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 there came two angels to Sodom at evening. And Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. And Lot rose up to meet them when he saw them. And he bowed himself with his face toward the ground,
that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore. And your Seed shall possess the gate of His enemies.
And Ephron lived among the sons of Heth. And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the ears of the sons of Heth, of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying, No, my lord, hear me. I give you the field, and the cave that is in it I give to you. In the presence of the sons of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead. read more. And Abraham bowed before the people of the land. And he spoke to Ephron in the ears of the people of the land, saying, Only if you would hear me. I will give you silver for the field. Take it from me, and I will bury my dead there. And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, My lord, listen to me. The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that between me and you? And bury your dead. And Abraham listened to Ephron. And Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, which passes with the merchant. And the field of Ephron was certified, which was Machpelah, which was before Mamre; the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees in the field, in all the borders round about, to 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 fortified with high walls, gates, and bars; besides a good many unwalled towns.
You shall appoint judges and officers for yourself in all your gates which Jehovah your God gives you, tribe by tribe. And they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.
then his father and his mother shall lay hold on him and bring him out to the elders of his city, and to the gate of his place.
And it shall be, the first-born whom she bears shall succeed in the name of his dead brother, so that his name may not be put out of Israel. And if the man does not want to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate to the elders and say, My husband's brother refuses to raise up a name in Israel to his brother. He will not perform my levirate.
And he shall besiege you in all your gates until your high and fortified walls in which you trusted come down, throughout all the land. And he shall besiege you in all your gates throughout all your land which Jehovah your God has given you.
They chose new gods; then war was in the gates. Was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?
And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took hold of the leaves of the gate of the city and the two posts, and picked them up, with the bar, and put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of a hill that is before Hebron.
And Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by. And he said, Such a one! Turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside and sat down. And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, Come sit down here. And they sat down. read more. And he said to the kinsman, Naomi, who has come again out of the country of Moab, sells a parcel of land which was our brother Elimelech's. And I said I will tell it in your ear, saying, Buy it before those who live here, and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem, redeem it. But if you will not redeem, tell me so that I may know. For there is none to redeem besides you. And I am after you. And he said, I will redeem. And Boaz said, In the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must buy also from the hand of Ruth of Moab, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem for myself, lest I mar my own inheritance. You redeem my right to yourself, for I cannot redeem. And this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, to confirm everything. A man plucked off his sandal and gave it to his neighbor. And this was a testimony in Israel. Therefore the kinsman said to Boaz, Buy it for yourself. So he drew off his sandal. And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech's and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, from the hand of Naomi. And also Ruth of Moab, the wife of Mahlon, I have purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance, so that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his place. You are witnesses this day. And all the people in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. May Jehovah make the woman who has come into your house like Rachel and like Leah, for these two built the house of Israel. And may you be blessed in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem. And let your house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, of the seed which Jehovah shall give you of this young woman.
And David sat between the two gates. And the watchman went up to the roof over the gate to the wall, and lifted up his eyes and looked. And behold, a man ran alone.
And the king was much moved, and went up to the room over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said this, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would God I had died for you, O Absalom, my son, my son!
And there came in two men, sons of Belial, and sat before him. And the men of Belial witnessed against him, against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth blasphemed God and the king. And they carried him out of the city and stoned him with stones so that he died.
Lift up your heads, O gates; and be lifted up, O everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
Lift up your heads, O gates; even lift up, O everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
They who sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards.
For He has broken the gates of bronze, and cut the bars of iron in two.
she cries in the chief place of gathering, in the openings of the gates; in the city she utters her words, saying,
She cries in the gates, before the entrance of the city, at the doors.
He who loves fighting loves transgression; he who makes his gate high seeks ruin.
Do not rob the poor, because he is poor; nor press down the afflicted in the gate;
Howl, O gate! Cry, O city! O Philistia, all of you, are melted away; for from the north a smoke comes, and no straggler in his ranks.
those who make a man guilty by a word, and lay a trap for the reprover in the gate, and turn aside the just for a worthless thing.
I will go before you, and make hills level. I will break in pieces the bronze gates, and cut the iron bars in two.
Judah mourns, and its gates droop. They are black to the ground, and the cry of Jerusalem has gone up.
So Jehovah said to me: Go and stand in the gates 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 rulers of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king's house to the house of Jehovah, and sat down in the entrance of the New Gate of Jehovah's house.
They hate him who rebukes in the gate, and they despise him who speaks uprightly.
For I know your many transgressions and your many sins. They afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate.
Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate. It may be that the Lord Jehovah of Hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
And throwing him outside the city, they stoned him. And the witnesses laid their clothes down at the feet of a young man named Saul.
When they were past the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord. And they went out and passed on through one street. And immediately the angel departed from him.
Therefore Jesus also, so that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.
And its gates may not be shut at all 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 there came two angels to Sodom at evening. And Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. And Lot rose up to meet them when he saw 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 Jehovah's side? Come to me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves to him. And he said to them, Thus says Jehovah, the God of Israel: Each man put his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and kill each one his brother, and each one his neighbor, and each one his kindred.
You shall appoint judges and officers for yourself in all your gates which Jehovah your God gives you, tribe by tribe. And they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.
If a matter is too hard for you in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, matters of strife within your gates, then you shall arise and go up to the place which Jehovah your God shall choose.
then his father and his mother shall lay hold on him and bring him out to the elders of his city, and to the gate of his place.
And it shall be, the first-born whom she bears shall succeed in the name of his dead brother, so that his name may not be put out of Israel. And if the man does not want to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate to the elders and say, My husband's brother refuses to raise up a name in Israel to his brother. He will not perform my levirate.
And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took hold of the leaves of the gate of the city and the two posts, and picked them up, with the bar, and put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of a hill that is before Hebron.
And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took hold of the leaves of the gate of the city and the two posts, and picked them up, with the bar, and put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of a hill that is before Hebron.
As to the entrance of the holy place he made doors of olive wood. The lintel and side posts were a fifth part, and the two doors were of olive wood. And he carved on them carvings of cherubs and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold and spread gold on the cherubs and on the palm trees.
And the two doors were of fir tree. The two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. And he carved on them cherubs and palm trees and open bowers. And he covered them with gold fitted on the carved work.
And it happened when Elijah heard, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out, and stood at the cave entrance. And behold, a voice came to him and said, What are you doing here, Elijah?
And there came in two men, sons of Belial, and sat before him. And the men of Belial witnessed against him, against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth blasphemed God and the king. And they carried him out of the city and stoned him with stones so that he died.
And they said to me, The remnant left of the captivity there in the province is in great affliction and shame. And the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.
And I said to the king, Let the king live forever. Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?
and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, so that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which belong to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house into which I shall enter. And the king granted me what I asked, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
But the sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate, who laid its beams and set up its doors, its locks, and its bars.
For He has broken the gates of bronze, and cut the bars of iron in two.
Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go into them, and I will praise Jehovah.
she cries in the chief place of gathering, in the openings of the gates; in the city she utters her words, saying,
She cries in the gates, before the entrance of the city, at the doors.
those who make a man guilty by a word, and lay a trap for the reprover in the gate, and turn aside the just for a worthless thing.
I will go before you, and make hills level. I will break in pieces the bronze gates, and cut the iron bars in two.
And I will make your battlements of ruby, and your gates of carbuncles, and all your borders of pleasant stones.
So Jehovah said to me: Go and stand in the gates 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 to them, Hear the Word of Jehovah, kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the people of Jerusalem who enter in by these gates!
When the rulers of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king's house to the house of Jehovah, and sat down in the entrance of the New Gate of Jehovah's house.
And it happened, he being in the gate of Benjamin, a commander of the guard named Irijah was there, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah. And he seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying, You are falling away to the Chaldeans.
And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors. And two doors leaves were to each of the doors, two turning doors, two for the one door, and two for the other door.
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
and laid it in his new tomb, which he had cut out of the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and departed.
And a certain man, who was lame from his mother's womb, was being carried. And they laid him daily at that temple gate which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered into the temple.
And they stoned Stephen, who was calling on God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
When they were past the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord. And they went out and passed on through one street. And immediately the angel departed from him.
When they were past the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord. And they went out and passed on through one street. And immediately the angel departed from him.
And being awakened, and seeing the doors of the prison being open, drawing a sword, the jailer was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.
Therefore Jesus also, so that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls. Respectively, each one of the gates was one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, as transparent 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 there came two angels to Sodom at evening. And Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. And Lot rose up to meet them when he saw them. And he bowed himself with his face toward the ground,
that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore. And your Seed shall possess the gate of His enemies.
And Ephron lived among the sons of Heth. And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the ears of the sons of Heth, of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,
And they shall take some of the blood and strike on the two side posts and upon the upper door post of the houses in which they shall eat it.
And you shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip in the blood in the bowl, and strike the lintel and the doorposts with the blood in the bowl. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.
All these cities were fortified with high walls, gates, and bars; besides a good many unwalled towns.
And you shall write them upon the posts of your house, and on your gates.
You shall appoint judges and officers for yourself in all your gates which Jehovah your God gives you, tribe by tribe. And they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.
then his father and his mother shall lay hold on him and bring him out to the elders of his city, and to the gate of his place.
And it happened when it was dark, at the time of shutting the gate, the men went out. Where the men went I do not know. Go after them quickly, for you shall overtake them.
And the men went after them on the way to Jordan, to the fords. And when they who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate.
And he shall flee to one of those cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city. And they shall take him into the city to themselves and make him a place, and he shall live with them.
They chose new gods; then war was in the gates. Was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?
And Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it, and went hard 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 kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by. And he said, Such a one! Turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside and sat down.
And he made a porch of the throne where he judged, the porch of judgment. And it was covered with cedar from floor to floor.
And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah each sat on his throne, having put on their robes, in a floor in the entrance of the gate of Samaria. And all the prophets prophesied before them.
And Elisha said, Hear the Word of Jehovah! So says Jehovah, Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold at a shekel, and two measures of barley at a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.
And he set commanders of war over the people and gathered them to himself in the street of the gate of the city. And he spoke to their heart, saying,
And all the people gathered themselves as one man into the street before the water gate. And they spoke to Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which Jehovah had commanded to Israel.
And he read in it before the street in front of the Water Gate from the morning until noon, in front of the men and the women, and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people listened to the Book of the Law.
And men of Tyre lived in it, who brought fish and all kinds of goods, and sold on the Sabbath to the sons of Judah and in Jerusalem. And I contended with the nobles of Judah and said to them, What evil thing is this that you do, and defile 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 you bring more wrath upon Israel by defiling the Sabbath. And it happened when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the Sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and commanded that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. And I set some of my servants at the gates, so that there should be no burden brought in on the Sabbath day.
And all the king's servants in the king's gate bowed and worshiped Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow nor worship.
And he even came before the king's gate for none might enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.
when I went out to the gate by the city; when I prepared my seat in the street!
They who sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards.
They who sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards.
He sends out His Word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.
she cries in the chief place of gathering, in the openings of the gates; in the city she utters her words, saying,
Do not rob the poor, because he is poor; nor press down the afflicted in the gate;
those who make a man guilty by a word, and lay a trap for the reprover in the gate, and turn aside the just for a worthless thing.
And I will make your battlements of ruby, and your gates of carbuncles, and all your borders of pleasant stones.
Stand in the gate of Jehovah's house, and declare there this Word, and say, Hear the Word of Jehovah, all Judah, who enter in at these gates to worship Jehovah.
So Jehovah said to me: Go and stand in the gates 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 made Daniel great, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over all the province of Babylon, and chief of the prefects over all the wise men of Babylon. And Daniel asked the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel sat in the gate of the king.
They hate him who rebukes in the gate, and they despise him who speaks uprightly.
For I know your many transgressions and your many sins. They afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate.
These are the things that you shall do. Each man speak the truth to his neighbor. Judge with truth and justice for peace in your gates.
And a certain man, who was lame from his mother's womb, was being carried. And they laid him daily at that temple gate which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered into the temple.
And the priest of Jupiter, being before their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, wishing to sacrifice with the crowds.
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls. Respectively, each one of the gates was one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, as transparent 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 shall flee to one of those cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city. And they shall take him into the city to themselves and make him a place, and he shall live with them.
And Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it, and went hard 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 kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by. And he said, Such a one! Turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside and sat down. And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, Come sit down here. And they sat down. read more. And he said to the kinsman, Naomi, who has come again out of the country of Moab, sells a parcel of land which was our brother Elimelech's. And I said I will tell it in your ear, saying, Buy it before those who live here, and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem, redeem it. But if you will not redeem, tell me so that I may know. For there is none to redeem besides you. And I am after you. And he said, I will redeem. And Boaz said, In the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must buy also from the hand of Ruth of Moab, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem for myself, lest I mar my own inheritance. You redeem my right to yourself, for I cannot redeem. And this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, to confirm everything. A man plucked off his sandal and gave it to his neighbor. And this was a testimony in Israel. Therefore the kinsman said to Boaz, Buy it for yourself. So he drew off his sandal. And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech's and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, from the hand of Naomi. And also Ruth of Moab, the wife of Mahlon, I have purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance, so that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his place. You are witnesses this day. And all the people in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. May Jehovah make the woman who has come into your house like Rachel and like Leah, for these two built the house of Israel. And may you be blessed in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem. And let your house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, of the seed which Jehovah shall give you of this young woman.
Then the king arose and sat in the gate. And they told it to the people, saying, Behold, the king sits in the gate! And all the people came before the king. (For Israel had fled, every one to his tent.)
when I went out to the gate by the city; when I prepared my seat in the street!
They who sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards.
those who make a man guilty by a word, and lay a trap for the reprover in the gate, and turn aside the just for a worthless thing.
The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from their music.
They hate him who rebukes in the gate, and they despise him who speaks uprightly.
For I know your many transgressions and your many sins. They afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate.
These are the things that you shall do. Each man speak the truth to his neighbor. Judge with truth and justice for peace in your gates.
Go in through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there are who go in through it. Because narrow is the gate and constricted is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
And they recognized him, that it was him who sat for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
When they were past the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord. And they went out and passed on through one street. And immediately the angel departed from him.
And the priest of Jupiter, being before their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, wishing to sacrifice with the crowds.
And it had a great and high wall, with twelve gates. And on the gates were twelve angels, and having names inscribed, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel: From the east three gates, from the north three gates, from the south three gates, and from the west three gates. read more. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he who talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city and its gates and its wall. And the city lies four-square, and the length is as large as the breadth. And he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand stadia. 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 an angel. And the foundation of its wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city had been adorned with every precious stone. The first foundation, jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprasus; the eleventh, hyacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls. Respectively, each one of the gates was one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, as transparent glass. And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty is its temple, even the Lamb. And the city had no need of the sun, nor of the moon, that they might shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb. And the nations of those who are saved will walk in the light of it; and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. And its gates may not be shut at all 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 there came two angels to Sodom at evening. And Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. And Lot rose up to meet them when he saw them. And he bowed himself with his face toward the ground,
that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore. And your Seed shall possess the gate of His enemies.
And Ephron lived among the sons of Heth. And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the ears of the sons of Heth, of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,
And they blessed Rebekah, and said to her, Our sister, be the mother of thousands of millions, and let your seed possess the gate of those who hate them.
And Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their city, and talked with the men of their city, saying,
And all that went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and to Shechem his son. And every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.
All these cities were fortified with high walls, gates, and bars; besides a good many unwalled towns. And we completely destroyed them, as we did to Sihon king of Heshbon, completely destroying the men, women, and children of every city.
And you shall write them upon the posts of your house, and on your gates.
And you shall rejoice before Jehovah your God; you, your sons, your daughters, your menservants, your female servants, and the Levite that is within your gates (because he has no part nor inheritance with you).
You shall appoint judges and officers for yourself in all your gates which Jehovah your God gives you, tribe by tribe. And they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.
then his father and his mother shall lay hold on him and bring him out to the elders of his city, and to the gate of his place.
And if the man does not want to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate to the elders and say, My husband's brother refuses to raise up a name in Israel to his brother. He will not perform my levirate.
And it happened when it was dark, at the time of shutting the gate, the men went out. Where the men went I do not know. Go after them quickly, for you shall overtake them.
And the men went after them on the way to Jordan, to the fords. And when they who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate.
And he shall flee to one of those cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city. And they shall take him into the city to themselves and make him a place, and he shall live with them.
They chose new gods; then war was in the gates. Was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?
And Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city. And Abimelech rose up, and the people with him, from lying in wait.
And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, to the entrance of the gate.
And Abimelech and the company with him rushed forward and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city. And the two companies ran upon all the people in the field, and killed them.
And Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it, and went hard to the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
And also Ruth of Moab, the wife of Mahlon, I have purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance, so that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his place. You are witnesses this day.
And David sat between the two gates. And the watchman went up to the roof over the gate to the wall, and lifted up his eyes and looked. And behold, a man ran alone.
As to the entrance of the holy place he made doors of olive wood. The lintel and side posts were a fifth part, and the two doors were of olive wood. And he carved on them carvings of cherubs and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold and spread gold on the cherubs and on the palm trees.
And the two doors were of fir tree. The two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.
And the two doors were of fir tree. The two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. And he carved on them cherubs and palm trees and open bowers. And he covered them with gold fitted on the carved work.
And Elisha said, Hear the Word of Jehovah! So says Jehovah, Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold at a shekel, and two measures of barley at 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 Beer-sheba. And he broke down the high places of the gates which 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.
Jehovah loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
For He has broken the gates of bronze, and cut the bars of iron in two.
Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle; the things you carried about have become a load, a burden for the weary. They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but they themselves have gone into captivity.
Will You restrain Yourself over these things, O Jehovah? Will You be silent and sorely afflict us?
And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors. And two doors leaves were to each of the doors, two turning doors, two for the one door, and two for the other door.
And the priest of Jupiter, being before their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, wishing to sacrifice with the crowds.
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls. Respectively, each one of the gates was one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, as transparent 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 you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore. And your Seed shall possess the gate of His enemies.
And Ephron lived among the sons of Heth. And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the ears of the sons of Heth, of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,
to Abraham for a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.
then you shall bring forth that man or that woman who has committed that evil thing, to your gates, even that man or that woman, and shall stone them with stones until they die.
If a matter is too hard for you in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, matters of strife within your gates, then you shall arise and go up to the place which Jehovah your God shall choose.
then his father and his mother shall lay hold on him and bring him out to the elders of his city, and to the gate of his place.
then shall the father of the girl, and her mother, take and bring tokens of the girl's virginity to the elders of the city in the gate.
And it shall be, the first-born whom she bears shall succeed in the name of his dead brother, so that his name may not be put out of Israel. And if the man does not want to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate to the elders and say, My husband's brother refuses to raise up a name in Israel to his brother. He will not perform my levirate.
And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, Come 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 to the wall, and lifted up his eyes and looked. And behold, a man ran alone.
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.