Reference: Gate
American
The gates of eastern walled towns were usually of wood, Jg 16:3, often covered with thick plates of iron or copper, Ps 107:16; Isa 45:2; Ac 12:10, secured by bolts and bars, De 3:5; 1Ki 4:13, and flanked by towers, 2Sa 18:24,33. A city was usually regarded as taken when its gates were won, De 28:52; Jg 5:8. Hence "gate" sometimes signifies power, dominion; almost in the same sense as the Turkish sultan's palace is called the Porte, or Gate. God promises Abraham that his posterity shall possess the gates of their enemies- their towns, their fortresses, Ge 22:17. So too, "the gates of hell," that is, the power of hell, or hell itself.
In oriental cities there was always an open space or place adjacent to each gate, and these were at the same time the market places, and the place of justice, Ge 23:10-18; Ru 4:1-12; De 16:18; 21:19; 25:6-7; Pr 22:22; Am 5:10,12,15. There, too, people assembled to spend their leisure hours, Ge 19:1. Hence "they that sit in the gate" is put for idlers, loungers, who are coupled with drunkards, Ps 69:12. The woes of a city were disclosed in the mourning or loneliness of these places of resort, Isa 14:31; Jer 14:2. Here too the public proclamations were made, and the messages of prophets delivered, Pr 1:21; 8:3; Isa 29:21; Jer 17:19; 26:10. Near the gate of a city, but without it, executions took place, 1Ki 21:13; Ac 7:58; Heb 13:12. To exalt the gate of a house through pride, increased one's exposure to robbery, Pr 17:19. To open it wide and high was significant of joy and welcome, as when the Savior ascended to heaven, Ps 24:7,9; and the open gates of the new Jerusalem in contrast with those of earthly cities carefully closed and guarded at nightfall, indicate the happy security of that world of light, Re 21:25.
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And the two angels came to Sodom at evening; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom, and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground,
that in blessing I will bless thee and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gates of his enemies;
This Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth; and Ephron, the Hittite, answered Abraham in the audience of the sons of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying, No, my lord, hear me; I give thee the field, and the cave that is therein, I give it to thee; in the presence of the sons of my people I give it to thee; bury thy dead. read more. And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land. And he spoke unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me; I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there. And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that between me and thee? bury therefore thy dead. Then Abraham hearkened unto Ephron, and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant. And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field that were in all the borders round about were made sure unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.
All these cities were fenced with high walls, gates, and bars besides a great many unwalled towns.
Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all the gates of thy cities, which the LORD thy God shall give thee throughout thy tribes, and they shall judge the people with just (and righteous) judgment.
then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him and bring him out unto the elders of his city and unto the gate of his place;
And it shall be that the firstborn which she bears shall be raised up in the name of his brother who is dead that his name be not blotted out of Israel. And if the man does not desire to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders and say, My husband's brother refuses to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother.
And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates until thy high and fenced walls come down, in which thou dost trust, throughout all thy land; and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God has given thee.
When they chose new gods, the war was at the gates. Was there a shield or spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel?
And Samson slept until midnight and arose at midnight and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is before Hebron.
And Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and, behold, the redeemer of whom Boaz spoke came by unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! Come here and sit down. And he came and sat down. Then he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, Sit down here. And they sat down. read more. And he said unto the redeemer, Naomi, that is come again out of the field of Moab, sold a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's, and I decided to cause thee to know this and tell thee to take it before the inhabitants and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it, but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me that I may know, for there is no one to redeem it besides thee, and I after thee. And he said, I will redeem it. Then Boaz replied, The day that thou dost receive the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must also receive Ruth, the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. And the redeemer said, I cannot redeem it for myself lest I ruin my own inheritance; redeem thou; I cede my right to you, for I shall not be able to redeem it. Now for a long time in Israel there had been this custom concerning redemption or contracts, that for the confirmation of all matters: one plucked off his shoe and gave it to his neighbour, and this was a testimony in Israel. Therefore, the former owner of the right of redemption said unto Boaz, Buy it thyself. So he drew off his shoe. And Boaz said unto the elders and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech's and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi. Moreover, I also take Ruth, the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, as my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance that the name of the dead not be cut off from among his brethren and from the gate of his place. Ye shall be witnesses of this today. And all the people that were in the gate and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thy house like Rachel and like Leah, who built the house of Israel; and be thou a man of valour in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem; let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bore unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman.
And David sat between the two gates, and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate unto the wall and lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold a man running alone.
Then the king was much moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept; and as he went, he said this: O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! I would rather have died instead of thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!
Then the two men, sons of Belial, came in and sat before him; and those men of Belial witnessed against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth blasphemed God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones that he died.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and lift yourselves up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; lift yourselves up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in.
They that sat in the gate spoke against me, and I was the song of the drunkards.
She cries in the chief place of concourse, in the entrance to the gates of the city she utters her words, saying,
Transgression loves him that loves strife, and he that exalts his gate seeks destruction.
Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither destroy the destitute in judgment:
Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Philistia, art dissolved; for there shall come from the north a smoke, and not one shall be left in thy assemblies.
Those that made men to sin in word; those that laid a snare for him that reproved in the gate, and turned that which is just into vanity.
I will go before thee and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut in sunder the bars of iron:
Judah mourns, and its gates languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.
Thus said the LORD unto me: Go and stand in the gate of the sons of the people by which the kings of Judah come in and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem;
When the princes of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king's house unto the house of the LORD and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the LORD's house.
They hate him that rebukes in the gate, and they abhor him that speaks uprightly.
For I have known of your many rebellions and your great sins that afflict the just and take a ransom and turn aside the poor in the gate from their right.
Hate the evil and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate; it may be that the LORD God of the hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.
and casting him out of the city, they stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.
When they were past the first and the second guard, they came unto the iron gate that leads unto the city, which opened to them of its own accord, and they went out and passed on through one street, and then the angel departed from him.
Therefore, Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate.
And her gates shall never be shut by day; for there shall be no night there.
Easton
(1.) Of cities, as of Jerusalem (Jer 37:13; Ne 1:3; 2:3; 3:3), of Sodom (Ge 19:1), of Gaza (Jg 16:3).
(2.) Of royal palaces (Ne 2:8).
(3.) Of the temple of Solomon (1Ki 6:34-35; 2Ki 18:16); of the holy place (1Ki 6:31-32; Eze 41:23-24); of the outer courts of the temple, the beautiful gate (Ac 3:2).
(4.) Tombs (Mt 27:60).
(5.) Prisons (Ac 12:10; 16:27).
(6.) Caverns (1Ki 19:13).
(7.) Camps (Ex 32:26-27; Heb 13:12).
The materials of which gates were made were,
(1.) Iron and brass (Ps 107:16; Isa 45:2; Ac 12:10).
(2.) Stones and pearls (Isa 54:12; Re 21:21).
(3.) Wood (Jg 16:3) probably.
At the gates of cities courts of justice were frequently held, and hence "judges of the gate" are spoken of (De 16:18; 17:8; 21:19; 25:6-7, etc.). At the gates prophets also frequently delivered their messages (Pr 1:21; 8:3; Isa 29:21; Jer 17:19-20; 26:10). Criminals were punished without the gates (1Ki 21:13; Ac 7:59). By the "gates of righteousness" we are probably to understand those of the temple (Ps 118:19). "The gates of hell" (R.V., "gates of Hades") Mt 16:18, are generally interpreted as meaning the power of Satan, but probably they may mean the power of death, denoting that the Church of Christ shall never die.
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And the two angels came to Sodom at evening; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom, and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground,
Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, Who is on the LORD's side? Come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And he said unto them, Thus hath the LORD God of Israel said, Put every man his sword by his side and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp and slay each one his brother and his companion and his neighbour.
Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all the gates of thy cities, which the LORD thy God shall give thee throughout thy tribes, and they shall judge the people with just (and righteous) judgment.
If a matter arises that is too difficult for thee in judgment between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates, then thou shalt arise and go up into the place which the LORD thy God shall choose,
then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him and bring him out unto the elders of his city and unto the gate of his place;
And it shall be that the firstborn which she bears shall be raised up in the name of his brother who is dead that his name be not blotted out of Israel. And if the man does not desire to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders and say, My husband's brother refuses to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother.
And Samson slept until midnight and arose at midnight and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is before Hebron.
And Samson slept until midnight and arose at midnight and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is before Hebron.
And at the entrance of the oracle he made doors of olive wood; the lintel and side posts had five sides. The two doors were of olive wood, and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers and overlaid them with gold and covered the cherubims and the palm trees with gold.
The two doors were of fir; the two sides of the one door were rounded, and the two leaves of the other door were rounded. And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.
Which when Elijah heard it, he covered his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the door of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, saying, What doest thou here, Elijah?
Then the two men, sons of Belial, came in and sat before him; and those men of Belial witnessed against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth blasphemed God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones that he died.
And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.
and said unto the king, Let the king live for ever; why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the house of my fathers' sepulchres, lies waste, and its gates are consumed with fire?
and a letter unto Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace of the house and for the wall of the city and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of the LORD upon me.
And the sons of Hassenaah built the fish gate; they laid its beams and set up its doors, its locks, and its bars.
Open unto me the gates of righteousness; I will go in through them; I will praise JAH.
She cries in the chief place of concourse, in the entrance to the gates of the city she utters her words, saying,
Those that made men to sin in word; those that laid a snare for him that reproved in the gate, and turned that which is just into vanity.
I will go before thee and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut in sunder the bars of iron:
And I will make thy windows of precious stones, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of stones of great price.
Thus said the LORD unto me: Go and stand in the gate of the sons of the people by which the kings of Judah come in and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem; and say unto them, Hear ye the word of the LORD, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates:
When the princes of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king's house unto the house of the LORD and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the LORD's house.
And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans.
And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors. And the doors had two leaves apiece, two turning leaves; two leaves for the one door, and two leaves for the other door.
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, a small rock and upon the large rock I will build my congregation , and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against her.
and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock, and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre and departed.
And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of those that entered into the temple,
And they stoned Stephen calling upon God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
When they were past the first and the second guard, they came unto the iron gate that leads unto the city, which opened to them of its own accord, and they went out and passed on through one street, and then the angel departed from him.
When they were past the first and the second guard, they came unto the iron gate that leads unto the city, which opened to them of its own accord, and they went out and passed on through one street, and then the angel departed from him.
And the keeper of the prison, awaking out of his sleep and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had fled.
Therefore, Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate.
And the twelve gates are twelve pearls; in each one, one; each gate was of one pearl; and the street of the city was pure gold, as shining glass.
Fausets
The oriental resort for business, converse, bargaining, and news (Ge 19:1; 23:10; Ps 69:12), for addresses and reading the law (2Ch 32:6; Ne 8:1,3; Pr 1:21; Jer 17:19), or administering justice (Jos 20:4; Ru 4:1; De 16:18; 21:19). Pr 22:22, "neither oppress the afflicted in the gate," i.e. in the place of justice, in lawsuits. Ps 69:12, "they that sit in the gate speak against Me (Messiah), and I was the song of the drunkards," i.e., not only among drunken revelers, but in the grave deliberations of the judges in the place of justice I was an object of obloquy. Am 5:12, "they turn aside the poor in the gate," i.e. they refuse them their right in the place of justice; (Am 5:10) "they hate him that rebuketh in the gate," namely, the judge who condemns them (Zec 8:16).
Isa 29:21, "they lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate," i.e., they try by bribes and misrepresentations to ensnare into a false decision the judge who would in public court reprove them for their iniquity, or to ensnare the prophet who publicly reproves them (Jer 7:2). "The Sublime Porte," the title for the Sultan of Turkey, is derived from the eastern usage of dispensing law in the gateway. The king's or chief's place of audience (1Ki 22:10; 2Sa 19:8; Job 29:7; La 5:14). The object of a foe's attack and therefore strengthened especially (Jg 5:8; Ps 147:18), shut at nightfall (De 3:5; Jos 2:5,7; 1Sa 23:7). The market place for country produce (2Ki 7:1; Ne 13:16-19). The open spaces near the gates were used for pagan sacrifices (Ac 14:13; 2Ki 23:8).
Josiah defiled "the high places of the gates in the entering in of the gate." The larger gates had two valves, and were plated with metal and secured with locks and bars. Those without iron plating were easily set on fire (Jg 9:52). Sentences of the law were inscribed on and above them, to which allusion occurs De 6:9; an usage followed by Muslims in modern times. Some gates were of solid stones (Re 21:21; Isa 54:12). Massive stone doors are found in ancient houses of Syria, single slabs, several inches thick, 10 ft. high, turning on stone pivots above and below. The king's principal gate at Ispahan afforded sanctuary to criminals (Chardin, 7:368). In Esther's time "none might enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth" (Es 4:2). "The Beautiful Gate" of Herod's temple (Ac 3:2) was the outer one, made of Corinthian brass, surpassing in costliness even nine others of the outer court, which were covered with gold and silver.
It was so heavy that twenty men were required to close it, but it was found open unexpectedly shortly before the overthrow of Jerusalem (Josephus, B. J., 5:5, sec. 3; 6: 5, sec. 3; contra Apion, 2:9). The doorway consisted of lintel, threshold, and side-posts (Ex 12:7,22). In Ge 22:17, "thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies," the sense is, shall sit in judgment on them, as in the Assyrian sculptures the king is represented sitting in judgment upon prisoners. Thus the Persian satrap in the Lycian Xanthus monument sits at the gate dictating terms to the Greek ambassadors, and Sennacherib, at his tent door, gives judgment on the Jews taken at Lachish (British Museum, 59). In front of the larger edifices in the remains at Persepolis and Nineveh (Khorsabad) are propylaea, or "porches," like that "for Solomon's throne where he might judge, even the porch of judgment, covered with cedar from one side of the floor to the other" (1Ki 7:7).
The threshold in the Assyrian palaces is one slab of gypsum with cuneatic inscriptions; human-headed bulls with eagles' wings guard the portals, like and probably borrowed from the cherubim which guarded the gate of Eden; besides there are holes 12 in. square, lined round with tiles, with a brick to cover them above and containing small baked clay idols with lynx head and human body, or human head and lion's body, probably like the teraphim, from Arabic tarf "a boundary," and akin to the Persian "telifin" talismans. (See TERAPHIM.) Thus the place of going out and coming in was guarded, as especially sacred, from all evil by the inscriptions, the compound figured gods outside, and the hidden teraphim. Daniel "sat in" such a "gate" before the palace of Babylon as "ruler over the whole province of Babylon" (Da 2:48-49) The courtiers of Ahasuerus attended him "in the gate" similarly (Es 3:2).
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And the two angels came to Sodom at evening; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom, and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground,
that in blessing I will bless thee and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gates of his enemies;
This Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth; and Ephron, the Hittite, answered Abraham in the audience of the sons of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,
And they shall take of the blood and put it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses in which they shall eat it.
And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin and touch the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.
All these cities were fenced with high walls, gates, and bars besides a great many unwalled towns.
Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all the gates of thy cities, which the LORD thy God shall give thee throughout thy tribes, and they shall judge the people with just (and righteous) judgment.
then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him and bring him out unto the elders of his city and unto the gate of his place;
And at the time of shutting the gate, when it was dark, these men went out, and I do not know where the men went; pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.
And the men pursued after them along the way to Jordan unto the fords; and as soon as those who pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.
And he that flees unto one of these cities shall present himself at the entering of the gate of the city and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city; they shall receive him into the city among them and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.
When they chose new gods, the war was at the gates. Was there a shield or spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel?
And Abimelech came to the tower, and fighting against it, he came to the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
And Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and, behold, the redeemer of whom Boaz spoke came by unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! Come here and sit down. And he came and sat down.
Then he made a porch for the throne where he was to judge, even the porch of judgment; and it was covered with cedar from one side of the floor to the other.
And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, sat each on his throne, having put on their robes, in the plaza at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets prophesied before them.
Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus hath the LORD said, Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.
And he set captains of war over the people and gathered them together to him in the plaza of the gate of the city and spoke unto their heart, saying,
And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the plaza that was before the water gate, and they spoke unto Ezra, the scribe, to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.
And he read in the book before the plaza that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.
There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, who brought fish and all manner of merchandise, and sold on the sabbath to the sons of Judah in Jerusalem. Then I contended with the nobles of Judah and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do and profane thus the sabbath day? read more. Did not your fathers do this, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us and upon this city? Yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath. And it came to pass, that when shadow came to the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut and charged that they should not be opened until after the sabbath; and I set some of my servants at the gates, that no burden be brought in on the sabbath day.
And all the king's slaves that were in the king's gate, knelt down and worshipped Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not kneel or worship before him.
and came before the king's gate; for no one was allowed to enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.
They that sat in the gate spoke against me, and I was the song of the drunkards.
They that sat in the gate spoke against me, and I was the song of the drunkards.
He shall send forth his word and melt them; his wind shall blow, and the waters shall flow.
She cries in the chief place of concourse, in the entrance to the gates of the city she utters her words, saying,
Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither destroy the destitute in judgment:
Those that made men to sin in word; those that laid a snare for him that reproved in the gate, and turned that which is just into vanity.
And I will make thy windows of precious stones, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of stones of great price.
Stand in the gate of the LORD's house and proclaim there this word and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD.
Thus said the LORD unto me: Go and stand in the gate of the sons of the people by which the kings of Judah come in and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem;
The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from their music.
Then the king magnified Daniel and gave him many and great gifts and made him governor over the whole province of Babylon and prince of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon. And Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel was at the gate of the king.
They hate him that rebukes in the gate, and they abhor him that speaks uprightly.
For I have known of your many rebellions and your great sins that afflict the just and take a ransom and turn aside the poor in the gate from their right.
These are the things that ye shall do: Speak each one the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates;
And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of those that entered into the temple,
Then the priest of Jupiter, who was before their city, brought bulls and garlands unto the gates and would have done sacrifice unto them with the people.
And the twelve gates are twelve pearls; in each one, one; each gate was of one pearl; and the street of the city was pure gold, as shining glass.
Hastings
Morish
Beside the ordinary use of gates for the protection of a city, 'in the gate' was the place where many important things were transacted. When Boaz wanted the question settled respecting Ruth and the inheritance, he went up to the gate: the subject was debated with a nearer relative, then concluded, and witnessed by the elders. Ru 4:1-12; cf. Jos 20:4; 1Sa 4:18; 2Sa 15:2; Ac 14:13. To 'sit in the gate' was a place of honour: "they that sit in the gate speak against me." Ps 69:12. It should have been the place of true judgement and justice, but was not always so. Isa 29:21; Am 5:10,12; Zec 8:16. It was, at least at times, the king's chief place of audience. 2Sa 19:8; 1Ki 22:10; Job 29:7; La 5:14. From this it would be a symbol of power: thus the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church which Christ builds. Mt 16:18.
The gates of cities were of wood cased with iron to strengthen them and prevent them being burnt with fire. cf. Jg 9:52. The prison at Jerusalem had an outer gate of iron, the only iron one we read of. Ac 12:10.
Doubtless the gates of Solomon's temple were adorned to agree with the rest of the work. In the N.T. we read of THE BEAUTIFUL GATE of the temple, Ac 3:10; and Josephus relates that Herod made an outer gate of Corinthian brass, costing more than those adorned with gold and silver. The gates of the New Jerusalem are described as pearls: "every several gate was of one pearl," Re 21:12-25: the entrances must be in keeping with the rest of the city. The pearls represent the glories of Christ as seen in the church: cf. Mt 13:46.
The gate is used symbolically as the entrance both to life and to destruction: the former is narrow and the way straitened, and alas, there are but few that find it; whereas for the latter the gate is wide and the way is broad, and many there are that enter through it. Mt 7:13-14.
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And he that flees unto one of these cities shall present himself at the entering of the gate of the city and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city; they shall receive him into the city among them and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.
And Abimelech came to the tower, and fighting against it, he came to the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
And Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and, behold, the redeemer of whom Boaz spoke came by unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! Come here and sit down. And he came and sat down. Then he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, Sit down here. And they sat down. read more. And he said unto the redeemer, Naomi, that is come again out of the field of Moab, sold a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's, and I decided to cause thee to know this and tell thee to take it before the inhabitants and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it, but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me that I may know, for there is no one to redeem it besides thee, and I after thee. And he said, I will redeem it. Then Boaz replied, The day that thou dost receive the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must also receive Ruth, the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. And the redeemer said, I cannot redeem it for myself lest I ruin my own inheritance; redeem thou; I cede my right to you, for I shall not be able to redeem it. Now for a long time in Israel there had been this custom concerning redemption or contracts, that for the confirmation of all matters: one plucked off his shoe and gave it to his neighbour, and this was a testimony in Israel. Therefore, the former owner of the right of redemption said unto Boaz, Buy it thyself. So he drew off his shoe. And Boaz said unto the elders and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech's and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi. Moreover, I also take Ruth, the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, as my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance that the name of the dead not be cut off from among his brethren and from the gate of his place. Ye shall be witnesses of this today. And all the people that were in the gate and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thy house like Rachel and like Leah, who built the house of Israel; and be thou a man of valour in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem; let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bore unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman.
Then the king arose and sat in the gate. And it was declared unto all the people, saying, Behold, the king sits in the gate. And all the people came before the king, but Israel had fled every man to his tent.
They that sat in the gate spoke against me, and I was the song of the drunkards.
Those that made men to sin in word; those that laid a snare for him that reproved in the gate, and turned that which is just into vanity.
The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from their music.
They hate him that rebukes in the gate, and they abhor him that speaks uprightly.
For I have known of your many rebellions and your great sins that afflict the just and take a ransom and turn aside the poor in the gate from their right.
These are the things that ye shall do: Speak each one the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates;
Enter ye in at the narrow gate, for the way that leads to destruction is wide and spacious, and those who follow it are many; because narrow is the gate, and confined is the way which leads unto life, and there are few that find it.
who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, a small rock and upon the large rock I will build my congregation , and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against her.
and they knew that it was he who sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.
When they were past the first and the second guard, they came unto the iron gate that leads unto the city, which opened to them of its own accord, and they went out and passed on through one street, and then the angel departed from him.
Then the priest of Jupiter, who was before their city, brought bulls and garlands unto the gates and would have done sacrifice unto them with the people.
And it had a wall great and high, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. read more. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city and its gates and its wall. And the city lies foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth; and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs; and the length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured its wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the material of its wall was jasper; but the city was of pure gold, like unto clean glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprasus; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. And the twelve gates are twelve pearls; in each one, one; each gate was of one pearl; and the street of the city was pure gold, as shining glass. And I saw no temple in her; for the Lord God Almighty is her temple, and the Lamb. And the city had no need of the sun neither of the moon to shine in her, for the clarity of God has illuminated it, and the Lamb is its lamp. And the Gentiles that have been saved shall walk in the light of her; and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honour into her. And her gates shall never be shut by day; for there shall be no night there.
Smith
Gate.
The gate and gateways of eastern cities anciently held and still hold an important part, not only in the defence but in the public economy of the place. They are thus sometimes taken as representing the city itself.
Ge 22:17; 24:60; De 12:12; Jg 5:8; Ru 4:10; Ps 87:2; 122:2
Among the special purposes for which they were used may be mentioned.
1. As places of public resort.
Ge 19:1; 23:10; 34:20,24; 1Sa 4:18
etc.
2. Places for public deliberation, administration of Justice, or of audience for kings and rulers or ambassadors.
De 16:18; 21:19; 25:7; Jos 20:4; Jg 9:35
etc.
3. Public markets.
In heathen towns the open spaces near the gates appear to have been sometimes used as places for sacrifice.
comp 2Kin 23:8 Regarded therefore as positions of great importance, the gates of cities were carefully guarded, and closed at nightfall.
They contained chambers over the gateway.
The doors themselves of the larger gates mentioned in Scripture were two leaved, plated with metal, closed with locks and fastened with metal bars.
De 3:6; Ps 107:16; Isa 46:1-2
Gates not defended by iron were of course liable to be set on fire by an enemy.
The gateways of royal palaces and even of private houses were often richly ornamented. Sentences from the law were inscribed on and above the gates.
The gates of Solomon's temple were very massive and costly, being overlaid with gold and carving.
Those of the holy place were of olive wood, two-leaved and overlaid with gold; those of the temple of fir.
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And the two angels came to Sodom at evening; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom, and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground,
that in blessing I will bless thee and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gates of his enemies;
This Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth; and Ephron, the Hittite, answered Abraham in the audience of the sons of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,
And they blessed Rebekah and said unto her, Thou art our sister; be thou the mother of thousands of ten thousands, and let thy seed possess the gate of those who hate them.
Then Hamor and Shechem, his son, came unto the gate of their city and communed with the men of their city, saying,
And unto Hamor and unto Shechem, his son, hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.
All these cities were fenced with high walls, gates, and bars besides a great many unwalled towns. And we utterly destroyed them, as we did unto Sihon, king of Heshbon, utterly destroying every city, men, women, and children.
and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God, ye and your sons and your daughters and your menslaves and your maidslaves and the Levite that is within your gates because he has no part nor inheritance with you.
Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all the gates of thy cities, which the LORD thy God shall give thee throughout thy tribes, and they shall judge the people with just (and righteous) judgment.
then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him and bring him out unto the elders of his city and unto the gate of his place;
And if the man does not desire to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders and say, My husband's brother refuses to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother.
And at the time of shutting the gate, when it was dark, these men went out, and I do not know where the men went; pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.
And the men pursued after them along the way to Jordan unto the fords; and as soon as those who pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.
And he that flees unto one of these cities shall present himself at the entering of the gate of the city and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city; they shall receive him into the city among them and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.
When they chose new gods, the war was at the gates. Was there a shield or spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel?
And Gaal, the son of Ebed, went out and stood in the entering of the gate of the city; and Abimelech and all the people that were with him rose up from the ambush.
And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate.
And Abimelech and the company that was with him rushed forward and stood in the entering of the gate of the city, and the two other companies ran upon all the people that were in the fields and slew them.
And Abimelech came to the tower, and fighting against it, he came to the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
Moreover, I also take Ruth, the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, as my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance that the name of the dead not be cut off from among his brethren and from the gate of his place. Ye shall be witnesses of this today.
And David sat between the two gates, and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate unto the wall and lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold a man running alone.
And at the entrance of the oracle he made doors of olive wood; the lintel and side posts had five sides. The two doors were of olive wood, and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers and overlaid them with gold and covered the cherubims and the palm trees with gold.
The two doors were of fir; the two sides of the one door were rounded, and the two leaves of the other door were rounded.
The two doors were of fir; the two sides of the one door were rounded, and the two leaves of the other door were rounded. And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.
Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus hath the LORD said, Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.
And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba, and broke down the high places of the gates that were in the entering in of the gate of Joshua, the governor of the city, which were on a man's left hand at the gate of the city.
Bel bowed down; Nebo is fallen; their images were placed upon animals and upon beasts of burden that will carry you, laden with yourselves, burden of weariness. They stoop, they are fallen together; they could not escape from the burden, and their soul had to go into captivity.
Wilt thou refrain thyself regarding these things, O LORD? Wilt thou hold thy peace and afflict us very sore?
And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors. And the doors had two leaves apiece, two turning leaves; two leaves for the one door, and two leaves for the other door.
Then the priest of Jupiter, who was before their city, brought bulls and garlands unto the gates and would have done sacrifice unto them with the people.
And the twelve gates are twelve pearls; in each one, one; each gate was of one pearl; and the street of the city was pure gold, as shining glass.
Watsons
GATE is often used in Scripture to denote a place of public assembly, where justice was administered, De 17:5,8; 21:19; 22:15; 25:6-7, &c. One instance of these judgments appears in that given at the gate of Bethlehem, between Boaz and a relation of Naomi, on the subject of Ruth, Ru 4:2; another in Abraham's purchase of a field to bury Sarah, Ge 23:10,18. The gate of judgment is a term still common to the Arabians to express a court of justice, and even introduced by the Saracens into Spain. "I had several times," says Jacob, "visited the Alhambra, the ancient palace and fortress of the Moorish kings: it is situated on the top of a hill, overlooking the city, and is surrounded by a wall of great height and thickness. The entrance is through an archway, over which is carved a key, the symbol of the Mohammedan monarchs. This gate, called the gate of judgment, according to eastern forms, was the place where the kings administered justice." In Morocco, the gate is still the place where judgment is held. "All complaints," says Host, "are brought, in the first instance, to the cadi, or governor, who, for that purpose, passes certain hours of the day in the gate of the city, partly for the sake of the fresh air, and partly to see all those who go out; and, lastly, to observe a custom which has long prevailed, of holding judgment there. The gate is contrived accordingly, being built like a square chamber, with two doors, which are not directly opposite to each other, but on two adjoining sides, with seats on the other sides. In this manner David sat between two gates," 2Sa 18:24. Gate sometimes signifies power, dominion, almost in the same sense as the Turkish emperor's palace is called the Porte. God promises Abraham that his posterity shall possess the gates of their enemies, their towns, their fortresses, Ge 22:17. Jesus Christ says to Peter, "Thou art Peter; and on this rock will I build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it," Mt 16:18. This may mean either the powers of hell, or invisible spirits; or simply death,
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that in blessing I will bless thee and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gates of his enemies;
This Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth; and Ephron, the Hittite, answered Abraham in the audience of the sons of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,
unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.
then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman who has committed that wicked thing unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones until they die.
If a matter arises that is too difficult for thee in judgment between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates, then thou shalt arise and go up into the place which the LORD thy God shall choose,
then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him and bring him out unto the elders of his city and unto the gate of his place;
then shall the father of the damsel and her mother take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate.
And it shall be that the firstborn which she bears shall be raised up in the name of his brother who is dead that his name be not blotted out of Israel. And if the man does not desire to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders and say, My husband's brother refuses to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother.
Then he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, Sit down here. And they sat down.
And David sat between the two gates, and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate unto the wall and lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold a man running alone.
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, a small rock and upon the large rock I will build my congregation , and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against her.