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This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter.
Psalms 118:20 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB This is the gate of Yahweh; the righteous will enter into it.
  • BSB This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it.
  • 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 21:24–27And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
  • Isa 26:2Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.
  • Ps 24:7Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
  • Rev 22:14–15Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
  • Ps 24:3–4Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?
  • Ps 24:9Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
  • Isa 35:8–10And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 118:20YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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.