Gates: Place for Public Concourse

Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth. So in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city, Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham,

…in the main concourse she cries aloud, at the city gates she makes her speech:

Beside the gates to the city, at the entrances she cries out:

“Judah mourns and her gates languish. Her people wail for the land, and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.

…saying, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David—you and your officials and your people who enter these gates.