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πύλη

pýlē

G4439 noun

SILEX Entry

Root πύλ- gate, gateway, entrance

Definition

A large gate or gateway, especially one providing access to a significant location such as a city, temple, or palace. The term denotes both the doorway/entrance as an architectural feature and, by extension, the gateway area as a locale for meeting or gathering. In some contexts, it can carry a broader, metaphorical sense of access or entrance to a domain, opportunity, or state (including in spiritual or eschatological contexts).

Semantic Range

large gate, city gate, temple gate, palace entrance, passageway, portal, access (literal); opportunity, entrance into a realm or state (figurative, in extended contexts)

Root / Etymology

etymology uncertain. πύλη is not derived from an obvious Greek verb or noun and may have pre-Greek (non-Indo-European) origins, though its long-standing use makes it functionally native to classical and later Greek.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, πύλη referred to large gates, especially those in city walls (as distinct from smaller house doors, θύρα). The plural (πύλαι) is often used for monumental city gates and is a common feature of fortified or significant buildings. In the Septuagint, πύλη frequently translates Hebrew שַׁעַר (sha'ar), designating the main city gate—the place not only of passage but also of public life and legal affairs. In the New Testament, πύλη generally refers to gates of cities or sacred areas (e.g., temple gates, Acts 3:10), though occasionally is used in metaphoric or eschatological imagery (e.g., 'gates of Hades', Matthew 16:18). English translations sometimes render πύλη as "gate," but the Greek distinction from θύρα (smaller door/entrance) should be noted. No inherent symbolic or figurative usage is present in the root itself, but the term acquires such connotations through context, especially in later Jewish and Christian literature.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

apparently a primary word; a gate, i.e. the leaf or wing of a folding entrance (literally or figuratively):--gate.

Root Family

πύλη (pýlē) — gate, gateway, entrance

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
G4439-03 πύλη pule N NOM F SG gate gateway 4
G4439-05 πύλης pules N GEN F SG gate of a gateway 3
G4439-02 πύλας pulas N ACC F PL gates gates 1
G4439-04 πύλην pulen N ACC F SG gate a gateway 1
G4439-01 πύλαι pulai N NOM F PL gates 1

Occurrences in Scripture

10 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
G4439-05 Matthew 7:13 πύλης pules N GEN F SG of a gateway
G4439-03 Matthew 7:13 πύλη pule N NOM F SG gateway
G4439-03 Matthew 7:14 πύλη pule N NOM F SG gateway
G4439-01 Matthew 16:18 πύλαι pulai N NOM F PL gates
G4439-03 Luke 7:12 πύλῃ pule N DAT F SG gate gateway
G4439-03 Acts 3:10 Πύλῃ pule N DAT F SG gate gateway
G4439-02 Acts 9:24 πύλας pulas N ACC F PL gates gates
G4439-04 Acts 12:10 πύλην pulen N ACC F SG gate a gateway
G4439-05 Acts 16:13 πύλης pules N GEN F SG gate of a gateway
G4439-05 Hebrews 13:12 πύλης pules N GEN F SG gate of a gateway
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