H8179 H8179
Gate or entrance to a city, temple, or palace; metonymically, a community or territorial jurisdiction ('within your gates').
Shaar refers first to the physical gate — the architectural opening in a city wall, temple precinct, or palace compound through which people pass, which is barred at night and opened at dawn. Gates were also the civic center where elders sat, justice was administered, and public business transacted. In Deuteronomic legislation, a distinctive metonymic usage emerges: 'within your gates' means 'within your towns' or 'in your settlements,' where the gate stands for the entire community under its jurisdiction. Spanish puerta, French porte, and German Tor consistently render the physical sense, while the possessive construction 'your gates' (en tus puertas, in dein Tore) signals the territorial extension.
1. gate, entrance, doorway — A physical gate, entrance, or doorway (337x) — the concrete architectural structure in a city wall, temple, palace, or camp. This covers gates being opened and shut (Josh 2:5-7, Isa 45:1), the city gates of Jerusalem (Neh 7:3), temple gates (2 Chr 23:15, 20), and gates in prophetic vision (Ezekiel 40-48). Translations uniformly use their word for gate: English 'gate,' Spanish puerta, French porte, German Tor. The gate served as both passage point and civic gathering place where elders judged (Ruth 4:1, Prov 31:23). 337×
AR["بَابَ","بَابِ","بَوَّابَةِ"]·ben["দরজা","দরজার","দ্বার","দ্বার-","দ্বারের"]·DE["Tor"]·EN["gate","gate-of","gate-of-","the-gate-of"]·FR["porte"]·heb["שער"]·HI["द्वार","द्वार-","फाटक","फाटक-के","शर"]·ID["Pintu-Gerbang","gerbang","pintu-gerbang"]·IT["porta"]·jav["Gapuranipun-","gapura","gapuranipun","gapuranipun-"]·KO["문","문-의"]·PT["Portão-de","porta-de","portão","portão-de"]·RU["ворот","ворота","воротам","воротами","вратами"]·ES["Puerta-de","puerta","puerta-de"]·SW["lango-","lango-la","shaar"]·TR["kapı","kapısı","kapısı-","kapısına","kapısını","kapısının"]·urd["دروازہ","دروازے","دروازے-کے","پھاٹک"]
2 Kgs 25:4, 1 Chr 26:16, 2 Chr 18:9, 2 Chr 23:15, 2 Chr 23:20, 2 Chr 25:23, 2 Chr 26:9, 2 Chr 26:9, 2 Chr 27:3, 2 Chr 32:6, Neh 2:13, Neh 2:14 (+38 more)
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
2. gates as territory or community — Gates as a metonym for territory, community, or civic jurisdiction (38x). Concentrated in Deuteronomic law, 'within your gates' (bish'arekha) means 'within your settlements' — designating the towns and territory of Israel rather than literal doorways. The Sabbath command extends to 'the sojourner who is within your gates' (Exod 20:10, Deut 5:14), and Deuteronomy's instructions about worship, tithing, and justice use this phrasing repeatedly (Deut 6:9, 12:12, 14:27-29). The possessive suffixes in all languages — English 'your gates,' Spanish tus puertas, German dein Tore — mark this community-referencing sense. 38×
AR["أَبْوَابِكَ","فِي-أَبْوَابِكَ"]·ben["তোমার-দরজাগুলোতে","তোমার-দরজায়","তোমার-দ্বারগুলিতে","তোমার-দ্বারগুলির","তোমার-দ্বারে","তোমার-দ্বারে।","তোমার-ফটকে"]·DE["dein-Tore","in-dein-Tore","ist-in-dein-Tore"]·EN["in-your-gates","is-in-your-gates","your-gates"]·FR["dans-ton-portes","est-dans-ton-portes","ton-portes"]·heb["ב-שעריך","שעריך"]·HI["तेरे-फाटकों-में","फाटकों-तेरे","फाटकों-तेरे-में","फाटकों-तेरे-में।","में-फाटकों-तेरे"]·ID["Di-pintu-pintu-gerbangmu","di-dalam-gerbangmu","di-pintu-gerbang-mu","di-pintu-pintu-gerbangmu","pintu-pintu-gerbangmu"]·IT["e-in-tuo-porte","in-tuo-porte","tuo-porte"]·jav["Wonten-ing-gapura-gapura-panjenengan","gapura-gapura-panjenengan","ing-gapura-gapura-panjenengan","ing-gapura-panjenengan","ing-gapuranipun","wonten-ing-gapura-gapura-panjenengan","wonten-ing-gapura-gapura-panjenengan.","wonten-ing-gapura-panjenengan"]·KO["너의-문들-안에","너의-문들-안에서","너의-문들의","너의-성문들-안에-있는","너의-성문들-에-있는","네-성문들-안에서의","네-성문들-에서","네-성문들의","에-네-성문들"]·PT["em-teus-portões","em-tuas-portas","nas-tuas-portas","tuas-portas"]·RU["В-воротах-твоих","в-воротах-твоих","в-вратах-твоих","во-вратах-твоих","воротах-твоих","вратах-твоих","из-ворот-твоих"]·ES["En-tus-puertas","en-puertas-tuyas","en-tus-puertas","está-en-tus-puertas","esté-en-tus-puertas","tus-puertas"]·SW["Malangoni-mwako","katika-malango-yako","lango-lako","malango-yako","malangoni-mwako","ndani-ya-malango-yako"]·TR["-Kapılarında","kapılarında","kapılarının"]·urd["تیرے-دروازوں-میں","تیرے-دروازوں-کے-اندر","تیرے-پھاٹکوں-سے","تیرے-پھاٹکوں-میں","تیرے-پھاٹکوں-میں-ہیں","تیرے-پھاٹکوں-میں-ہے","پھاٹکوں-میں-تیرے"]
Exod 20:10, Deut 5:14, Deut 6:9, Deut 11:20, Deut 12:12, Deut 12:15, Deut 12:17, Deut 12:18, Deut 12:21, Deut 14:21, Deut 14:27, Deut 14:28 (+26 more)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
I. שַׁ֫עַר373 n.m. 2 S 18:24 (f. Is 14:31 in personif., AlbrZAW xvi (1896), 86) gate;—שׁ׳ abs. Ju 9:40 +, cstr. Gn 22:17 +; c. ה loc., שָׁ֑עְרָה Is 28:6 +; pl. שְׁעָרִים 2 S 18:24 +, cstr. שַׁעֲרֵי 1 S 17:52 +; sf. שְׁעָרֶיךָ Dt 12:15 +, שַׁעֲרֵיהֶם Ez 21:20; 48:34, etc.;— 1. a. gate, entrance to city, shut (סָגַר) by night Jos 2:5, 7 (JE), cf. Is 45:1, opened (פָּתַח) by day Ne 7:3, cf. Is…