Being a student of the Old Testament, you know that during Biblical time much business was conducted at the gate of a given city.
- Abraham met at the city gate to buy a burial plot for Sarah (Genesis 23:18).
- Boaz went to the city gate to inform the community about Ruth (Ruth 4:1)
- “So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city to speak to . . “ Genesis 34:20).
Business and commerce; land purchases and crops; gossip and political discussions took place at the gate of a given community.
I have tried to picture these gates. But it was not until our tour guide took us to one did I get the idea. Men would sit in the small alcoves to conduct their business. The pictures below will assist in picturing such gates.
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