Topical Bible: Gates of Cities: Land Sold At

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In ancient Israelite society, the gates of cities held significant importance as centers of civic and economic activity. The gates were not merely entry and exit points but served as the hub for legal transactions, public announcements, and community gatherings. One of the notable activities conducted at the city gates was the sale and transfer of land.

The practice of conducting land transactions at the city gates is rooted in the cultural and legal traditions of the Israelites. The gates were the place where elders and judges would sit to adjudicate disputes and witness legal agreements. This setting provided a public forum that ensured transparency and accountability in transactions, including the sale of land.

A prominent biblical example of land transactions at the city gates is found in the Book of Ruth. Boaz, a relative of Naomi, goes to the city gate to redeem the land that belonged to Naomi's deceased husband, Elimelech. In Ruth 4:1-2 , it is recorded: "Meanwhile Boaz went to the gate and sat down there. Soon the kinsman-redeemer of whom Boaz had spoken came along and said, 'Come over here, my friend, and sit down.' So he went over and sat down. Then Boaz took ten of the elders of the city and said, 'Sit here,' and they did so." This passage illustrates the formal and communal nature of land transactions, with the presence of witnesses ensuring the legality and recognition of the agreement.

The city gates also served as a place for the proclamation of laws and the execution of justice, which further underscores their role as centers of legal activity. In Deuteronomy 21:19 , the city gates are mentioned as the place where parents could bring a rebellious son to the elders for judgment: "His father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his city."

The significance of the city gates in land transactions is also reflected in the prophetic literature. In Amos 5:10, 12 , the prophet condemns the corruption and injustice occurring at the gates: "You hate the one who reproves in the gate and despise him who speaks with integrity... For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are numerous. You oppress the righteous, taking bribes and depriving the poor of justice at the gates."

The city gates, therefore, were not only physical structures but also symbolic of the community's social and legal order. They were places where the integrity of transactions, such as the sale of land, was upheld in the presence of witnesses and community leaders. The biblical narrative consistently portrays the gates as vital to maintaining justice and righteousness within the community, reflecting the broader theological theme of God's concern for justice and order in society.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 23:10,16
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,
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Song of Two Cities
... song sets in sharp contrast the two cities, describing, in ... but the righteous can
enter through the gates into the ... and the wicked who in the land of uprightness ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/the song of two cities.htm

The Story of Benjamin.
... of brick to be set up in all the cities, and he ... about seven years of famine; and
only in the land of Egypt ... by a high wall set with forts and gates guarded by ...
/.../anonymous/children of the old testament/the story of benjamin.htm

How Antiochus Made a League with Ptolemy and How Onias Provoked ...
... not receive them, he would seize upon their land, and send ... such as were refractory
in the cities to pay ... that were slain, they opened their gates, and willingly ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 4 how antiochus made.htm

Alexandria and Rome - the Jewish Communities in the Capitals of ...
... was similar to that of the Archon' of independent cities. ... silver with which the nine
massive gates were covered ... They were strangers in a strange land, not only ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter v alexandria and rome.htm

The Conquest of Babylon.
... accounts."The ditches."Streets and gates."Palace of ... and away from projecting points
of land, and directing ... common people in the ancient cities were of ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/cyrus the great/chapter viii the conquest of.htm

Abram the Hebrew
... God's city has more than twelve gates; they open to ... organised and compact civilisation,
that walled its cities, and had ... in some of those that were in the land. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/abram the hebrew.htm

First Attempts on Jerusalem.
... seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the ... had made it one of the most
magnificent cities of the ... that no one entered within the inner gates in a ...
/.../renan/the life of jesus/chapter xiii first attempts on.htm

The Bible
... Land is bought and sold at the gates of the city, and speculation in real estate
values is running high. ... The deserted cities are being occupied. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/haldeman/christ christianity and the bible/the bible.htm

"Thou Shalt Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother. "
... those in power serve God better and thereby also improve their own land? ... the streets,
in the midst of the people and in the gates of the cities; which means ...
/.../luther/a treatise on good works/thou shalt honor thy father.htm

How Trypho after He had Beaten Demetrius Delivered the Kingdom to ...
... than he expected, for they had shut their gates against him ... numerous army, [the place
lies between the land of the ... and to the governors of the cities, that they ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 5 how trypho after.htm