G4439 — πύλη (pyle)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G4439
Original: πύλη
Transliteration: pyle
Pronunciation: poo'-lay
Part of Speech: Feminine noun (n-f)
Occurrences: 10 tokens in 9 unique verses (4 NT books); Greek text also attests Acts 16:13 (πύλης) where KJV does not render "gate"
First Occurrence: Mat 7:13 — "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

A gate, i.e. the leaf or wing of a folding entrance; apparently a primary word.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain 7: Constructions
Subdomain 7.3: Parts and Areas of Buildings
Other words in subdomain: ἅγιος (G40), ἀκρογωνιαῖος (G204), ἀναβαθμός (G304), γαζοφυλάκιον (G1049), δῶμα (G1430), θεμέλιος (G2310), θύρα (G2374)
Secondary Domain 12.2: Supernatural Powers — "gates of Hades" (Mat 16:18) places πύλη in metaphorical overlap with the underworld/supernatural domain

Louw-Nida Domain Neighbors (7.3 — Parts and Areas of Buildings)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total Verses	Primary KJV Translation(s)
G40	ἅγιος	136	saints, holy
G204	ἀκρογωνιαῖος	2	chief corner stone
G304	ἀναβαθμός	2	stairs
G1049	γαζοφυλάκιον	4	treasury
G1430	δῶμα	7	housetop
G2310	θεμέλιος	15	foundation
G2374	θύρα	33	door

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
gate	7	77.8%
gates	1	11.1%
the gates	1	11.1%

Virtually uniform: "gate/gates" accounts for 100% of KJV renderings.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Matthew	3	0.28
Acts	3	0.30
Luke	2	0.17
Hebrews	1	0.33

Spread thinly across the Gospels-Acts and one Epistle. No Pauline epistles, no Revelation. Acts has the highest raw count alongside Matthew but each has only 3 uses. Hebrews has the highest density (0.33 per 100 verses) from a single occurrence.

Morphological Distribution¶

Case	Count	Notes
Genitive Sg	3	Mat 7:13, Acts 16:13, Heb 13:12
Nominative Sg	2	Mat 7:13, 7:14
Dative Sg	2	Luk 7:12, Acts 3:10
Accusative Sg	1	Acts 12:10
Nominative Pl	1	Mat 16:18
Accusative Pl	1	Acts 9:24

Predominantly singular (8/10 tokens). The plural appears only in Mat 16:18 ("gates of Hades") and Acts 9:24 ("watched the gates").

Semantic Categories¶

1. The Narrow Gate — Eschatological Entry¶

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"
Mat 7:14 — "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it"
Luk 13:24 — "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able"

The gate as metaphor for the entryway to life versus destruction. Paired with στενός (stenos, "narrow/strait") in all three uses.

2. City Gate — Civic and Geographical Marker¶

Luk 7:12 — "Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out"
Acts 9:24 — "they watched the gates day and night to kill him"
Acts 12:10 — "they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord"

The gate as the physical entrance to a walled city, marking the boundary between inside and outside.

3. Temple Gate — Sacred Space Boundary¶

Acts 3:10 — "they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple"

The gate as entrance to sacred space; named "Beautiful" (ὡραῖος), this is the only temple-gate occurrence with πύλη.

4. Gates of Hades — Supernatural Authority¶

Mat 16:18 — "upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it"

The only plural metaphorical use. "Gates of Hades" (πύλαι ᾅδου) represents the power or authority of death/the underworld.

5. Outside the Gate — Sacrificial/Exclusion Space¶

Heb 13:12 — "Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate"

The gate marks the boundary between the camp/city and the place of sacrifice or expulsion. The author shifts from παρεμβολή (parembole, "camp," v.11) to πύλη ("gate," v.12), transitioning from Levitical camp language to the physical Jerusalem gate through which Jesus went to Golgotha.

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
στενός (stenos)	G4728	3x (33%)	"the strait gate" — always describes the gate to life
ὁδός (hodos)	G3598	2x (22%)	"gate and way" paired as entrance + path
πόλις (polis)	G4172	2x (22%)	"gate of the city" — civic boundary marker
εἰσέρχομαι (eiserchomai)	G1525	2x (22%)	"enter in at the gate" — action of passing through
ἀπάγω (apago)	G520	2x (22%)	"the way that leadeth to destruction" — paired with the wide gate
ᾅδης (haides)	G86	1x (11%)	"gates of Hades" — underworld authority
ἁγιάζω (hagiazo)	G37	1x (11%)	"sanctify... without the gate" — sacrificial purpose
αἷμα (haima)	G129	1x (11%)	"with his own blood... without the gate" — blood and gate in Heb 13:12

Synonyms¶

στῦλος (stylos) G4769 — pillar; synonym per UBS classification (both denote architectural structural elements, though semantically distinct: pillar vs. gate)

Word Family / Cognates¶

πυλών (pylon) G4440 — gateway, porch, vestibule; the compound form from πύλη; emphasizes the gateway structure or passage rather than the door-leaf itself (18 occurrences)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
שַׁעַר (sha'ar)	H8179	"gate"	Hebrew OT gate (374v); the dominant OT gate word covering judicial, civic, and architectural senses; πύλη is its primary LXX equivalent
πυλών (pylon)	G4440	"gate"	Gateway/vestibule — the larger structure or passageway; πύλη = the door-leaf or wing of the gate itself
θύρα (thyra)	G2374	"gate" (1x); usually "door"	A door of a house or room; smaller/domestic entry; θύρα overlaps when translated "gate" but typically means "door"

Hebrew Source¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrence	PMI	Score
שַׁעַר (sha'ar)	H8179	220	6.06	32.71
פְּנִימִי (peniymiyi)	H6442	13	5.38	14.21
בְּרִיחַ (beriyach)	H1280	14	5.21	14.11
דֶּלֶת (deleth)	H1817	20	4.55	13.84
פֶּתַח (pethach)	H6607	27	4.03	13.42
חוֹמָה (chowmah)	H2346	22	4.11	12.87
חָצֵר (chatser)	H2691	24	3.75	12.06

The primary Hebrew source is שַׁעַר (sha'ar) H8179 with 220 LXX co-occurrences, an overwhelming one-to-one bridge. This is the standard OT "gate" — city gate, tabernacle/temple gate, judicial assembly point.