Doors of the Bible

Various types of doors are mentioned in Scripture.

• Doors of walled city gates

  Gates had doors. At the time of the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls and gates as recorded by Nehemiah,

  Then Eliashib the high priest arose with his brothers the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. …Now the sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors with its bolts and bars. …Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired athe Old Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors with its bolts and its bars. —Nehemiah 3:1-6 NASB excerpt

• Door hinges

  Doors were hung on hinges (pivots of wood or other material fastened in sockets above and below).

  As the door turns on its hinges,
  So does the sluggard on his bed. —Proverbs 26:14 LSB

  See: hinges

• Door locks, bars and bolts

  Doors were normally fastened shut with a bar, bolt or lock. Some had keyed locks.

  Then Ehud went out into the vestibule and shut the doors of the roof chamber behind him, and locked them. …his servants came and looked, and behold, the doors of the roof chamber were locked; …They waited until they became anxious; but behold, he did not open the doors of the roof chamber. Therefore they took the key and opened them, and behold, their master had fallen to the floor dead. —Judges 3:23-25 NASB excerpt

  Now Samson lay until midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the city gate and the two posts and pulled them up along with the bars; … —Judges 16:3 NASB excerpt

  …On the handles of the bolt. —Song of Songs 5:5 NASB excerpt

  …set a bolt and doors… —Job 38:10 NASB excerpt

  More information

  • lock
  • key
  • bar

• Curtains, as substitutes

  In the interior of Middle Eastern houses, curtains were often used instead of doors.

  The entrances of the Holy Tabernacle had curtains that served as for the portable structure (Exodus 26:31-33; 26:36).

  See: curtains

• Figurative doors

  Our Lord says of himself, “I am the door” (John 10:9).

  Paul speaks of a “door opened” for the spread of the gospel (1 Corinthians 16:9; 2 Corinthians 2:12; Col. 4:3).

  John speaks of a “door opened in heaven” (Rev. 4:1).

  The “valley of Achor” is called a “door of hope,” because immediately after the execution of Achan the Lord said to Joshua, “Fear not,” and from that time Joshua went forward in a career of uninterrupted conquest.

• Door posts

  See: door posts

• Angels can open doors and gates

  And they laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, and taking them out, he said,

  “Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life.” —Acts 5:18-20 LSB

• Prison doors

  See: Prisons

More information

• Doorkeepers
• Knocking at doors
• GATES of the Bible
• WALLS in the Bible
• houses
• temples