FiguratiVe. (i) Gates arc put figura tively for public places of towns and palaces. (2) The gates of a town arc also put instead of the town itself (Gen. xxii:i7; xxiv:6o; Deut. xii: 12; Ps. Ixxxvii:2). (3) Gates of Brass, and bars of iron, import strong help and fall protection; or impediments apparently insurmountable (Ps. cxlvii :13, and cvii :16). (4) The gates of death and of hell occur in Job. xxxviii :17 ; Ps. ix :i4 Micah. ii:13. Doors and gates of hell are chiefly introduced (Prov. v:5; Is. xxxviii :to; Matt. xvi: z9) ; and the Jews go so far in their writings as to ascribe real gates to hell (Wagenseil, So1a, p. 22o). Virgil GEn. vi. 126) also speaks of infer nal gates. The origin of this metaphorical ex pression is not difficult to explain ; for it was very common to use the word gates as an image of large empires (Ps. xxiv :7 ; and in pagan authors the abode of departed souls is represented as the residence of Pluto (see N'irgil, /En. vi. 417, sq.). In the passage, then, Matt. xvi :19, by 'gates of hell' must be understood all aggressions by the infernal empire upon the Christian church. (5) The gates of the river may be the bridges on it (Nah. :6).
GATH (gItla),(Heb. ris% gath, a wine fat).
It was one of the five princely cities of the Philistines, of which mention is made in Josh. xiii:3. It was one of the cities upon which the ark is said to have brought calamity (I Sam. v: 8, 9), and which offered in connection therewith a trespass-offering, each one a golden emcrod (I Sam. vi:17). Goliath, of the family of giants which Joshua spared (Josh. xi:22), of which oth er members may be found mentioned in Scripture (i Chron. xx:5-8; 2 Sam. xxi :19-22), has ren dered Gath a word familiar from our childhood; but it is not certain whether Goliath was a native or merely a resident of Gath (I Sam. xvii:4)• To Achish, king of Gath, David fled for fear of Saul (I Sam. xxi :to; xxvii :2-7 ; Ps. lvi). At his
own entreaty David received from Achish the city of Ziklag. David dwelt in the country of the Phil istines 'a full year and four months.' It was con quered by David, and fortified both by him and by Rehoboam (2 Sam. viii:t ; Chron. xviii :1; 2 Chron. xi:8). From 2 Sam. xv :18, it appears that David had a band (600 men) of Gittites in his service at the time of the rebellion of Absalom. Their devotedness to him under Ittai their leader forms a beautiful episode in the history of David's varied fortune (2 Sam. xv :19, sq.) Shimei's visit to Gath and its fatal consequences to himself may be read in 1 Kings ii :39-46. In the reign of Solomon mention is made of a king of Gath (1 Kings iv:24), who was doubtless a tributary prince. but powerful enough to cause apprehension to Solomon, as appears from the punishment he inflicted on Shimci. Under Jehoash, Hanel, king of Syria, took Gath (2 Kings xii:I7) ; from his successor, Benhadad, the place was recovered (2 Kings xiii :24). It must, however, have soon re volted; for Uzzialt (2 Chron. xxvi :6), finding it necessary to war against the Philistines, 'broke down the wall of Gath.' Probably the conquest was not of long duration. This constant with standing of the power of Jerusalem shows that Gath was a place of great resources and high eminence—a conclusion which is confirmed by the language employed by the prophets (Amos vi: 2 ; Micah i :to). 'Gath,' says Jerome (on Micah i), 'is one of the five Philistine cities lying near the confines of Judah, on the road from Eleuther opolis to Gaza;_now it is a very large village.' On Jer. xxv the same authority declares that Gath was not far from Azotus. (Reland, Palest. p. 785, sq.; Porter, Handbook, p. 252; Thomson, Land and Book, ii. 36o.)