Topical Bible: Gates: Place for Public Concourse

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In ancient biblical times, city gates were not merely passageways for entering and exiting a city; they served as vital centers for public life, commerce, and legal matters. The gates of a city were often the hub of social and economic activity, where people gathered for various purposes, including trade, legal proceedings, and public announcements.

Biblical Significance

The significance of city gates in biblical times is underscored by their frequent mention in Scripture. Gates were places where elders and leaders of the community would sit to administer justice and conduct official business. For instance, in the Book of Ruth, Boaz goes to the town gate to settle the matter of redeeming Ruth, highlighting the gate's role as a place for legal transactions: "Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there. Soon the kinsman-redeemer of whom Boaz had spoken came along. Boaz said, 'Come over here, my friend, and sit down.' So he went over and sat down" (Ruth 4:1).

Judicial and Civic Functions

The gates served as the location for judicial proceedings and civic administration. In Deuteronomy 16:18, the Israelites are instructed to appoint judges and officials for each of their tribes in every town, who would presumably sit at the gates to render judgments: "Appoint judges and officials for each of your tribes in every town the LORD your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly" . This practice is further illustrated in Proverbs 31:23, where the husband of the virtuous woman is described as being "respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land" .

Commercial Activity

Gates were also centers of commerce and trade. Merchants would set up their stalls near the gates to sell their goods to those entering and leaving the city. This is implied in 2 Kings 7:1, where the prophet Elisha predicts the end of a famine, saying, "Hear the word of the LORD. This is what the LORD says: About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria" .

Public Announcements and Assemblies

Public announcements and proclamations were often made at the city gates, where they would reach the largest audience. In Nehemiah 8:1-3, we see an example of this when Ezra the scribe reads the Law to the assembly: "All the people gathered as one man in the square before the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel" .

Symbolic and Spiritual Implications

Beyond their practical functions, gates held symbolic and spiritual significance. They represented the strength and security of a city, as seen in Psalm 147:13: "For He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses the children within you" . Gates also symbolized the place of decision and judgment, as reflected in Jesus' words in Matthew 16:18, where He speaks of the "gates of Hades" not prevailing against His church, indicating a spiritual battleground.

In summary, city gates in biblical times were multifaceted centers of public life, serving as places for legal, commercial, and social activities, as well as holding deep symbolic meaning within the biblical narrative.

Nave's Topical Index

Genesis 23:10
And Ephron dwelled among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,
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Proverbs 1:21
She cries in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she utters her words, saying,
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Proverbs 8:3
She cries at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.
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Jeremiah 14:2
Judah mourns, and the gates thereof languish; they are black to the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.
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Jeremiah 22:2
And say, Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that sit on the throne of David, you, and your servants, and your people that enter in by these gates:
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Library

The Restoration of the Jews.
... hand, and stationed himself at a very public place, at the ... were then assembled there,
that a great concourse was convened ... however, at one of the gates, on his ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/abbott/cyrus the great/chapter ix the restoration of.htm

After the Whole People had Been Freed from all Distress...
... and snatched us from the very gates of death ... perjuries, and a thousand other evils,
may take place. ... private houses, and the places of public concourse, but from ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/homily xiv after the whole.htm

The Persecutions of the Church.
... At the place of execution she sung a psalm of ... The public mind was thus gradually
prepared for measures of ... The city gates were guarded that none might escape ...
/.../killen/the ancient church/chapter ii the persecutions of.htm

Delivered from Prison
... to gratify the Jews by the public spectacle of ... Most High passes through, and the
gates close noiselessly ... Peter "departed, and went into another place." Joy and ...
/.../white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 15 delivered from prison.htm

At the Feast of Tabernacles
... meanwhile, "Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem ... that went up to the
feast, public attention would ... been urged that He dared not place Himself in ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 49 at the feast.htm

The Life of Mr. George Wishart.
... was executed by Mill one day, in public, just as Mr ... The next place he preached at
was Haddington, where his ... Mr. Wishart who requested that the gates should be ...
/.../howie/biographia scoticana scots worthies/the life of mr george.htm

Extent of Atonement.
... the streets: she crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the
gates; in the ... demanded to satisfy retributive instead of public justice ...
/.../finney/systematic theology/lecture xxvi extent of atonement.htm

The City of the "Elegant Gate"[*]
... It has four gates. ... Near our residences, one of the public streets ascends a hill
by a ... The place of carts is supplied by men called 'coolies,' whose employment ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/fagg/forty years in south china/iii the city of the.htm

The Christian Race.
... of the papal church, he made a public recantation of ... 4. Know also, that now
heaven-gates, the heart of ... let the thoughts of the rareness of the place make thee ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/bunyan/the riches of bunyan/xiii the christian race.htm

Luther Before the Diet.
... Worms, a vast crowd flocked to the gates to welcome ... unchangeable God, in no man do
I place my trust ... Luther, protested against such a breach of public faith, as ...
/.../the great controversy between christ and satan /8 luther before the diet.htm