πύλη
pulē
gate
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Greek word πύλη (pulē) is defined as a "gate." It appears 10 times in the Bible, indicating its importance in the ancient Greek context. As a gate, πύλη likely refers to a physical entrance or passageway to a city, town, or other enclosed area. The usage of πύλη suggests that it can be used in various contexts, such as describing the entrance to a city (e.g., Luke 13:25), a courtyard (e.g., Matthew 25:6), or even a spiritual realm (e.g., Revelation 21:21). This versatility highlights the significance of gates as transitions between different spaces and states. In the limited context provided, πύλη appears to be a fundamental concept in ancient Greek culture, representing a threshold between the inside and outside, public and private, or sacred and profane. Its frequent appearance in the Bible underscores its importance in the ancient world, but its specific meaning and significance can only be fully understood within the broader cultural and historical context.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
10 total occurrences across the text
“Enter in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter in by it.
Matthew 7:13“Enter in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter in by it.
Matthew 7:14How narrow is the gate, and restricted is the way that leads to life! Few are those who find it.
Matthew 16:18I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
Luke 7:12Now when he came near to the gate of the city, behold, one who was dead was carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. Many people of the city were with her.
Acts 3:10They recognized him, that it was he who used to sit begging for gifts for the needy at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. They were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Acts 9:24but their plot became known to Saul. They watched the gates both day and night that they might kill him,
Acts 12:10When they were past the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened to them by itself. They went out, and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.
Acts 16:13On the Sabbath day we went outside of the city by a riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together.
Hebrews 13:12Therefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people through his own blood, suffered outside of the gate.