebuild Jerusalem’s wall, so that we will no longer be a disgrace.”

When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and that no gap was left in it—though at that time I had not installed the doors in the gates—

I said to them, “Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot, and let the doors be shut and securely fastened while the guards are on duty. Station the citizens of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some at their homes.”

The gatekeepers: Akkub, Talmon, and their relatives, who guarded the gates: 172.

This included Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, and Obadiah. Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers who guarded the storerooms at the gates.

After the priests and Levites had purified themselves, they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.

When shadows began to fall on the gates of Jerusalem just before the Sabbath, I gave orders that the gates be closed and not opened until after the Sabbath. I posted some of my men at the gates, so that no goods could enter during the Sabbath day.

Then I instructed the Levites to purify themselves and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.Remember me for this also, my God, and look on me with compassion in keeping with Your abundant, faithful love.

Will it go down to the gates of Sheol,or will we descend together to the dust?

Have the gates of death been revealed to you?Have you seen the gates of deep darkness?

Be gracious to me, Lord;consider my affliction at the hands of those who hate me.Lift me up from the gates of death,

so that I may declare all Your praises.I will rejoice in Your salvationwithin the gates of Daughter Zion.

Lift up your heads, you gates!Rise up, ancient doors!Then the King of glory will come in.

Lift up your heads, you gates!Rise up, ancient doors!Then the King of glory will come in.

The Lord loves the gates of Zionmore than all the dwellings of Jacob.

Enter His gates with thanksgivingand His courts with praise.Give thanks to Him and praise His name.

For He has broken down the bronze gatesand cut through the iron bars.

They loathed all foodand came near the gates of death.

Open the gates of righteousness for me;I will enter through themand give thanks to the Lord.

Our feet are standingwithin your gates, Jerusalem—

For He strengthens the bars of your gatesand blesses your children within you.

She cries out above the commotion;she speaks at the entrance of the city gates:

Beside the gates at the entry to the city,at the main entrance, she cries out:

The evil bow before those who are good,the wicked, at the gates of the righteous.

Her husband is known at the city gates,where he sits among the elders of the land.

Give her the reward of her labor,and let her works praise her at the city gates.

Then her gates will lament and mourn;deserted, she will sit on the ground. >

Lift up a banner on a barren mountain.Call out to them.Wave your hand, and they will gothrough the gates of the nobles.

Wail, you gates! Cry out, city!Tremble with fear, all Philistia!For a cloud of dust is coming from the north,and there is no one missing from the invader’s ranks.

Your best valleys were full of chariots,and horsemen were positioned at the gates.

Open the gatesso a righteous nation can come in—one that remains faithful.

I said: In the prime of my lifeI must go to the gates of Sheol;I am deprived of the rest of my years.

The Lord says this to Cyrus, His anointed,whose right hand I have graspedto subdue nations before him,to disarm kings,to open the doors before himand the gates will not be shut:

I will make your fortifications out of rubies,your gates out of sparkling stones,and all your walls out of precious stones.

Your gates will always be open;they will never be shut day or nightso that the wealth of the nationsmay be brought into you,with their kings being led in procession.

Violence will never again be heard of in your land;devastation and destructionwill be gone from your borders.But you will name your walls salvationand your gates, praise.

Go out, go out through the gates;prepare a way for the people!Build it up, build up the highway;clear away the stones!Raise a banner for the peoples.

Indeed, I am about to summon all the clans and kingdoms of the north.”This is the Lord’s declaration.They will come, and each king will set up his throneat the entrance to Jerusalem’s gates.They will attack all her surrounding wallsand all the other cities of Judah.

“Stand in the gate of the house of the Lord and there call out this word: Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who enter through these gates to worship the Lord.

Judah mourns;her gates languish.Her people are on the ground in mourning;Jerusalem’s cry rises up.

I scattered them with a winnowing forkat the gates of the land.I made them childless; I destroyed My people.They would not turn from their ways.

This is what the Lord said to me, “Go and stand at the People’s Gate, through which the kings of Judah enter and leave, as well as at all the gates of Jerusalem.

Announce to them: Hear the word of the Lord, kings of Judah, all Judah, and all the residents of Jerusalem who enter through these gates.

This is what the Lord says: Watch yourselves; do not pick up a load and bring it in through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.

“However, if you listen to Me, says the Lord, and do not bring loads through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day and consecrate the Sabbath day and do no work on it,

kings and princes will enter through the gates of this city. They will sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses with their officials, the men of Judah, and the residents of Jerusalem. This city will be inhabited forever.

If you do not listen to Me to consecrate the Sabbath day by not carrying a load while entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, I will set fire to its gates, and it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem and not be extinguished.”

You are to say: Hear the word of the Lord, king of Judah, you who sit on the throne of David—you, your officers, and your people who enter these gates.

For if you conscientiously carry out this word, then kings sitting on David’s throne will enter through the gates of this palace riding on chariots and horses—they, their officers, and their people.

He will be buried like a donkey,dragged off and thrownoutside the gates of Jerusalem.

This is what Yahweh of Hosts says:Babylon’s thick walls will be totally demolished,and her high gates consumed by fire.The peoples will have labored for nothing;the nations will exhaust themselves only to feed the fire.

ד DaletThe roads to Zion mourn,for no one comes to the appointed festivals.All her gates are deserted;her priests groan,her young women grieve,and she herself is bitter.

ט TetZion’s gates have fallen to the ground;He has destroyed and shattered the bars on her gates.Her king and her leaders live among the nations,instruction is no more,and even her prophets receiveno vision from the Lord.

ל LamedThe kings of the earthand all the world’s inhabitants did not believethat an enemy or adversarycould enter Jerusalem’s gates.

I have appointed a sword for slaughterat all their gates,so that their hearts may meltand many may stumble.Yes! It is ready to flash like lightning;it is drawn for slaughter.

The answer marked Jerusalem appears in his right hand, indicating that he should set up battering rams, give the order to slaughter, raise a battle cry, set battering rams against the gates, build a ramp, and construct a siege wall.

His horses will be so numerous that their dust will cover you. When he enters your gates as an army entering a breached city, your walls will shake from the noise of cavalry, wagons, and chariots.