# gate, gate bars, gatekeeper, gateposts, gateway

## Definition:

The term “gate” refers to an access point in a fence, wall, or other kind of barrier that surrounds a house, property, city, etc.

* A city gate could be opened to allow people, animals, and cargo to travel in and out of the city.
* To protect the city, its walls and gates were thick and strong. Gates were closed and locked with a metal or wooden bar to prevent enemy soldiers from entering the city.
* A “bar” for a gate refers to a wood or metal bar that can be moved into place so that the doors of the gate cannot be opened from the outside.
* In Bible times, a city gate was often the social center for that town or city. It was a place where news of current events was exchanged between people, where business transactions occurred, and where civil judgments were made.

## Translation Suggestions:

* Depending on the context, other ways to translate “gate” could be “door” or “wall opening” or “barrier” or “entranceway.”
* The phrase “bars of the gate” could be translated as “gate bolts” or “wooden beams to lock the gate” or “metal locking rods of the gate.”

## Bible References:

* [Acts 9:24](rc://en/tn/help/act/09/24)
* [Acts 10:18](rc://en/tn/help/act/10/18)
* [Deuteronomy 21:18-19](rc://en/tn/help/deu/21/18)
* [Genesis 19:1](rc://en/tn/help/gen/19/01)
* [Genesis 24:60](rc://en/tn/help/gen/24/60)
* [Matthew 7:13](rc://en/tn/help/mat/07/13)

## Word Data:

* Strong’s: H1817, H5592, H6607, H8179, G23740, G44390, G44400
