In biblical times, the doorpost held significant cultural and religious importance, serving both practical and symbolic purposes. The Hebrew word for doorpost is "mezuzah," which is also used to refer to the small parchment scroll affixed to the doorposts of Jewish homes, containing verses from the Torah.

Passover and the Doorpost

One of the most notable references to doorposts in the Bible is found in the account of the first Passover in Exodus. God instructed the Israelites to mark their doorposts with the blood of a lamb as a sign for the angel of death to pass over their homes during the final plague on Egypt. Exodus 12:7 states, "They are to take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat the lambs." This act of faith and obedience was crucial for the Israelites' deliverance from slavery, symbolizing protection and divine favor.

The Shema and the Mezuzah

In Deuteronomy, the doorpost is again highlighted in the context of the Shema, a central declaration of the Jewish faith. Deuteronomy 6:9 instructs, "Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates." This command refers to the words of the Shema, emphasizing the importance of keeping God's commandments at the forefront of daily life. The practice of affixing a mezuzah to the doorpost serves as a constant reminder of God's presence and the covenant relationship between God and His people.

Covenant and Commitment

The doorpost also symbolizes commitment and covenant in other biblical contexts. In Deuteronomy 15:16-17, the law concerning Hebrew servants includes a ritual involving the doorpost: "But if your servant says to you, 'I do not want to leave you,' because he loves you and your household and is well off with you, then take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he will be your servant for life." This act of piercing the servant's ear at the doorpost signifies a voluntary, lifelong commitment to the master's household.

Prophetic Imagery

The prophets also use the imagery of doorposts to convey messages of judgment and restoration. In Ezekiel 45:19, the prophet describes a ritual of atonement involving the doorposts of the temple: "The priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, on the four corners of the upper ledge of the altar, and on the gateposts of the inner court." This imagery underscores the sanctity of the temple and the need for purification and reconciliation with God.

New Testament Reflections

While the New Testament does not explicitly mention doorposts, the concept of Christ as the Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7) echoes the Old Testament Passover imagery. Believers are reminded of the protective and redemptive power of Christ's sacrifice, which fulfills and transcends the symbolism of the blood on the doorposts.

In summary, the doorpost in biblical literature serves as a powerful symbol of faith, obedience, covenant, and divine protection. It is a tangible reminder of God's presence and the call to live in accordance with His commandments.(n.) The jamb or sidepiece of a doorway.DOORPOST

dor'-post. See HOUSE.

4201. mezuzah -- a doorpost, gatepost
... 4200, 4201. mezuzah or mezuzah. 4202 . a doorpost, gatepost. Transliteration:
mezuzah or mezuzah Phonetic Spelling: (mez-oo-zaw') Short Definition: doorposts ...
/hebrew/4201.htm - 6k

Canaan on Earth
... the type of the deliverance which every one of God's people enjoys, when by faith
he strikes the blood of Jesus on his lintel and his doorpost, and spiritually ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 2 1856/canaan on earth.htm

The Kinsman Redeemer
... Israelites, the slavery was ended in six years or at the jubilee, whichever period
came first"unless the slave had his ear bored to the doorpost to intimate ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the kinsman redeemer.htm

What Crouches at the Door
... The momentary act is incarnated, as it were, and sits there at the doer's doorpost
waiting for him; which being turned into less forcible but more modern ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/what crouches at the door.htm

Perpetual Covenants
... The master would then bring the servant to the judges to register the agreement,
and would also take him to the doorpost, and with an awl bore a hole through ...
/.../howard/standards of life and service/xii perpetual covenants.htm

The Sound in the Mulberry Trees
... I think that if they had waited until God had sent them they would have been at
home now; and there be some men who are not fit to edify a doorpost, who yet ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/the sound in the mulberry.htm

The Way to Honor
... And then, you remember, they took an awl and they bored the man's ear and fastened
it to the doorpost that he might be a servant as long as he lived. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/the way to honor.htm

Appendix 1 Massecheth Middoth
... Half a cubit the door-post from this [corner], and half a cubit the doorpost from
that, and so it is said: And the doors had two leaves alike, two turning ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/appendix 1 massecheth middoth.htm

A Letter from a West Indian Cottage Ornee
... help. The long mud nest is built upright, often in the angle of a doorpost
or panel; and always added to, and entered from, below. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter v a letter from.htm

The Blood
... The Israelite could not see the blood; he was inside the house; he could not see
what was on the lintel and the doorpost; but God could see it; and this is the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/the blood.htm

An Earnest Warning About Lukewarmness
... unkindness, but he has not gone far away, he loves his church too much to leave
her altogether, he longs to come back, and therefore he waits at the doorpost. ...
/.../spurgeons sermons volume 20 1874/an earnest warning about lukewarmness.htm

Doorpost (5 Occurrences)
... (n.) The jamb or sidepiece of a doorway. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. DOORPOST.
dor'-post. See HOUSE. Multi-Version Concordance Doorpost (5 Occurrences). ...
/d/doorpost.htm - 8k

Post (26 Occurrences)
... house. 3. (n.) The doorpost of a victualer's shop or inn, on which were
chalked the scores of customers; hence, a score; a debt. 4 ...
/p/post.htm - 19k

Threshold (28 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 43:8 in their setting of their threshold by my threshold, and their doorpost
beside my doorpost, and there was but the wall between me and them; and ...
/t/threshold.htm - 18k

Door-post (5 Occurrences)
Door-post. Doorpost, Door-post. Doorposts . Multi-Version Concordance ... (Root
in JPS ASV YLT). Doorpost, Door-post. Doorposts . Reference Bible.
/d/door-post.htm - 8k

Shiloh (34 Occurrences)
... followed with startling rapidity (1 Samuel 3; 1 Samuel 4). The sanctuary in Shiloh
is called a "temple" (1 Samuel 1:9; 1 Samuel 3:3) with doorpost and doors (1 ...
/s/shiloh.htm - 27k

Practices (80 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 43:8 in their setting of their threshold by my threshold, and their doorpost
beside my doorpost, and there was but the wall between me and them; and ...
/p/practices.htm - 29k

Setting (82 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 43:8 in their setting of their threshold by my threshold, and their doorpost
beside my doorpost, and there was but the wall between me and them; and ...
/s/setting.htm - 32k

Door-pillars (2 Occurrences)
Door-pillars. Door-opening, Door-pillars. Doorpost . Multi-Version Concordance ...
(BBE). Door-opening, Door-pillars. Doorpost . Reference Bible.
/d/door-pillars.htm - 7k

Permanently (5 Occurrences)
... Exodus 21:6 then his master shall bring him to God, and shall bring him to the door
or to the doorpost, and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl ...
/p/permanently.htm - 7k

Pierce (30 Occurrences)
... Exodus 21:6 then his master shall bring him to God, and shall bring him to the door
or to the doorpost, and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl ...
/p/pierce.htm - 15k

What is a Mezuzah? | GotQuestions.org

How could the laws of God be written on doorframes, gates, and foreheads? | GotQuestions.org

What is a bondservant / bond-servant? | GotQuestions.org

Doorpost: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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