The Narrow Gate
A gate of choice between destruction and life.
AI-generated artistic depiction (no historical imagery exists)
The Narrow Gate is a motif appearing in scripture as both a literal architectural feature and a metaphor for moral and spiritual choice. In the Old Testament, gates were places of legal transactions and divine encounter, as when Lot sat in the gate of Sodom (Genesis 19:1) and Abraham purchased a burial site in the presence of all who went in at the gate (Genesis 23:10, Genesis 23:18). Jacob called Bethel 'the gate of heaven' (Genesis 28:17). In the New Testament, Jesus uses the image of a strait gate and narrow way leading to life, contrasted with a wide gate leading to destruction (Matthew 7:13, Matthew 7:14). The Book of Mormon echoes this as the 'strait and narrow path' entered by the gate of obedience and faith (Book of Mormon 31:4, Book of Mormon 31:5).
Lore & Background
The narrow gate appears in multiple contexts. In Genesis, gates are sites of authority and blessing: Abraham's seed is promised to 'possess the gate of his enemies' (Genesis 22:17), and Rebekah is blessed that her seed may 'possess the gate of those which hate them' (Genesis 24:60). Jacob's vision identifies a gate as the house of God (Genesis 28:17). In the law, the Sabbath rest applies to the stranger 'within thy gates' (Exodus 20:10). The tabernacle's gate is measured with hangings of fifteen cubits (Exodus 27:14). In the prophets, narrowness is a physical constraint: the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn (Numbers 22:26). Joshua tells the tribe of Joseph to clear woodland if Mount Ephraim is too narrow for them (Joshua 17:15). Isaiah uses narrowness as a metaphor for insufficiency: a bed too short and a covering too narrow (Isaiah 28:20). Yet in restoration, the land of destruction becomes 'too narrow by reason of the inhabitants' (Isaiah 49:19). In the temple visions of Ezekiel, narrow windows appear repeatedly in the chambers and gates (Ezekiel 40:16, Ezekiel 41:16, Ezekiel 41:26). Solomon's temple also had windows of narrow lights (1 Kings 6:4) and narrowed rests for beams (1 Kings 6:6). The New Testament transforms the gate into a moral choice: the strait gate and narrow way lead to life, but few find it (Matthew 7:14). The Book of Mormon expands this into a path entered by keeping commandments and receiving the Holy Ghost (Book of Mormon 31:4), yet warns that entering is not the end—faith in Christ must continue (Book of Mormon 31:5).
Reader's Guide
The passages portray the narrow gate in three distinct ways. First, as a literal city gate where legal and social life occurs: Lot meets angels at the gate (Genesis 19:1), Ephron negotiates with Abraham at the gate (Genesis 23:10, Genesis 23:18), and Hamor speaks at the gate (Genesis 34:20, Genesis 34:24). The gate is also a place of blessing and dominion—possessing the gate of enemies (Genesis 22:17, Genesis 24:60)—and of divine encounter, as Jacob's gate of heaven (Genesis 28:17). Second, narrowness describes physical limitation: a narrow place with no room to turn (Numbers 22:26), a mountain too narrow (Joshua 17:15), a bed too short (Isaiah 28:20), and temple windows and chambers built with narrow dimensions (1 Kings 6:4, 1 Kings 6:6; Ezekiel 40:16, Ezekiel 41:16, Ezekiel 41:26). Third, the narrow gate becomes a metaphor for the difficult path to life: Jesus contrasts the wide gate of destruction with the strait gate of life (Matthew 7:13, Matthew 7:14). The Book of Mormon identifies this gate as the beginning of a path requiring continued faith in Christ (Book of Mormon 31:4, Book of Mormon 31:5). The passages do not explain why few find it, only that it is so.
Did You Know?
- Jacob called Bethel 'the gate of heaven' after his dream of a ladder (Genesis 28:17).
- The angel of the Lord stood in a narrow place where Balaam's donkey could not turn left or right (Numbers 22:26).
- Solomon's temple had windows described as 'narrow lights' (1 Kings 6:4).
- The Book of Mormon warns that entering the strait and narrow path is not the end; one must rely wholly on Christ (Book of Mormon 31:5).