In biblical times, locks were essential for securing homes, gates, and treasures, reflecting the need for protection and privacy in ancient societies. The concept of a lock, both literal and metaphorical, appears in various contexts throughout the Scriptures, symbolizing security, secrecy, and divine protection.

Physical Locks:

Locks in the ancient Near East were typically made of wood or metal and operated with keys. These locks were used to secure doors and gates, providing safety from intruders and wild animals. The Bible references locks in several passages, illustrating their practical use in daily life.

In the Song of Solomon, the beloved describes her garden as "locked," symbolizing purity and exclusivity: "A garden locked is my sister, my bride, a spring enclosed, a fountain sealed" (Song of Solomon 4:12). This imagery highlights the protective and sacred nature of the beloved's love and virtue.

Metaphorical Locks:

Locks also serve as metaphors for spiritual truths and divine mysteries. In the New Testament, Jesus uses the imagery of keys and locks to convey authority and access to the kingdom of heaven. In Matthew 16:19, Jesus tells Peter, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" . Here, the "keys" symbolize the authority to unlock spiritual truths and bind or loose teachings and practices within the church.

The concept of a locked door is also used to illustrate the importance of readiness and vigilance. In the parable of the ten virgins, Jesus warns of the consequences of being unprepared for His return: "Later, the other virgins arrived and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you’" (Matthew 25:11-12). The locked door signifies the finality of judgment and the necessity of spiritual preparedness.

Divine Protection:

Locks can also symbolize God's protection over His people. In Revelation 3:7, Jesus is described as the one "who holds the key of David. What He opens, no one will shut; and what He shuts, no one will open" . This passage emphasizes Christ's sovereign authority and His ability to protect and secure His followers, granting them access to eternal life while shutting out evil.

In summary, the concept of a lock in the Bible serves as a powerful symbol of security, authority, and divine protection. Whether used in a literal or metaphorical sense, locks remind believers of the importance of safeguarding their spiritual lives and trusting in God's sovereign care.Lock

Where European locks have not been introduced, the locks of eastern houses are usually of wood, and consist of a partly hollow bolt from fourteen inches to two feet long for external doors or gates, or from seven to nine inches for interior doors. The bold passes through a groove in a piece attached to the door into a socket in the door-post.

The Hebrews usually secured their doors by bars of wood or iron (Isaiah 45:2; 1 Kings 4:3). These were the locks originally used, and were opened and shut by large keys applied through an opening in the outside (Judges 3:24). (see KEY.)

Lock of hair (Judges 16:13, 19; Ezek. 8:3; Numbers 6:5, etc.).

1. (n.) A tuft of hair; a flock or small quantity of wool, hay, or other like substance; a tress or ringlet of hair.

2. (n.) Anything that fastens; specifically, a fastening, as for a door, a lid, a trunk, a drawer, and the like, in which a bolt is moved by a key so as to hold or to release the thing fastened.

3. (n.) A fastening together or interlacing; a closing of one thing upon another; a state of being fixed or immovable.

4. (n.) A place from which egress is prevented, as by a lock.

5. (n.) The barrier or works which confine the water of a stream or canal.

6. (n.) An enclosure in a canal with gates at each end, used in raising or lowering boats as they pass from one level to another; -- called also lift lock.

7. (n.) That part or apparatus of a firearm by which the charge is exploded; as, a matchlock, flintlock, percussion lock, etc.

8. (n.) A device for keeping a wheel from turning.

9. (n.) A grapple in wrestling.

10. (v. t.) To fasten with a lock, or as with a lock; to make fast; to prevent free movement of; as, to lock a door, a carriage wheel, a river, etc.

11. (v. t.) To prevent ingress or access to, or exit from, by fastening the lock or locks of; -- often with up; as, to lock or lock up, a house, jail, room, trunk. etc.

12. (v. t.) To fasten in or out, or to make secure by means of, or as with, locks; to confine, or to shut in or out -- often with up; as, to lock one's self in a room; to lock up the prisoners; to lock up one's silver; to lock intruders out of the house; to lock money into a vault; to lock a child in one's arms; to lock a secret in one's breast.

13. (v. t.) To link together; to clasp closely; as, to lock arms.

14. (v. t.) To furnish with locks; also, to raise or lower (a boat) in a lock.

15. (v. t.) To seize, as the sword arm of an antagonist, by turning the left arm around it, to disarm him.

16. (v. i.) To become fast, as by means of a lock or by interlacing; as, the door locks close.

2623. katakleio -- to shut up
... shut up, confine. Word Origin from kata and kleio Definition to shut up
NASB Word Usage lock (1), locked (1). shut up. From kata ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2623.htm - 6k

2807. kleis -- a key
... key. From kleio; a key (as shutting a lock), literally or figuratively -- key. see
GREEK kleio. (kleida) -- 1 Occurrence. (kleidas) -- 1 Occurrence. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2807.htm - 6k

6734. tsitsith -- a tassel, lock
... 6733, 6734. tsitsith. 6735 . a tassel, lock. Transliteration: tsitsith Phonetic
Spelling: (tsee-tseeth') Short Definition: tassel. ... fringe, lock. ...
/hebrew/6734.htm - 6k

5274. na'al -- to bar, bolt, lock
... 5273b, 5274. na'al. 5274a . to bar, bolt, lock. Transliteration: na'al Phonetic
Spelling: (naw-al') Short Definition: bolt. bolt, enclose, lock, shoe, shut ...
/hebrew/5274.htm - 5k

5274a. naal -- to bar, bolt, lock
... naal. 5274b . to bar, bolt, lock. Transliteration: naal Short Definition: locked. ...
root Definition to bar, bolt, lock NASB Word Usage lock (1), locked (5). ...
/hebrew/5274a.htm - 5k

7298b. rahat -- perhaps lock (of hair)
... 7298a, 7298b. rahat. 7299 . perhaps lock (of hair). Transliteration:
rahat Short Definition: tresses. Word Origin from an unused ...
/hebrew/7298b.htm - 5k

4514. manul -- a bolt
... Word Origin from naal Definition a bolt NASB Word Usage bolt (1), bolts (5). lock.
Or maniul {man-ool'}; from na'al; a bolt -- lock. see HEBREW na'al. ...
/hebrew/4514.htm - 6k

6977. qevutstsoth -- locks (of hair)
... lock. Feminine passive participle of quwts in its original sense; a forelock (as
shorn) -- lock. see HEBREW quwts. 6976, 6977. qevutstsoth. 6978 . ...
/hebrew/6977.htm - 6k

4253. machalaphah -- a plait (of hair)
... lock. From chalaph; a ringlet of hair (as gliding over each other) -- lock. see
HEBREW chalaph. 4252, 4253. machalaphah. 4254 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/4253.htm - 6k

6653. tsebathim -- bundles (of grain)
... handful. From an unused root apparently meaning to grip; a lock of stalks --
handful. 6652, 6653. tsebathim. 6654 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/6653.htm - 5k

Whether There are Two Keys or Only One?
... one. For one lock requires but one key. Now the lock for the removal of which
the keys of the Church are required, is sin. Therefore ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether there are two keys.htm

Spelling God.
... They fit easily and smoothly into every lock, the lock of your life, the lock of
any circumstance, any sore problem that may come up to baffle all your efforts ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on johns gospel/spelling god.htm

Early History of American Lutheranism.
... Returning to Sweden in 1648, Campanius left about 200 souls in the charge of
Lars Lock (Lockenius), who served them until his end, in 1688. ...
/.../bente/american lutheranism/early history of american lutheranism.htm

What the Big Chest Contained
... I wonder if we couldn't manage in some way to break the lock. ... But we'll
have to get busy and think out a way to break that lock. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/byrum/how john became a man/chapter iii what the big.htm

Our Last ChapterConcluded with the Words, "For Childhood and Youth ...
... The remedy must be as real as the disease, or it avails nothing. No phantom key
may loosen so hard-closed a lock as this: it must be real, and be made for it. ...
/.../jennings/old groans and new songs/chapter xii our last chapter.htm

Man's Inability to Keep the Moral Law
... As the key is suited to all the wards in the lock, and can open them, so Adam
had a power suited to all God's commands, and could obey them. ...
/.../watson/the ten commandments/3 1 mans inability to keep.htm

Perfection in Faith
... I should happen to find out any word that should seem to be the key to this verse,
I would then under the Spirit's guidance, seek to open this lock and mystery ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/perfection in faith.htm

Whether a Priest Can Use the Key which He Has, on any Man?
... Objection 2: Further, a material key that opens one lock, opens all locks of the
same pattern. ... Reply to Objection 2: A material key can open only its own lock. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether a priest can use.htm

The Disciple, -- Master, what are Heaven and Hell...
... 6. Sinners in order to increase their pleasures steal the good things of others,
and that is why men, good as well as bad, lock up their houses when they go ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/singh/at the masters feet/section i the disciple 6.htm

Letter L
... Received 1777, Died 1836 * Livesey, Richard "Received 1834 * Livesey, William "Received
1830 * Lloyd, Watts B. "Received 1835 * Lock, George "Received ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/bangs/an alphabetical list of m e preachers/letter l.htm

Lock (6 Occurrences)
... (see KEY.). Lock of hair (Judges 16:13, 19; Ezek. 8:3; Numbers 6:5, etc.). ... 4.
(n.) A place from which egress is prevented, as by a lock. ...
/l/lock.htm - 11k

Key (8 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) An instrument by means of which the bolt of a lock is shot or drawn; usually,
a removable metal instrument fitted to the mechanism of a particular lock...
/k/key.htm - 14k

Located (5 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 8:3 And He putteth forth a form of a hand, and taketh me by a lock of my
head, and lift me up doth a spirit between the earth and the heavens, and it ...
/l/located.htm - 8k

Locked (19 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (imp. & pp) of Lock. Multi-Version Concordance
Locked (19 Occurrences). Luke 3:20 added this also to them ...
/l/locked.htm - 11k

Gate (248 Occurrences)
... or of exit. 3. (n.) A door, valve, or other device, for stopping the passage
of water through a dam, lock, pipe, etc. 4. (n.) The ...
/g/gate.htm - 63k

Ward (27 Occurrences)
... 11. (n.) A projecting ridge of metal in the interior of a lock, to prevent the use
of any key which has not a corresponding notch for passing it. 12. ...
/w/ward.htm - 19k

Door (249 Occurrences)
... It turned on pivots (the "hinges" of Proverbs 26:14) working in sockets above and
below, and was provided with a bolt (2 Samuel 13:17) or with lock and key ...
/d/door.htm - 40k

Stump (7 Occurrences)
... 6. (n.) A pin in a tumbler lock which forms an obstruction to throwing the bolt,
except when the gates of the tumblers are properly arranged, as by the key; a ...
/s/stump.htm - 10k

House (20110 Occurrences)
... STONE-BUILT AND MUD/bRICK-BUILT HOUSES 1. Details of Plan and Construction (1)
Corner-Stone (2) Floor (3) Gutter (4) Door (5) Hinge (6) Lock and Key (7 ...
/h/house.htm - 39k

Knob (4 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) A knoblike ornament or handle; as, the knob of a lock, door, or drawer.
3. (n.) A rounded hill or mountain; as, the Pilot Knob. 4. (n.) See Knop. ...
/k/knob.htm - 8k

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