This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it.
Parallel translations
- WEB This is the gate of Yahweh; the righteous will enter into it.
- KJV This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter.
- NKJV This is the gate of the Lord, Through which the righteous shall enter.
- NASB This is the gate of the Lord; The righteous will enter through it.
- NLT These gates lead to the presence of the Lord, and the godly enter there.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
This is the Lord's gate through which the righteous enter. It matters because only the righteous may come into God's presence.
Overview
The temple gate is declared the Lord's, open to those made righteous. Entry into God's presence requires righteousness. Since none are righteous in themselves, this points to Christ, who is both the gate and the righteousness through whom believers enter (John 10:9).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Rev 21:24–27By its light the nations will walk, and into it the kings of the earth will bring their glory.
- Isa 26:2Open the gates so a righteous nation may enter—one that remains faithful.
- Ps 24:7Lift up your heads, O gates! Be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may enter!
- Rev 22:14–15Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by its gates.
- Ps 24:3–4Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place?
- Ps 24:9Lift up your heads, O gates! Be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may enter!
- Isa 35:8–10And there will be a highway called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not travel it—only those who walk in the Way—and fools will not stray onto it.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 118:20 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.