Topical Bible: Doorkeepers

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Topical Encyclopedia

In biblical times, the role of a doorkeeper was both practical and symbolic, serving as a guardian of sacred spaces and a facilitator of worship. The term "doorkeeper" is often associated with the Levites, who were assigned various duties in the service of the Tabernacle and later the Temple in Jerusalem.

Old Testament Context

The role of the doorkeeper is first mentioned in the context of the Tabernacle, where the Levites were appointed to assist the priests and manage the logistics of worship. In 1 Chronicles 9:19, we read about the Korahites, a family of Levites, who were "keepers of the thresholds of the tent" and had the responsibility of guarding the entrances. This role was crucial in maintaining the sanctity and order of the worship space.

The significance of the doorkeeper is further highlighted in Psalm 84:10, where the psalmist declares, "For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked." This verse underscores the honor and privilege associated with serving in the house of the Lord, even in a seemingly humble capacity.

New Testament Context

While the specific term "doorkeeper" is not frequently used in the New Testament, the concept of guarding and serving in the house of God continues. In the parable of the watchful servants in Mark 13:34, Jesus speaks of a man going on a journey who leaves his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and commands the doorkeeper to stay alert. This parable emphasizes vigilance and readiness, qualities essential for those entrusted with the care of God's house.

Symbolic and Spiritual Significance

The role of the doorkeeper carries a deeper spiritual symbolism, representing the call to guard one's heart and life against spiritual threats. Proverbs 4:23 advises, "Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life." In this sense, every believer is called to be a doorkeeper, vigilant in maintaining the purity and sanctity of their spiritual life.

Furthermore, the doorkeeper's role can be seen as a metaphor for the responsibility of church leaders and members to protect the integrity of the church community. In John 10:3, Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd, and the gatekeeper opens the gate for Him. This imagery highlights the importance of discernment and faithfulness in welcoming Christ and His teachings into the community.

Conclusion

The role of the doorkeeper, while often overlooked, is a vital aspect of biblical worship and community life. It serves as a reminder of the importance of vigilance, service, and dedication in the life of faith. Whether in the literal sense of guarding the physical space of worship or the spiritual sense of guarding one's heart, the doorkeeper's role is a noble and essential calling in the biblical narrative.

Strong's Hebrew

8652. tara -- doorkeeper
... 8651, 8652. tara. 8653 . doorkeeper. Transliteration: tara Phonetic Spelling:
(taw-raw') Short Definition: doorkeepers. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/8652.htm - 6k

5592b. saph -- threshold, sill
... Word Origin from the same as saph Definition threshold, sill NASB Word Usage door
(1), doorkeeper* (1), doorkeepers* (4), gatekeepers* (1), temple (2 ...
/hebrew/5592b.htm - 5k

8104. shamar -- to keep, watch, preserve
... to keep (1), cares (1), charge (4), confine (1), confined (1), defending (1), did
(1), diligently keep (1), doorkeeper* (1), doorkeepers* (4), gatekeepers* (1 ...
/hebrew/8104.htm - 7k

Library

Next to the Remarks of Celsus on which we have Already Commented.. ...
... the impostors and jugglers, leading men away to idols and phantoms;" and it is they
who with miserable pains learn off the names of the heavenly doorkeepers. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/origen/origen against celsus/chapter xl next to the.htm

Whether Priests Alone have the Keys?
... vii, 12) that the "doorkeepers have to tell the good from the bad, so as to admit
the good and keep out the bad." Now this is the definition of the keys, as ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether priests alone have the.htm

The Young Josiah and the Book of the Law
... to Hilkiah, the chief priest, and see that, when he has taken the money that is
brought into the temple of Jehovah and that which the doorkeepers have gathered ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/the young josiah and the.htm

Salutations.
... My soul be in place of his. I salute the sub-deacons, the readers, the singers,
the doorkeepers, the labourers, [1259] the exorcists, the confessors. ...
/.../ignatius/the epistle of ignatius to the antiochians/chapter xii salutations.htm

A Lesson in Courtesy
... building. One day he overheard a stranger ask one of the other doorkeepers
for help in finding one of the senators from California. ...
/.../chidley/fifty-two story talks to boys and girls/a lesson in courtesy.htm

Church Government.
... the possession by devils which is spoken of in the New Testament; the "readers",
whose business it was to read the Scriptures in church; and the "doorkeepers". ...
/.../chapter xvii church government.htm

Justinian (Ad 527-565)
... church had sixty priests, a hundred deacons, forty deaconesses, ninety subdeacons,
a hundred and ten readers, five-and-twenty singers, and a hundred doorkeepers ...
/.../chapter xxvii justinian ad 527-565.htm

Sparrows and Altars
... The Psalmist was probably a member of the Levitical family of the Sons of Korah,
who were 'doorkeepers in the house of the Lord.' He knew what he was saying ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/sparrows and altars.htm

Of the State of the Primitive Church, and the Mode of Government ...
... 9. The Clerici, among whom were the Doorkeepers and Acolytes, were the names
given to exercises used as a kind of training for tyros. 10. ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 4 of the state.htm

The Sad Fate of a Guilty Nation
... The commander of the body-guard carried away Seraiah, the chief priest and Zephaniah,
the second priest, and the three doorkeepers and brought them to the king ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/the sad fate of a.htm

Thesaurus

Doorkeepers (37 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Doorkeepers (37 Occurrences). 2 Kings 22:4 Go up
to Hilkijah the high priest, that he may sum up the money ...
/d/doorkeepers.htm - 18k

O'bed-e'dom (14 Occurrences)
... and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah,
and Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, the doorkeepers...
/o/o'bed-e'dom.htm - 10k

Courses (28 Occurrences)
... (ASV JPS YLT). 1 Chronicles 26:1 For the courses of the doorkeepers: of the Korahites,
Meshelemiah the son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph. (ASV JPS YLT). ...
/c/courses.htm - 17k

Obed-edom (16 Occurrences)
... and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah,
and Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, the doorkeepers...
/o/obed-edom.htm - 15k

Korahites (7 Occurrences)
... resided not very far apart. The record speaks with some emphasis of a line
of Korahites doorkeepers. In the latest Old Testament ...
/k/korahites.htm - 20k

Divisions (92 Occurrences)
... (See NIV). 1 Chronicles 26:1 For the divisions of the doorkeepers: of the
Korahites, Meshelemiah the son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph. ...
/d/divisions.htm - 37k

Zechari'ah (51 Occurrences)
... and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah,
and Eliphalehu, and Mikneiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, the doorkeepers...
/z/zechari'ah.htm - 20k

Ko'rahites (6 Occurrences)
... 1 Chronicles 26:1 For the divisions of the doorkeepers: of the Korahites,
Meshelemiah the son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph. (See RSV). ...
/k/ko'rahites.htm - 8k

Teresh (2 Occurrences)
... Esther 2:21 In those days, while Mordecai was sitting in the king's gate, two of
the king's eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, who were doorkeepers, were angry, and ...
/t/teresh.htm - 8k

Eunuchs (33 Occurrences)
... Esther 2:21 In those days, while Mordecai was sitting in the king's gate, two of
the king's eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, who were doorkeepers, were angry, and ...
/e/eunuchs.htm - 17k

Resources

Who were the sons of Korah in the Old Testament? | GotQuestions.org

What is the role of ushers in the church? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Korah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus

Concordance

Doorkeepers (37 Occurrences)

2 Kings 22:4
Go up to Hilkijah the high priest, that he may sum up the money which is brought into the house of Jehovah, which the doorkeepers have gathered of the people,
(DBY NAS NIV)

2 Kings 23:4
And the king commanded Hilkijah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bring forth out of the temple of Jehovah all the vessels that had been made for Baal, and for the Asherah, and for all the host of the heavens; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them to Bethel.
(DBY NAS NIV)

2 Kings 25:18
And the captain of the body-guard took Seraiah the high priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers.
(DBY NIV)

1 Chronicles 9:17
And the doorkeepers: Shallum, and Akkub, and Talmon, and Ahiman, and their brethren; Shallum was the chief.
(DBY)

1 Chronicles 9:18
And they have been hitherto in the king's gate eastward: they were the doorkeepers in the camps of the children of Levi.
(DBY)

1 Chronicles 9:24
At the four quarters were the doorkeepers, toward the east, west, north, and south.
(DBY)

1 Chronicles 9:26
For in their trust these four were the chief doorkeepers: they were Levites; and they were over the chambers and over the treasuries of the house of God;
(DBY)

1 Chronicles 15:18
and with them their brothers of the second degree, Zechariah, Ben, and Jaaziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah, and Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, the doorkeepers.
(WEB JPS ASV DBY)

1 Chronicles 15:23
Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark.
(WEB KJV ASV DBY NIV)

1 Chronicles 15:24
Shebaniah, and Joshaphat, and Nethanel, and Amasai, and Zechariah, and Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, did blow the trumpets before the ark of God: and Obed-Edom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY NIV)

1 Chronicles 16:38
and Obed-Edom with their brothers, sixty-eight; Obed-Edom also the son of Jeduthun and Hosah to be doorkeepers;
(WEB ASV DBY)

1 Chronicles 23:5
and four thousand were doorkeepers; and four thousand praised Yahweh with the instruments which I made, said David, for giving praise.
(WEB JPS ASV DBY)

1 Chronicles 26:1
For the divisions of the doorkeepers: of the Korahites, Meshelemiah the son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph.
(WEB JPS ASV DBY)

1 Chronicles 26:12
Of these were the divisions of the doorkeepers, even of the chief men, having offices like their brothers, to minister in the house of Yahweh.
(WEB JPS ASV DBY)

1 Chronicles 26:19
These were the divisions of the doorkeepers; of the sons of the Korahites, and of the sons of Merari.
(WEB JPS ASV DBY)

2 Chronicles 8:14
He appointed, according to the ordinance of David his father, the divisions of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their offices, to praise, and to minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required; the doorkeepers also by their divisions at every gate: for so had David the man of God commanded.
(WEB JPS ASV DBY)

2 Chronicles 23:19
And he set the doorkeepers at the gates of the house of Jehovah, that no one unclean in anything should enter in.
(DBY NIV)

2 Chronicles 34:9
And they came to Hilkiah the high priest, and delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the keepers of the door, had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin, and they returned to Jerusalem.
(See NAS NIV)

2 Chronicles 34:13
They were also over the bearers of burdens, and were overseers of all that worked in any manner of service. And of the Levites were the scribes, and officers, and doorkeepers.
(DBY NIV)

2 Chronicles 35:15
And the singers, the sons of Asaph, were in their place, according to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and the doorkeepers were at every gate; they had not to depart from their service, for their brethren the Levites prepared for them.
(DBY)

Ezra 2:42
The children of the doorkeepers: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, in all a hundred and thirty-nine.
(DBY)

Ezra 2:70
And the priests, and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers, and the doorkeepers, and the Nethinim dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.
(DBY)

Ezra 7:7
(And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the doorkeepers, and the Nethinim, to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.)
(DBY)

Ezra 10:24
And of the singers: Eliashib. And of the doorkeepers: Shallum, and Telem, and Uri.
(DBY)

Nehemiah 7:1
And it came to pass when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, that the doorkeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed.
(DBY)

Nehemiah 7:45
The doorkeepers: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, a hundred and thirty-eight.
(DBY)

Nehemiah 7:73
And the priests, and the Levites, and the doorkeepers, and the singers, and some of the people, and the Nethinim, and all Israel, dwelt in their cities. And when the seventh month came, and the children of Israel were in their cities,
(DBY)

Nehemiah 10:28
And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the doorkeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all they that had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons and their daughters, every one having knowledge and having understanding,
(DBY)

Nehemiah 10:39
For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the heave-offering of the corn, of the new wine and the oil, into the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the doorkeepers and the singers. And we will not forsake the house of our God.
(DBY)

Nehemiah 11:19
And the doorkeepers, Akkub, Talmon, and their brethren, that kept watch at the gates, were a hundred and seventy-two.
(DBY)

Nehemiah 12:25
Mattaniah and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, Akkub, were doorkeepers keeping the ward at the storehouses of the gates.
(DBY)

Nehemiah 12:45
And, with the singers and the doorkeepers, they kept the ward of their God, and the ward of the purification, according to the commandment of David and of Solomon his son.
(DBY)

Nehemiah 12:47
And all Israel, in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the portions of the singers and the doorkeepers, every day what was needed, and they consecrated things for the Levites; and the Levites consecrated for the children of Aaron.
(DBY)

Nehemiah 13:5
had prepared for him a great chamber, where formerly they laid the oblations, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the corn, the new wine and the oil, which was commanded for the Levites and the singers and the doorkeepers, and the heave-offerings of the priests.
(DBY)

Esther 2:21
In those days, while Mordecai was sitting in the king's gate, two of the king's eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, who were doorkeepers, were angry, and sought to lay hands on the King Ahasuerus.
(WEB)

Esther 6:2
It was found written that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, who were doorkeepers, who had tried to lay hands on the King Ahasuerus.
(WEB NAS)

Jeremiah 52:24
And the captain of the body-guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers.
(DBY NIV)

Subtopics

Doorkeepers

Doorkeepers of Palaces

Doorkeepers of the Temple

Related Terms

Door-keepers (34 Occurrences)

Music-makers (18 Occurrences)

O'bed-e'dom (14 Occurrences)

Courses (28 Occurrences)

Obed-edom (16 Occurrences)

Korahites (7 Occurrences)