Topical Bible: Gates: Symbolical

◄ Gates: Symbolical ►

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In biblical literature, gates often carry a rich symbolic meaning beyond their literal function as entry points to cities or buildings. They are frequently mentioned in the Scriptures, serving as significant locations for social, legal, and spiritual activities. Symbolically, gates represent authority, power, judgment, and access.

Authority and Power

Gates in ancient cities were not merely physical structures but were central to the city's defense and governance. They symbolized the authority and power of the city. In the Bible, gates are often associated with the ruling elders and leaders who would sit at the gates to conduct business and make judicial decisions. For instance, in the book of Ruth, Boaz goes to the town gate to settle the matter of redeeming Ruth (Ruth 4:1-11). This setting underscores the gate as a place of legal authority and decision-making.

Judgment and Justice

The gates were also places where justice was administered. In Deuteronomy 16:18, the Israelites are instructed to appoint judges and officials for each of their tribes in every town, who would judge the people fairly at the gates. This highlights the gate as a symbol of justice and judgment. Similarly, in Proverbs 31:23, 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," indicating his role in governance and justice.

Access and Exclusion

Symbolically, gates represent access and exclusion. They control who enters and exits, symbolizing the distinction between those who belong and those who do not. In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus uses the metaphor of gates to describe the path to salvation: "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Here, the gate symbolizes the choice between life and destruction, access to eternal life, and the exclusion from it.

Spiritual Significance

Gates also carry a spiritual significance in the Scriptures. In Psalm 24:7-10, the psalmist calls for the gates to be lifted up to welcome the King of Glory: "Lift up your heads, O gates, be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may enter." This passage uses the imagery of gates to symbolize the welcoming of God's presence and the acknowledgment of His sovereignty.

In the prophetic literature, gates often symbolize the spiritual state of a community. In Isaiah 60:11, the gates of the New Jerusalem are described as being continually open, symbolizing the perpetual access to God's presence and blessings: "Your gates will always stand open; they will never be shut, day or night, so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations—their kings led in triumphal procession."

Protection and Security

Gates also symbolize protection and security. In Nehemiah 3, the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls and gates signifies the restoration of the city's security and the re-establishment of its community. The gates, therefore, represent the strength and protection provided by God to His people.

In summary, gates in the Bible serve as powerful symbols of authority, judgment, access, spiritual significance, and protection. They are integral to understanding the social, legal, and spiritual dynamics of biblical times and continue to offer profound insights into the spiritual truths conveyed in Scripture.

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Revelation 21:12,13,21,25
And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
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Library

We Would Say, Moreover, that Death Ceases in the World when the ...
... of righteousness," which is an equivalent expression to "the gates of virtue ... by means
of the tree;" not understanding, I think, the symbolical expression, that ...
/.../origen/origen against celsus/chapter xxxvi we would say.htm

The God who Dwells with Men
... us not only of the God that dwelt in Zion in outward and symbolical form, by ... once
again this King of Glory shall stand before the everlasting gates and summon ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/the god who dwells with.htm

Footnotes
... import, we have in this case one that is entirely symbolical.""NEANDER ... Great King
raised from her desolation, "her walls salvation, and her gates praise." The ...
//christianbookshelf.org/macduff/memories of bethany/footnotes.htm

The Annunciation of St. John the Baptist
... it resorted to: twice before, and twice after the Temple-gates were opened ... And, greater
than either of these representatives of the symbolical import of Nazarism ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter iii the annunciation of.htm

Preface to the First Edition.
... Her gates are pearls ... prepared for God's children, we must conclude that the magnificent
language describing the heavenly Jerusalem is only symbolical; that the ...
/.../boudreaux/the happiness of heaven/preface to the first edition.htm

The Christian Ministry, and Its Relation to the Christian ...
... or the power of the keys, the power to open and shut the gates of the ... solemnly set
apart and inducted into their ministerial functions by the symbolical act of ...
/.../history of the christian church volume i/section 59 the christian ministry.htm

Of the Prodigal Son.
... and not hearing; [790] holding in hatred him who reproveth in the gates, [791] and ...
and put together those things of which the parables seem (to be symbolical). ...
/.../tertullian/on modesty/chapter viii of the prodigal son.htm

The Middle Ages.
... These were built so as to be almost as symbolical as the Temple had been. ... of their
church, and constant services were celebrated, that so the gates might ever ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson xxxi the middle ages.htm

The Servant-Lord
... In the symbolical incident in John's Gospel, to which I have already referred, He
laid ... that there may be no unpreparedness or delay in flinging open the gates. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture e/the servant-lord.htm

Letter viii. To Demophilus, Therapeutes. About Minding Ones Own ...
... But the gates of the sanctuary are bounded by the appointed Therapeutae, within ... those
who always stand around the Divine Altar, for a symbolical purpose, see ...
/.../letters of dionysius the areopagite/letter viii to demophilus therapeutes.htm