Topical Bible: Doorways

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Topical Encyclopedia

In biblical literature, doorways often symbolize transition, opportunity, and divine intervention. They serve as physical and metaphorical thresholds between different states of being, places, or spiritual conditions. The concept of doorways is woven throughout Scripture, illustrating both literal and spiritual truths.

Old Testament References

In the Old Testament, doorways frequently appear in narratives and laws, often signifying protection and separation. The Passover in Exodus 12 is a prime example, where the Israelites were instructed to mark their doorposts with the blood of a lamb: "And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it" (Exodus 12:7). This act served as a sign for the Lord to "pass over" the houses of the Israelites, sparing them from the plague of the firstborn.

Doorways also appear in the context of covenant and law. In Deuteronomy 6:9, the Israelites are commanded to write the commandments on the doorposts of their houses: "Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates" . This practice served as a constant reminder of God's law and presence in their daily lives.

New Testament References

In the New Testament, doorways continue to hold significant spiritual meaning. Jesus uses the metaphor of a door to describe Himself and His role in salvation. In John 10:9, He declares, "I am the door. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture" . Here, Jesus presents Himself as the exclusive entry point to eternal life and spiritual nourishment.

The imagery of doorways is also present in the teachings of the apostles. In Revelation 3:20, Jesus speaks to the church in Laodicea, saying, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me" . This passage emphasizes the personal relationship and fellowship available to believers who respond to Christ's invitation.

Symbolism and Themes

Doorways in the Bible often symbolize choices and the presence of God. They represent moments of decision, where individuals must choose to enter into a new phase of life or relationship with God. The act of opening or closing a door can signify acceptance or rejection of divine will.

Moreover, doorways can denote protection and sanctuary. The marked doorways during the Passover provided safety for the Israelites, while the closed door in the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:10) signifies the finality of judgment and the importance of readiness for Christ's return.

Cultural and Historical Context

In ancient Near Eastern culture, doorways were significant in both domestic and religious architecture. They were often adorned with inscriptions or symbols to convey messages or invoke divine protection. The practice of marking doorposts with religious texts, as seen in Deuteronomy, reflects a broader cultural understanding of doorways as liminal spaces where the divine and human realms intersect.

Conclusion

Throughout Scripture, doorways serve as powerful symbols of transition, choice, and divine presence. They remind believers of the importance of readiness, obedience, and the ever-present invitation to enter into a deeper relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Strong's Hebrew

6607. pethach -- opening, doorway, entrance
... from pathach Definition opening, doorway, entrance NASB Word Usage door (16), doors
(6), doorway (81), doorway at the entrance (1), doorways (3), entrance (43 ...
/hebrew/6607.htm - 6k

Library

For what Reason the Worshippers of Janus have Made his Image with ...
... Let this god be worshipped only on account of saliva, which has two open doorways
under the heavens of the palate,"one through which part of it may be ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 8 for what reason the.htm

Many Doors, but one Purpose.
... And no one has such a short, quick road into a man's heart as he who can relieve
his body. These things are doorways into men's lives; and great doorways, too. ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks with world winners/many doors but one purpose.htm

Appendix 1 Massecheth Middoth
... All the doorways and gates which were there, were twenty cubits high, and
ten cubits wide, except that in the porch. All the doorways ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/appendix 1 massecheth middoth.htm

Port of Spain
... Under cool porticoes and through tall doorways are seen dark 'stores,' filled with
all manner of good things from Britain or from the United States. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter iv port of spain.htm

The New Nature
... I. First, then, the apostle Peter draws A COMPARISON AND CONTRAST BETWEEN
THE TWO BIRTHS WHICH ARE THE DOORWAYS OF THE TWO LIVES. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 7 1861/the new nature.htm

The Raising of the Young Man of Nain - the Meeting of Life and ...
... A few houses of mud and stone with low doorways, scattered among heaps of stones
and traces of walls, is all that remains of what even these ruins show to have ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xx the raising of.htm

The Close of the Theban Empire
... that there is a confusion in his notes between the prenomen of this sovereign and
that of Seti II., who actually did decorate one of the doorways of that temple ...
/.../chapter iiithe close of the.htm

The Call Intensified
... group breaks up in a moment, and each unit makes for its separate hole, and stands
in it, looking out; and you look up at those dark little doorways, and feel ...
/.../wilson-carmichael/things as they are/chapter xviii the call intensified.htm

Under Ban of the Ritual
... perfumed the air with crushed and over-ripe produce; litters with dark-eyed occupants
and fan-bearing attendants stood before the doorways of lapidaries and ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter ii under ban of.htm

Naparima and Montserrat
... The living rooms, all on the first floor, opened into each other by doorless doorways,
and the walls were of cedar and other valuable woods, which good taste ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter x naparima and montserrat.htm

Thesaurus

Doorways (26 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Doorways (26 Occurrences). John 5:2 Now in Jerusalem ...
named Beth-zatha. It has five doorways. (BBE). John 5:3 ...
/d/doorways.htm - 14k

Locks (29 Occurrences)
... brass. (BBE). 2 Chronicles 8:5 And of Beth-horon the higher and the lower,
walled towns with walls and doorways and locks; (BBE). 2 ...
/l/locks.htm - 18k

Floor (69 Occurrences)
... (BBE). Ezekiel 40:18 And the stone floor was by the side of the doorways, and was
as wide as the doorways were long, even the lower floor. (BBE). ...
/f/floor.htm - 32k

Viewing (6 Occurrences)
... the dragon's water-spring as far as the place where waste material was put, viewing
the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down, and the doorways which had ...
/v/viewing.htm - 8k

Wasted (106 Occurrences)
... John 5:3 In these doorways there were a great number of people with different diseases:
some unable to see, some without the power of walking, some with wasted ...
/w/wasted.htm - 35k

Water-spring (16 Occurrences)
... the dragon's water-spring as far as the place where waste material was put, viewing
the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down, and the doorways which had ...
/w/water-spring.htm - 11k

Roads (34 Occurrences)
... place; (BBE). Proverbs 8:3 Where the roads go into the town her cry goes
out, at the doorways her voice is loud: (BBE). Isaiah 33:8 ...
/r/roads.htm - 16k

Dragon's (1 Occurrence)
... the dragon's water-spring as far as the place where waste material was put, viewing
the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down, and the doorways which had ...
/d/dragon's.htm - 6k

Different (87 Occurrences)
... John 5:3 In these doorways there were a great number of people with different diseases:
some unable to see, some without the power of walking, some with wasted ...
/d/different.htm - 33k

Dophkah (2 Occurrences)

/d/dophkah.htm - 7k

Resources

What was the meaning and purpose of the ten plagues of Egypt? | GotQuestions.org

What is Passover? | GotQuestions.org

What is a Mezuzah? | GotQuestions.org

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus

Concordance

Doorways (26 Occurrences)

John 5:2
Now in Jerusalem near the sheep-market there is a public bath which in Hebrew is named Beth-zatha. It has five doorways.
(BBE)

John 5:3
In these doorways there were a great number of people with different diseases: some unable to see, some without the power of walking, some with wasted bodies.
(BBE)

2 Samuel 18:24
Now David was seated between the two town doors; and the watchman went up to the roof of the doorways, on the wall, and, lifting up his eyes, saw a man running by himself.
(BBE)

1 Kings 7:5
And all the doors with their posts were square in the frame; and light was over against light in three ranks.
(See NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 8:5
And of Beth-horon the higher and the lower, walled towns with walls and doorways and locks;
(BBE)

Nehemiah 1:3
They said to me, The small band of Jews now living there in the land are in great trouble and shame: the wall of Jerusalem has been broken down, and its doorways burned with fire.
(BBE)

Nehemiah 2:3
And said to the king, May the king be living for ever: is it not natural for my face to be sad, when the town, the place where the bodies of my fathers are at rest, has been made waste and its doorways burned with fire?
(BBE)

Nehemiah 2:13
And I went out by night, through the doorway of the valley, and past the dragon's water-spring as far as the place where waste material was put, viewing the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down, and the doorways which had been burned with fire.
(BBE)

Nehemiah 6:1
Now when word was given to Sanballat and Tobiah and to Geshem the Arabian and to the rest of our haters, that I had done the building of the wall and that there were no more broken places in it (though even then I had not put up the doors in the doorways);
(BBE)

Nehemiah 12:30
And the priests and the Levites made themselves clean; and they made the people clean, and the doorways and the wall.
(BBE)

Proverbs 1:21
Her words are sounding in the meeting-places, and in the doorways of the town:
(BBE)

Proverbs 8:3
Where the roads go into the town her cry goes out, at the doorways her voice is loud:
(BBE)

Jeremiah 17:19
This is what the Lord has said to me: Go and take your place in the doorway of Benjamin, where the kings of Judah come in and by which they go out, and in all the doorways of Jerusalem;
(BBE)

Jeremiah 17:24
And it will be, that if with all care you give ear to me, says the Lord, and take no weight through the doorways of this town on the Sabbath day, but keep the Sabbath day holy and do no work in it;
(BBE)

Jeremiah 17:27
But if you do not give ear to me, to keep the Sabbath day holy, and to let no weight be lifted and taken through the doors of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day: then I will put a fire in its doorways, burning up the great houses of Jerusalem, and it will never be put out.
(BBE)

Jeremiah 51:58
The Lord of armies has said: The wide walls of Babylon will be completely uncovered and her high doorways will be burned with fire; so peoples keep on working for nothing, and the weariness of nations comes to an end in the smoke.
(BBE)

Lamentations 1:4
The ways of Zion are sad, because no one comes to the holy meeting; all her doorways are made waste, her priests are breathing out sorrow: her virgins are troubled, and it is bitter for her.
(BBE)

Ezekiel 26:10
Because of the number of his horses you will be covered with their dust: your walls will be shaking at the noise of the horsemen and of the wheels and of the war-carriages, when he comes through your doorways, as into a town which has been broken open.
(BBE)

Ezekiel 33:30
And as for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking together about you by the walls and in the doorways of the houses, saying to one another, Come now, give ear to the word which comes from the Lord.
(BBE NAS)

Ezekiel 40:18
And the stone floor was by the side of the doorways, and was as wide as the doorways were long, even the lower floor.
(BBE)

Ezekiel 41:11
And the free space had doors opening from the side-rooms, one door on the north and one door on the south: and the free space was five cubits wide all round.
(See NAS)

Ezekiel 42:11
And there was a walk in front of them like that by the rooms on the north; they were equally long and wide; and the ways out of them were the same in design and had the same sort of doors.
(See NIV)

Micah 1:12
For the one living in Maroth is waiting for good: for evil has come down from the Lord to the doorways of Jerusalem.
(BBE)

Nahum 2:6
The river doorways are forced open, and the king's house is flowing away.
(BBE)

Nahum 3:13
See, the people who are in you are women; the doorways of your land are wide open to your attackers: the locks of your doors have been burned away in the fire.
(BBE)

Zephaniah 2:14
And herds will take their rest in the middle of her, all the beasts of the valley: the pelican and the porcupine will make their living-places on the tops of its pillars; the owl will be crying in the window; the raven will be seen on the doorstep.
(See NIV)

Subtopics

Doorways

Related Terms

Alush (2 Occurrences)

Camped (100 Occurrences)

Pitched (101 Occurrences)

Encamped (115 Occurrences)

Traveled (104 Occurrences)

Encamp (108 Occurrences)

Doorways (26 Occurrences)

Dor (7 Occurrences)

Journeyed (111 Occurrences)