Teks -- Matthew 7:13 (NET)

The Narrow Gate

7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.

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Robertson: Mat 7:13 - By the narrow gate

By the narrow gate ( dia tēs stenēs pulēs ).

The Authorized Version "at the strait gate"misled those who did not distinguish between "strait"and "straight."The figure of the Two Ways had a wide circulation in Jewish and Christian writings (cf. Deu 30:19; Jer 21:8; Psa 1:1-6). See the Didache i-vi; Barnabas xviii-xx. "The narrow gate"is repeated in Mat 7:14 and

Robertson: Mat 7:13 - straitened the way

straitened the way ( tethlimmenē hē hodos )

added. The way is "compressed,"narrowed as in a defile between high rocks, a tight place like stenochōria in Rom 8:35. "The way that leads to life involves straits and afflictions"(McNeile). Vincent quotes the Pinax or Tablet of Cebes, a contemporary of Socrates: "Seest thou not, then, a little door, and a way before the door, which is not much crowded, but very few travel it? This is the way that leadeth unto true culture.""The broad way"(euruchōros ) is in every city, town, village, with the glaring white lights that lure to destruction.

Vincent: Mat 7:13 - Strait gate

Strait gate ( στενῆς πύλης )

Rev., narrow. A remarkable parallel to this passage occurs in the " Pinax" or " Tablet" of Cebes, a writer contemporary with Socrates. In this, human life, with its dangers and temptations, is symbolically represented as on a tablet. The passage is as follows: " Seest thou not, then, a little door, and a way before the door, which is not much crowded, but very few travel it? This is the way which leadeth into true culture."

Vincent: Mat 7:13 - Leadeth

Leadeth ( ἀπάγουσα )

Lit., leadeth away, from death, or, perhaps, from the broad road. Note that the gate is not at the end, but at the beginning of the road.

Wesley: Mat 7:13 - The strait gate

The holiness described in the foregoing chapters. And this is the narrow way. Wide is the gate, and many there are that go in through it - They need not seek for this; they come to it of course. Many go in through it, because strait is the other gate - Therefore they do not care for it; they like a wider gate. Luk 13:24.

JFB: Mat 7:13 - Enter ye in at the strait gate

As if hardly wide enough to admit one at all. This expresses the difficulty of the first right step in religion, involving, as it does, a triumph over all our natural inclinations. Hence the still stronger expression in Luke (Luk 13:24), "Strive to enter in at the strait gate."

JFB: Mat 7:13 - for wide is the gate

Easily entered.

JFB: Mat 7:13 - and broad is the way

Easily trodden.

JFB: Mat 7:13 - that leadeth to destruction, and

Thus lured "many there be which go in thereat."

Calvin: Mat 7:13 - NO PHRASE

13.=== Enter === in by the strait gate As nothing is more opposed to the flesh than the doctrine of Christ, no man will ever make great proficiency in it who has not learned to confine his senses and feelings, so as to keep them within those boundaries, which our heavenly Teacher prescribes for curbing our wantonness. As men willingly flatter themselves, and live in gaiety and dissipation, Christ here reminds his disciples, that they must prepare to walk, as it were, along a narrow and thorny road But as it is difficult to restrain our desires from wicked licentiousness and disorder, he soothes this bitterness by a joyful remuneration, when he tells us, that the narrow gate, and the narrow road, lead to life Lest we should be captivated, on the other hand, by the allurements of a licentious and dissolute life, and wander as the lust of the flesh draws us, ⁴⁶⁹ he declares that they rush headlong to death, who choose to walk along the broad road, and through the wide gate, instead of keeping by the strait gate, and narrow way, which lead to life

He expressly says, that many run along the broad road: because men ruin each other by wicked examples. ⁴⁷⁰ For whence does it arise, that each of them knowingly and wilfully rushes headlong, but because, while they are ruined in the midst of a vast crowd, they do not believe that they are ruined? The small number of believers, on the other hand, renders many persons careless. It is with difficulty that we are brought to renounce the world, and to regulate ourselves and our life by the manners of a few. We think it strange that we should be forcibly separated from the vast majority, as if we were not a part of the human race. But though the doctrine of Christ confines and hems us in, reduces our life to a narrow road, separates us from the crowd, and unites us to a few companions, yet this harshness ought not to prevent us from striving to obtain life.

It is sufficiently evident from Luke’s Gospel, that the instruction, which we are now considering, was uttered by Christ at a different time from that on which he delivered the paradoxes, ⁴⁷¹ which we have formerly examined, about a happy life, (Mat 5:3,) and laid down to them the rule of prayer. And this is what I have repeatedly hinted, that the instructions which are related by the other Evangelists, at different times, according to the order of the history, were here collected by Matthew into one summary, that he might bring more fully under our view the manner in which Christ taught his disciples. I have therefore thought it best to introduce here the whole passage from Luke, which corresponds to this sentence. While I have been careful to inform my readers, as to the order of time which is observed by Luke, they will forgive me, I hope, for not being more exact ⁴⁷² than Matthew in the arrangement of the doctrine.

TSK: Mat 7:13 - at // for // that

at : Mat 3:2, Mat 3:8, Mat 18:2, Mat 18:3, Mat 23:13; Pro 9:6; Isa 55:7; Eze 18:27-32; Luk 9:33, Luk 13:24; Luk 13:25, Luk 14:33; Joh 10:9, Joh 14:6; Act 2:38-40, Act 3:19; 2Co 6:17; Gal 5:24

for : Gen 6:5, Gen 6:12; Psa 14:2, Psa 14:3; Isa 1:9; Rom 3:9-19; 2Co 4:4; Eph 2:2, Eph 2:3; 1Jo 5:19; Rev 12:9, Rev 13:8, Rev 20:3

that : Mat 25:41, Mat 25:46; Pro 7:27, Pro 16:25; Rom 9:22; Phi 3:19; 2Th 1:8, 2Th 1:9; 1Pe 4:17, 1Pe 4:18; Rev 20:15

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Poole: Mat 7:13-14 - narrow way // gate

Ver. 13,14. Our Saviour having in this sermon delivered many hard sayings to flesh and blood, here obviates a twofold temptation they might have to the neglect of them:

1. From their difficulty.

2. From the paucity of them who live according to these rules.

He here compares heaven to a house, a stately house, into which a

strait gate leadeth to a city, the way to which is a

narrow way There is nothing more ordinary in holy writ, than to call a common course of men’ s actions a way. It is also compared to a

gate The sum of what our Saviour here saith is this: There are but two ultimate ends of all men, eternal destruction and eternal life. The course that leadeth to destruction is like a broad way that is obvious to all, and many walk in that. That course of life and actions which will bring a man to heaven is strait, unpleasing to flesh and blood, not at all gratifying men’ s sensitive appetites, and narrow, (the Greek is, afflicted), a way wherein men will meet with many crosses and temptations; and there are but a few will find it. You must not therefore wonder if my precepts be hard to your carnal apprehensions, nor be scandalized though you see but few going in the right road to the kingdom of heaven.

Lightfoot: Mat 7:13 - Broad is the way

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:   

[Broad is the way.] In these words, concerning the broad and narrow way, our Saviour seems to allude to the rules of the Jews among their lawyers concerning the public and private ways. With whom, "a private way was four cubits in breadth; a public way was sixteen cubits." See the Gloss in Peah.

Haydock: Mat 7:13 - Enter ye in at the narrow gate

Enter ye in at the narrow gate, &c. The doctrine of these two verses needs no commentary, but deserve serious attention. (Witham)

Gill: Mat 7:13 - 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

Enter ye in at the strait gate,.... By the "strait gate" is meant Christ himself; who elsewhere calls himself "the door", Joh 10:7 as he is into the church below, and into all the ordinances and privileges of it; as also to the Father, by whom we have access unto him, and are let into communion with him, and a participation of all the blessings of grace; yea, he is the gate of heaven, through which we have boldness to enter into the holiest of all by faith and hope now; as there will be hereafter an abundant entrance into the kingdom and glory of God, through his blood and righteousness. This is called "strait"; because faith in Christ, a profession of it, and a life and conversation agreeable to it, are attended with many afflictions, temptations, reproaches, and persecutions. "Entering" in at it is by faith, and making a profession of it: hence it follows, that faith is not the gate itself, but the grace, by which men enter in at the right door, and walk on in Christ, as they begin with him.

For wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction; so that the one may be easily known from the other. There is no difficulty in finding out, or entering in at, or walking in the way of sin, which leads to eternal ruin. The gate of carnal lusts, and worldly pleasures, stands wide open,

and many there be which go in thereat; even all men in a state of nature; the way of the ungodly is "broad", smooth, easy, and every way agreeable to the flesh; it takes in a large compass of vices, and has in it abundance of company; but its end is destruction. Our Lord seems to allude to the private and public roads, whose measures are fixed by the Jewish canons; which say ^p, that

"a private way was four cubits broad, a way from city to city eight cubits, a public way sixteen cubits, and the way to the cities of refuge thirty two cubits.''