Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical times, thresholds held significant cultural and religious importance, often symbolizing transition and sanctity. The threshold, the sill of a doorway, was not merely a structural component but also a place of ritual and symbolic meaning.
Old Testament ReferencesOne of the most notable references to thresholds in the Bible is found in the book of 1 Samuel. When the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant and placed it in the temple of Dagon, the idol of Dagon fell before the Ark. The next day, the head and hands of Dagon were found broken off on the threshold. As a result, "to this day, the priests of Dagon and all who enter the temple of Dagon do not step on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod" (
1 Samuel 5:5). This incident highlights the threshold as a place of divine encounter and judgment.
In Ezekiel's vision of the new temple, the threshold is again emphasized. Ezekiel describes the glory of the LORD entering the temple through the gate facing east, and the Spirit lifting him up and bringing him into the inner court, where "the glory of the LORD filled the temple" (
Ezekiel 43:5). The threshold here marks the boundary between the profane and the holy, underscoring the sanctity of the space within.
Symbolism and RitualsThresholds in the Bible often symbolize transition and the crossing from one state to another. They can represent the movement from the secular to the sacred, from the outside world into a place of divine presence. This symbolism is evident in the Passover narrative, where the Israelites were instructed to mark their doorposts and lintels with the blood of a lamb. The threshold, in this context, became a boundary of protection, as the LORD passed over the houses marked by the blood (
Exodus 12:7, 13).
In ancient Near Eastern cultures, thresholds were sometimes associated with deities or spirits, and rituals were performed to honor these entities. The Bible, however, consistently emphasizes the LORD's sovereignty over all places, including thresholds, rejecting any notion of other spiritual entities having power over these spaces.
New Testament ConsiderationsWhile the New Testament does not explicitly focus on thresholds, the concept of transition and entering into a new covenant is central to its message. Jesus Christ is described as the "door" or "gate" for the sheep, symbolizing the entry point to salvation and eternal life (
John 10:7, 9). This metaphorical use of a threshold underscores the idea of Jesus as the passage through which believers enter into a relationship with God.
Cultural and Theological ImplicationsIn biblical theology, thresholds can be seen as places of decision and commitment. Crossing a threshold often signifies a commitment to a new way of life or a deeper relationship with God. This is reflected in the call to holiness and the invitation to enter into God's presence with reverence and awe.
The concept of thresholds also invites reflection on the boundaries between the sacred and the secular in the life of a believer. Just as the physical thresholds in biblical narratives marked significant transitions, spiritual thresholds in a believer's life mark moments of transformation and consecration to God's purposes.
Strong's Hebrew
5592b. saph -- threshold, sill... same as saph Definition threshold, sill NASB Word Usage door (1), doorkeeper* (1),
doorkeepers* (4), gatekeepers* (1), temple (2), threshold (10),
thresholds (6
...5646. ab -- perhaps a landing
... Word Origin of uncertain derivation Definition perhaps a landing NASB Word
Usage threshold (2),thresholds (1). thick beam, plant....
Library
Further Proofs, from Ezekiel. Summary of the Prophetic Argument...
... And He introduced me unto thethresholds of the gate of the house of the Lord which
looketh unto the north; and, behold, there, women sitting and bewailing...
What Then? You Say; do You Declare that These Gods Exist Nowhere...
... Who that Limentinus and Lima have the care ofthresholds, and do the duties of their
keepers, when every day we see thethresholds of temples and private...
Of the Cross, and Other Tortures of Jesus, and of the Figure of...
... sign. [852] And the Jews even now exhibit a figure of this transaction when
they mark theirthresholds with the blood of a lamb. For...
Book iii. --Of the Harmony of the Fathers of the Old and New...
... 60 Who, spurning briefly"blooming riches, left. The royalthresholds,) rather
chose to bear. His people's toils, afflicted, with bowed neck,....
I an African Free-Town Subject to Rome
... brilliant in the morning sun, glimpses of sky of a very tender blue; here and there,
in the strip of deep shade which lies along thethresholds, white figures...
The Constellations and the Genii Very Indifferent Gods the Roman...
... her sloping (haunts); I pass silently by the deities called Forculus from doors,
and Cardea from hinges, and Limentinus the god ofthresholds, and whatever...
Jesaia, Dem Propheten, Das Geschah. These Things the Seer Isaiah...
... His glory filleth all the trembling earth!" With the loud cry the posts andthresholds
shook, And the whole house was filled with mist and smoke....
How the Holy Man, Egbert, Would have Gone into Germany to Preach...
... he could deliver any of them from Satan, and bring them to Christ; or if this might
not be, he was minded to go to Rome, to see and adore thethresholds of the...
The Minne-Singers
... come as pilgrims into our land, with their long staves and great boots; and amid
the most sultry heat and bathed in sweat, yet visit all thethresholds of the...
A Young Man who Said, "Send Me"
... The foundations of thethresholds trembled at the voice of those who called,
and the temple was filled with smoke. Then I:said: "Woe is me!...
Thesaurus
Thresholds (11 Occurrences)... Multi-Version Concordance
Thresholds (11 Occurrences).
... 1 Chronicles 9:22 All these
who were chosen to be porters in the
thresholds were two hundred and twelve.
...Threshold (28 Occurrences)
... 2 Chronicles 3:7 He overlaid also the house, the beams, thethresholds, and its
walls, and its doors, with gold; and engraved cherubim on the walls....
Beams (28 Occurrences)
... 2 Chronicles 3:7 He overlaid also the house, the beams, thethresholds, and its
walls, and its doors, with gold; and engraved cherubim on the walls....
Windows (27 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 41:16 thethresholds, and the closed windows, and the galleries around on
their three stories, over against the threshold, with wood ceilings all around...
Gatekeepers (38 Occurrences)
... 1 Chronicles 9:22 All of those who are chosen for gatekeepers at thethresholds
'are' two hundred and twelve; they 'are' in their villages, by their genealogy...
Doorkeeper (8 Occurrences)
... Their duties and the words describing them in two passages, "keepers of thethresholds"
(1 Chronicles 9:19) and "porters of thethresholds" (2 Chronicles 23:4...
Porters (34 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV JPS ASV WBS). 1 Chronicles 9:22 All these who were chosen to be
porters in thethresholds were two hundred and twelve. These...
Asuppim (2 Occurrences)
... In Nehemiah 12:25 the Authorized Version has "thresholds," marg. "treasuries" or
"assemblies;" Revised Version, "storehouses.". Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia...
Pelican (5 Occurrences)
... both the pelican and the porcupine shall lodge in the capitals thereof; their voice
shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in thethresholds: for he...
Bittern (4 Occurrences)
... both the pelican and the porcupine shall lodge in the capitals thereof; their voice
shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in thethresholds: for he...
Resources
Who is really “playing God”'the doctor who euthanizes a dying patient, or the doctor who extends the life of a terminally ill patient? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the hierarchy of angels? | GotQuestions.orgWhat are seraphim? Are seraphs angels? | GotQuestions.orgBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
Bible Thesuarus
