Lexical Definition

‎שַׁעַר‎ shaʻar (shah'-ar) gate ^H:N-M
from ‎שָׁעַר‎ in its original sense

city, door, gate, port ([idiom] -er).

• an opening, i.e. door or gate

1) gate
1a) gate (of entrance)
1b) gate (of space inside gate, i.e. marketplace, public meeting place)
1b1) city, town
1c) gate (of palace, royal castle, temple, court of tabernacle)
1d) heaven

See Greek: αὐλή · θύρα · πόλις · πύλη · πυλών

Brown-Driver-Briggs

Aramaic form: תְּרַע
Also see: עַיִן

‎שַׁ֫עַר‎₃₇₃ noun masculine^{2Sam 18:24} (feminine^{Isa 14:31} in personification, Albr^{ZAW xvi (1896), 86}) gate; — ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ absolute Judg 9:40 +, construct Gen 22:17 +; with ‎ה‎ locative, ‎שָׁ֑עְרָה‎ Isa 28:6 +; plural ‎שְׁעָרִים‎ 2Sam 18:24 +, construct ‎שַׁעֲרֵי‎ 1Sam 17:52 +; suffix ‎שְׁעָרֶיךָ‎ Deut 12:15 +, ‎שַׁעֲרֵיהֶם‎ Ezek 21:20*; Ezek 48:34, etc.; —

1. a. gate, entrance to city, shut (‎סָגַר‎) by night Josh 2:5; Josh 2:7 (JE), compare Isa 45:1, opened (‎פָּתַח‎) by day Neh 7:3, compare Isa 60:11 for entrance (‎בּוֺא‎), and exit (‎יָצָא‎) Jer 17:19; Jer 17:20; Jer 17:21; Jer 17:24; Jer 17:25; Jer 17:27; Lam 4:12; Ezek 26:10 +; ‎׳‎‎עָבַר שׁ‎ Mic 2:13 pass out through (disregard accents), ‎׳‎‎בַּשׁ‎ ‎׳‎‎ע ‎ Isa 62:10 with bars Ps 147:13 attacked Ezek 21:20*; Ezek 21:27*, compare Isa 28:6; Mic 1:9; Mic 1:12; 1Sam 17:52 on Judg 5:8; Judg 5:11 see Commentaries; burned (by foe) Jer 19:27; Jer 51:58; Neh 1:3; Neh 2:3; Neh 2:13; Neh 2:17 as giving control, possession, of city, ‎אֹיְבָיו‎ ‎׳‎‎יָרַשׁ אֵת שׁ‎ Gen 22:17; Gen 24:60 (J); ‎׳‎‎פֶּתַח הַשּׁ‎ Judg 9:40 + (see ‎׳‎‎פ‎), ‎׳‎‎דַּלְתוֺת הַשּׁ‎ 1Sam 21:14* + (see ‎׳‎‎ד‎ 3); ‎׳‎‎פֶּתַחהַֿשּׁ‎ Judg 18:16; Judg 18:17 of farm or village; so of camp Exod 32:26; Exod 32:27 (J). In cities, elaborate structure, with roof 2Sam 18:24, upper chamber 2Sam 19:1* compare ‎שְׂאוּ שְׁעָרִים רָאשֵׁיכֶם‎ Ps 24:7; Ps 24:9 write laws ‎׳‎‎בִּשׁ‎ Deut 6:9 ( + ‎עַלמְֿזֻזוֺת בֵּיתֶ֑ךָ‎), Deut 11:20 (+id..); ‎׳‎‎בְּתוֺךְ הַשּׁ‎ 1Sam 9:18, ‎׳‎‎אֶלאתּוֺךְ הַשּׁ‎ 2Sam 3:27 ‎׳‎‎(לְ)יַד שׁ‎ as public, 1Sam 4:18, + v1Sam 4:13 ᵐ5 Th We Dr and others, compare 2Sam 15:2; 2Sam 18:4; Prov 8:3 (|| ‎מְבוֺא פְתָחִים‎).
b. particular gates of Jerusalem are: (1) ‎אֶפְרַיִם‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ 2Kgs 14:13 || 2Chr 25:23; Neh 8:16; Neh 12:39 (2) ‎הָאַשְׁפֹּת‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Neh 2:13; Neh 3:14; Neh 12:31 = ‎הָֽשְׁפוֺת‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Neh 3:13 (3) ‎בִּנְיָמִין‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Jer 37:13; Jer 38:7; Zech 14:10 (4) ‎הַגַּיִא‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Neh 2:13; Neh 2:15; Neh 3:13; 2Chr 26:9 (5) ‎הַדָּגִים‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Zeph 1:10; Neh 3:3; Neh 12:39; 2Chr 33:14 (6) ‎בֵּין הַחֹמֹתַיִם‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ 2Kgs 25:4 = Jer 52:7 compare Jer 39:4 (7) ‎החרסות‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Jer 19:2 (8) ‎הַיְשָׁנָה‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Neh 3:6; Neh 12:39 (9) ‎הַמִּזְרָךְ‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Neh 3:29 (10) ‎הַמַּטָּרָה‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Neh 12:39 (11) ‎׳‎‎הַמָּ֑יִם שׁ‎ Neh 8:1; Neh 8:3; Neh 8:16 (12) ‎הַמַּיִם לַמִּזְרָ֑ח‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Neh 3:26,compare Neh 12:37 (13) ‎הַמִּפְקָ֑ד‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Neh 3:31 (14) ‎הָעַיִן‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Neh 2:14; Neh 3:15; Neh 12:37 (15) ‎הַסּוּסִים‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Jer 31:40; Neh 3:28 (compare 3 b); (16) ‎הַפִּנָּה‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ 2Kgs 14:13 || 2Chr 25:23 (read ‎הַפִּנָּה‎ for ‎הַפּוֺנֶה‎), Jer 31:38; 2Chr 26:9 probably = ‎הַפִּנִּים‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Zech 14:10 (17) ‎הַצּאֹן‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Neh 3:1; Neh 3:32; Neh 12:39 (18) ‎הָרִאשׁוֺן‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Zech 14:10 — on sites and related to each other see RS-GASm^{Ency. Bib. JERUSALEM} Conder^{Hast. DB id.} Buhl^{G 133 ff.} Bd^{Pal. under the word} Murray^{Hd. Bk, under the word} BeRy^{Ne p. 182 ff.} Gu^ZPV, especially v (1882). 7 ff. viii (1885), 245 ff. Comm.^{on the passage variant} reading
c. of Ezekiel's holy city, ‎שַׁעֲרֵי הָעִיר‎ Ezek 48:31, three on each side, named for tribes, vEzek 48:31 vEzek 48:31 vEzek 48:31 vEzek 48:31 + 12 t. Ezek 48.

2. a. gate = space inside gate, as public meeting-place, market 2Kgs 7:1; 2Kgs 7:18, place of public well 2Sam 23:15; 2Sam 23:16 = 1Chr 11:17; 1Chr 11:18, where elders, judges, king, sat officially Deut 21:19; Deut 22:15; Amos 5:12; Amos 5:15; Isa 29:21; 2Sam 18:24; 2Sam 19:9*; 1Kgs 22:10 = 2Chr 18:9; Gen 19:1 (J) Prov 24:7; Job 5:4; Job 31:21; Ruth 4:1 (twice in verse); Prov 31:23; Prov 31:31, etc.; of conqueror Jer 1:15 apparently = ‎׳‎‎רְחוֺב שׁ‎ Gen 19:2 (J) Neh 8:16; 1Chr 9:16 + (see I. ‎׳‎‎ר‎); Gen 34:20 (P) one came unto gate (‎בָּא אֶלֿ‎), so ‎׳‎‎בָּאֵי שׁ‎ Gen 23:10; Gen 23:18 (P) those entering the gate, i.e. having citizens' rights; also went out (to), ‎׳‎‎יָצָא שׁ‎ Job 29:7 (i.e., in this case, from his own house, outside the city), hence ‎׳‎‎כָּליֹֿצְאֵי שׁ‎ Gen 34:24 (twice in verse) (P; compare also ‎הוֺצִיא אֶלֿ‎ Deut 21:19; Deut 22:15; Deut 22:24); hence = body of citizens, ‎עַמִּי‎‎׳‎‎כָּלשֿׁ‎ Ruth 3:11.
b. hence also = city Isa 14:31 (|| ‎עִיר‎), Ps 87:2, etc.
c. specifically in Deuteronomy, ‎בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ‎ in thy gates, i.e. thy cities, towns, etc., Deut 5:14 = Exod 20:10; Deut 12:12; Deut 12:15; Deut 12:17; Deut 12:21 + 22 t. Deuteronomy + 1Kgs 8:37 (read ‎׳‎‎בְּאַחַד שׁ‎, compare Deut 18:6; Deut 23:17*, so ᵐ5 ᵑ6 modern), so || 2Chr 6:28, + (perhaps) Jer 14:2 (but Jer 15:7; Nah 3:13 figurative of gates as entrance to land); of private house, ‎שַׁעֲרֵי צַדִּיק‎ Prov 14:19 (perhaps compare Judg 18:16 1 a above).

3. a. gate of royal castle or palace 2Kgs 9:31; Jer 22:2; Jer 22:4; Neh 2:8; Esth 2:19 + 10 t. Esther; specifically (of king of Judah), ‎סוּר‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ 2Kgs 11:6 = ‎הַיְסוֺד‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ 2Chr 23:5 (see ‎׳‎‎ס‎, ‎׳‎‎יס‎), ‎הָרָצִים‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ 2Kgs 11:19, ‎׳‎‎אַחַר הָר‎ ‎׳‎‎הַשּׁ‎ v2Kgs 11:6 ‎׳‎‎הַסּוּסִים בֵּית הַמּ‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ 2Chr 23:15 ( = ‎׳‎‎מְבוֺא הַסּ‎ || 2Kgs 11:16); apparently of official residence, ‎יְהוֺשֻׁעַ‎ ‎׳‎‎פֶּתַח שׁ‎ 2Kgs 23:8.
b. of temple Jer 7:2 (twice in verse); 1Chr 9:23; 1Chr 16:42 + 12 t. Chronicles, including ‎׳‎‎שַׁעֲרֵי מַחֲנוֺת י‎ 2Chr 31:2 (see ‎מַחֲנֶה‎ 1, p. 334), compare Ps 100:4; Ps 118:20, ‎שַׁעֲרֵי צֶדֶק‎ vPs 100:19 specifically ‎בִּנְיָמִין הָעֶלְיוֺן‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Jer 20:2, and (omit ‎׳‎‎בִּנְי‎) 2Kgs 15:35 = 2Chr 27:3; Ezek 9:2; 2Chr 23:20, ‎הֶחָדָשׁ‎ ‎׳‎‎(בֵּית) י‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Jer 26:10; Jer 36:10, ‎הַפְּנִימִית הַפּוֺנֶה‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ ‎צָפוֺנָה‎ Ezek 8:3 compare vEzek 8:14, Ezek 8:5, ‎הַקַּדְמֹנִי‎ ‎׳‎‎הַמִּזְבֵּחַ שַׁעַר בֵּית י‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Ezek 10:19; Ezek 11:1 ‎שַׁלֶּכֶת‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ 1Chr 26:16 ‎שַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶח‎ 1Chr 9:18.
c. of Ezekiel's temple and courts Ezek 40:3; Ezek 40:6; Ezek 44:11; Ezek 44:17 + 67 t. Ezek 40-47.
d. of court of tabernacle (P), ‎הֶחָצֵר‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Exod 27:16; Exod 35:17 + 6t. Exodus + Num 4:36.

4. figurative ‎הַשָּׁמַיִם‎ ‎׳‎‎זֶה שׁ‎ Gen 28:17 (E; || ‎בֵּית אֱלֹהִים‎); plural ‎שַׁעֲרֵי שְׁאוֺל‎ Isa 38:10 ‎מָֿוֶת‎‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Job 38:17; Ps 9:14*; Ps 107:18 ‎צַלְמָוֶת‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Job 38:17.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References