Topical Bible: Gates: Bodies of Criminals Exposed to View At

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In ancient Israelite society, city gates held significant importance not only as points of entry and exit but also as central locations for legal and social activities. The gates served as places where justice was administered, transactions were conducted, and community gatherings took place. One of the more somber functions of the city gates was the exposure of the bodies of executed criminals, serving as a public deterrent against crime and a demonstration of the consequences of violating the law.

The practice of exposing the bodies of criminals at the gates is rooted in the cultural and legal traditions of the Israelites, as outlined in the Old Testament. This practice was intended to uphold the sanctity of the law and to instill a sense of fear and respect for divine commandments among the people. The public display of executed criminals served as a stark reminder of the seriousness with which the community regarded offenses against God's law.

In Deuteronomy 21:22-23 , the law provides specific instructions regarding the handling of executed criminals: "If a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is executed, and you hang his body on a tree, you must not leave the body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse. You must not defile the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance." This passage underscores the importance of maintaining the purity of the land while also ensuring that justice is visibly served.

The gates, therefore, became a place where the community could witness the consequences of sin and the enforcement of divine justice. The exposure of bodies at the gates was not merely a punitive measure but also a didactic one, teaching the community about the gravity of sin and the necessity of adhering to God's commandments.

The practice of exposing bodies at the gates also reflects the broader biblical theme of justice and retribution. In Proverbs 24:7 , the gates are depicted as places of wisdom and judgment: "Wisdom is too high for a fool; he does not open his mouth in the gate." This highlights the role of the gates as centers of legal and moral authority, where the community's values and laws were upheld.

Throughout the biblical narrative, the gates serve as a symbol of the community's commitment to justice and righteousness. The exposure of criminals' bodies at the gates was a tangible expression of this commitment, reinforcing the idea that sin has consequences and that the community must remain vigilant in upholding God's law.

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2 Kings 10:8
And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Lay you them in two heaps at the entering in of the gate until the morning.
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Library

The Reaction against Egypt
... of the taxpayer, took money from the criminals for protecting ... the last day of each
month the gates of his ... under the right, so as to leave the latter exposed. ...
/.../chapter iithe reaction against egypt.htm

How Christ Performed the Office of Redeemer in Procuring Our ...
... the formal sentence of the judge, ranked among criminals, and yet ... in the Psalms
"He hath broken the gates of brass ... he would have been a Redeemer of bodies only. ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 16 how christ performed.htm

Of the Incapacity of an Unregenerate Person for Relishing the ...
... you cannot but know that when your bodies are dead ... shut; (Matthew 25:10;) the
everlasting gates are shut ... God has prepared for those unhappy criminals, who are ...
/.../practical discourses on regeneration/discourse v of the incapacity.htm

Syria at the Beginning of the Egyptian Conquest
... merely a convict prison, where ordinary criminals, condemned to ... bridges were raised
and the gates closed, the ... known to caravans, but armed bodies had rarely ...
/.../chapter iisyria at the beginning.htm

The First Apology of Justin, the Martyr
... have been arrested and convicted as criminals." Many at ... that it is possible for human
bodies, dissolved and ... This was spoken: "Lift up the gates of heaven, be ...
/.../richardson/early christian fathers/the first apology of justin.htm

Chaldaean Civilization
... would have time to close his gates, and take ... a rampart round him with their bodies,
and carried ... creditors of their liberty, and criminals judicially condemned. ...
/.../chapter iiichaldaean civilization.htm

Conclusion --Repent Ye, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand.
... Toula, I saw once again at the gates of the ... is the basest, falsest lie, by which
not bodies only, but ... the shape of war and the execution of criminals is allowed ...
/.../the kingdom of god is within you/chapter xii conclusionrepent ye for.htm

[Endnotes]
... ip50, Edit. Coloniae, 1682; compared with Greswell's "Dissertations," ii.[p.7.
[43:4] Genesis 10:32. [44:1] The following tabular view of the names of the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/killen/the ancient church/endnotes.htm

Memoir of John Bunyan
... the mode in which plunder taken from the bodies of the ... some of them betrayed one
of the gates; the women ... another, arrive eventually at so clear a view both of ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/memoir of john bunyan.htm