Places & biblical world
City gate
A town’s entrance, also appearing as a public place for elders, legal matters, and witnessed transactions.
Also called · gate
What it means
In Ruth 4, Boaz sits at the gate and calls the nearer kinsman and ten elders. They discuss Naomi’s land and marriage to Ruth; the elders and people witness the transaction.
In 2 Samuel 15, Absalom stands beside the way to the gate and meets people bringing cases to the king. He gains their support by saying he would give them justice if he were judge.
How it appears in the Bible
Proverbs 31 describes a husband respected among the elders at the gates. Nehemiah 8 places the people listening to the law in the open area before the water gate.
Translation note
The entrance itself and the area before it can be distinguished. A gate scene is not automatically a trial; follow the people and actions named in the passage.