Topical Bible: Gates: The Law Read At

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In the biblical context, city gates were not only physical structures but also significant cultural and social centers. They served as places of commerce, legal proceedings, and public gatherings. One of the notable functions of city gates in ancient Israel was as a venue for the public reading of the Law.

The practice of reading the Law at the gates is rooted in the covenantal traditions of Israel, where the Law given by God through Moses was central to the life and identity of the people. The public reading of the Law was a means of ensuring that the community remained faithful to the covenant and was reminded of their obligations to God and one another.

Deuteronomy 31:10-13 provides an early example of this practice. Moses commanded that the Law be read aloud to all Israel every seven years during the Feast of Tabernacles: "Then Moses commanded them, 'At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place He will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing. Assemble the people—men, women, children, and the foreigners residing in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law.'"

The gates, being central and accessible locations, were ideal for such gatherings. They allowed for the inclusion of the entire community, including men, women, children, and foreigners, emphasizing the communal aspect of the covenant and the inclusive nature of God's law.

In Nehemiah 8:1-3, we see a post-exilic example of the Law being read at the Water Gate in Jerusalem. After the return from Babylonian exile, Ezra the scribe read the Law to the assembled people: "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. On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could listen and understand. So Ezra read it aloud from daybreak until noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women, and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law."

This event highlights the importance of the public reading of the Law in re-establishing the identity and religious practices of the Jewish community after the exile. The choice of the Water Gate as the location underscores the role of city gates as places of assembly and instruction.

The reading of the Law at the gates served not only as a reminder of God's commandments but also as a public affirmation of the community's commitment to live according to those commandments. It was an act of worship, education, and communal solidarity, reinforcing the centrality of the Law in the life of Israel.

Throughout the biblical narrative, the gates remain a symbol of communal life and governance, where the Law of God is proclaimed and upheld. The practice of reading the Law at the gates underscores the importance of accessibility to God's word and the collective responsibility of the community to adhere to it.

Nave's Topical Index

Nehemiah 8:1
And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spoke to Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Reading the Law with Tears and Joy
... was a solemn assembly of men, women, and children in a great open space outside
one of the gates, and there, from dawn till noon, the law was read and explained ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/reading the law with tears.htm

Instructed in the Law of God
... The wall of Jerusalem had been rebuilt and the gates set up, but a large ... There was
great rejoicing because the words of the law had been read and understood ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 56 instructed in the.htm

The Law.
... When those that you read of in the hook of Kings, 2 ... that new would gladly enter in
through the gates into this ... dwell on high and shall not be hurt by this law. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bunyan/the riches of bunyan/v the law.htm

The Author Goes on with the Interpretation of the Same Passage.
... the prophet says with indignation, "They read the law [2623] without;" [2624] for
the Jews were not to read the law going forth out of the gates of Jerusalem ...
/.../chapter iv the author goes on.htm

The Uses of the Law
... of progress"do you think to take the law upon your shoulders as Sampson did the
gates of Gaza ... Therefore, God has written the law, that when we read it we ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/the uses of the law.htm

The Wall Rebuilt.
... Most sad was the sight; the gates broken and burnt, and the ... foes; and a great assembly
was held, when Ezra read and explained the Law, for seven days ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson xiv the wall rebuilt.htm

Epistle i. To the Roman Citizens.
... We introduce, then, no burden through the gates on the ... For we read that the same
our Lord and Redeemer ... Sabbath according to the letter of the law, whom else ...
/.../gregory/the epistles of saint gregory the great/epistle i to the roman.htm

Josiah, a Pattern for the Ignorant.
... the door-posts of thine house, and upon thy gates[1]." Besides this general provision,
it was ordered that once in seven years the law should be read to the ...
/.../newman/parochial and plain sermons vol viii/sermon vii josiah a pattern.htm

Whether Men are Bound to Pay Tithes under a Necessity of Precept?
... Objection 4: Further, in the Old Law men were bound to ... Again, there were other tithes
of which we read (Dt.14 ... that time, and shalt lay it up within thy gates. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether men are bound to 2.htm

Christ the End of the Law
... which is also called "God's righteousness"; and we read of those ... those who follow
the works of the law know nothing of ... If you could go up to the gates of heaven ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 22 1876/christ the end of the.htm