The term "tent-door" refers to the entrance of a tent, a portable dwelling commonly used by the nomadic peoples of the ancient Near East, including the patriarchs of Israel. The tent-door holds significant cultural and theological importance in the biblical narrative, serving as a place of hospitality, divine encounter, and familial interaction.

Biblical References:

1. Hospitality and Social Interaction:
The tent-door is often depicted as a place of hospitality and social interaction. In Genesis 18:1-2 , we read about Abraham sitting at the entrance of his tent during the heat of the day when he sees three men standing nearby. "And the LORD appeared to Abraham by the Oaks of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. And Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground." This passage highlights the tent-door as a place where Abraham extends hospitality to his divine visitors, an act that is deeply rooted in the cultural norms of the time.

2. Divine Encounter:
The tent-door is also a site of divine encounter and revelation. In Genesis 18:9-10 , the LORD speaks to Abraham and Sarah from the tent-door, promising the birth of Isaac. "‘Where is your wife Sarah?’ they asked. ‘There, in the tent,’ he replied. Then the LORD said, ‘I will surely return to you at this time next year, and your wife Sarah will have a son.’ Now Sarah was behind him, listening at the entrance of the tent." This moment underscores the tent-door as a threshold between the human and the divine, where God's promises are communicated.

3. Family and Domestic Life:
The tent-door also serves as a setting for family and domestic life. In Genesis 24:67 , Isaac brings Rebekah into his mother Sarah's tent, signifying the continuation of the family line and the establishment of a new household. "And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah and took Rebekah as his wife. Isaac loved her and was comforted after his mother’s death." The tent-door here symbolizes the transition and continuity of family heritage.

4. Symbol of Protection and Provision:
The tent-door can also be seen as a symbol of protection and provision. In the nomadic lifestyle, the tent provided shelter from the elements and a sense of security. The tent-door, therefore, represents the threshold of this protective space, where the head of the household would often sit to guard and oversee the activities within and outside the tent.

Cultural and Theological Significance:

In the biblical context, the tent-door is more than just a physical entrance; it is a place of significant cultural and theological interaction. It serves as a meeting point between the divine and human realms, a place of hospitality and welcome, and a symbol of family continuity and protection. The narratives involving the tent-door reflect the values of community, faith, and divine promise that are central to the biblical account.

Isaac the Shepherd Prince.
... "The Lord shall send His angel before thee," and from his tent door he saw the little
caravan of camels and servants, as they set out across the plain, toward ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter iv isaac the shepherd.htm

God who Appeared to Moses is Distinguished from God the Father.
... whom we believe to be Maker and Father of all things; for he speaks thus: God appeared
to him under the oak in Mamre, as he sat at his tent-door at noontide. ...
/.../chapter lvi god who appeared to.htm

The Day of Atonement
... The white-robed priest took a censer of burning embers from the altar before the
tent-door, and two hands full of incense, and, thus laden, passed into the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the day of atonement.htm

The Child Samuel.
... woman. With bowed head and falling tears she went out at the tent door, leaving
behind her the greatest treasure of her life. Before ...
/.../anonymous/children of the old testament/the child samuel.htm

The Secret Walk with God (ii).
... It were better to be sick in a tent under a burning sun, and Jesus sitting at the
tent door, than to be enchanting a thousand listeners where Jesus was not. ...
/.../moule/to my younger brethren/chapter ii the secret walk.htm

The Marvels of Holy Scripture, --Moral and Physical. --Jael's Deed ...
... What if a company of Jabin's host should come up to the tent-door, the
instant she had done the deed, and inquire after Sisera? ...
/.../burgon/inspiration and interpretation/sermon vii the marvels of.htm

For the Sake of a Nation.
... There was the Red Sea, and fresh food daily delivered at every man's tent door,
and game, juicy birds, brought down within arms' reach, yes, and"surely this ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on prayer/for the sake of a.htm

Scenes in the Lives of the Patriarchs.
... When, in the pastimes of childhood, he played before the tent door, or, with a shout
of gladness, ran to meet Abraham returning from the folds, her calm and ...
/.../headley/half hours in bible lands volume 2/scenes in the lives of.htm

What God is to Us.
... the Lord will separate from the unholy congregation, and follow the tabernacle,
and this affects the whole people much, that they all worship in the tent door. ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/lecture ix what god is.htm

Of the Three Men or Angels, in whom the Lord is Related to have ...
... the Lord in the singular, as it is written, "And, lo, three men stood by him: and,
when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent-door, and worshipped ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 29 of the three men.htm

Tent-door (6 Occurrences)
Tent-door. Tent-curtain, Tent-door. Tent-dwelling . Multi-Version
Concordance Tent-door (6 Occurrences). Genesis 18:1 ...
/t/tent-door.htm - 8k

Entrance (190 Occurrences)
... (WEY). Genesis 18:1 And the LORD appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre,
as he sat in the tentdoor in the heat of the day; (See NIV). ...
/e/entrance.htm - 37k

Door (249 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV). Genesis 18:1 Yahweh appeared to him by
the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tentdoor in the heat of the day. ...
/d/door.htm - 40k

Tent (333 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). Genesis 18:1 Yahweh appeared to him
by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tentdoor in the heat of the day. ...
/t/tent.htm - 48k

Arise (235 Occurrences)
... Exodus 33:8 It happened that when Moses went out to the Tent, that all the people
rose up, and stood, everyone at their tentdoor, and watched Moses, until he ...
/a/arise.htm - 37k

Nearby (14 Occurrences)
... stood opposite him. When he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent
door, and bowed himself to the earth, (See NIV). Genesis 21 ...
/n/nearby.htm - 10k

Oaks (14 Occurrences)
... (WEB ASV DBY YLT NAS RSV). Genesis 18:1 Yahweh appeared to him by the oaks
of Mamre, as he sat in the tentdoor in the heat of the day. ...
/o/oaks.htm - 10k

Watched (50 Occurrences)
... Exodus 33:8 It happened that when Moses went out to the Tent, that all the people
rose up, and stood, everyone at their tentdoor, and watched Moses, until he ...
/w/watched.htm - 21k

Terebinths (12 Occurrences)
... (See JPS). Genesis 18:1 And Jehovah appeared unto him by the oaks of Mamre,
as he sat in the tentdoor in the heat of the day; (See JPS). ...
/t/terebinths.htm - 10k

Tent-dwelling (1 Occurrence)
Tent-dwelling. Tent-door, Tent-dwelling. Tenteth . Multi-Version Concordance ...
(DBY RSV NIV). Tent-door, Tent-dwelling. Tenteth . Reference Bible.
/t/tent-dwelling.htm - 6k

Who was Sisera in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

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