13Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad the road leading away into ruin — and many are those going in through it. [7:14] For narrow is the gate and constricted the road leading toward life — and few are those finding it.
MAT 7:13-14
The Narrow Gate
In the world it was spoken into
In the 1st-century Mediterranean world, gates and roads were not just physical structures but symbols of communal identity and moral choice. Cities were often surrounded by walls with multiple gates, each leading to different destinations and representing different ways of life. The 'wide gate' and 'broad way' would evoke images of the bustling, well-traveled roads leading to major cities like Rome or Jerusalem—paths associated with ease, conformity, and societal approval. These roads were crowded with travelers, merchants, and pilgrims, symbolizing the majority’s way of life. In contrast, the 'narrow gate' and 'compressed way' would bring to mind lesser-used, difficult paths, often associated with hardship, isolation, and moral rigor. The term 'destruction' carried connotations of ruin or perdition, while 'life' referred to a divine, eternal quality of existence. For Jesus’ listeners, this imagery would resonate with Jewish teachings about the 'two ways'—one leading to life, the other to death—found in texts like Deuteronomy 30:15-20 and echoed in early Jewish wisdom literature.
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How other translations render this
MAT 7:13
- KJV
- Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
- BSB
- Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
- Koinōnos
- Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad the road leading away into ruin — and many are those going in through it.
MAT 7:14
- KJV
- Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
- BSB
- But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.
- Koinōnos
- For narrow is the gate and constricted the road leading toward life — and few are those finding it.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Translator's notes
MAT 7:13
- destruction,:The word translated 'destruction' here refers to utter ruin or perdition, implying a complete and irreversible loss of well-being or existence.
MAT 7:14
- compressed:The word translated 'compressed' or 'narrow' literally means to be pressed, afflicted, or constricted, suggesting a path that is difficult and tight, not merely small.
- life,:The word translated 'life' here refers to existence in its fullest sense, often implying spiritual or eternal life, not just biological existence.
- finding:The word translated 'finding' implies discovering something after a search or effort, suggesting that this 'finding' is not accidental but a result of seeking.