[Luke]

This was in a thread over at baptist board. I posted about Matthew 7:14 in the NKJV and KJB, and how salvation is not difficult

Someone posted back claiming strait meant difficult

This was my response

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Why don't we use the Bible to define the word. God's word is perfect

Num 22:26 And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.

Jos 17:15 And Joshua answered them, If thou be a great people, then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee.

1Ki 6:4 And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.

Pro 23:27 For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.

Isa 49:19 For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.

So according to the Bible (I left out a few references to narrow windows), the word NARROW always refers to a tight small place, where there is only one way to go.


Let's look at strait

2Ki 6:1 And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us. (it was too small, so they went elsewhere and built huts in the following passages)

1Ch 21:13 And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall now into the hand of the LORD; for very great are his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man.


In this second one, we see that a strait is somewhere between two places. In David's case, it was between his enemies who wanted him dead and God who Israel had sinned against. The strait was IN BETWEEN THEM

Php 1:23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

Paul further explains this. His strait was BETWEEN LIFE ON EARTH AND LIFE WITH CHRIST!

Isn't the Bible great?

A Strait is a place between two points. In Matthew 7:14 - Jesus is the strait GATE - He is the point between life and death. Beyond that gate is a narrow way, that none can ever pass off, or turn back from.

Praise the Lord that His word is perfect, and explains itself if we take time to study, to shew thyself approved.

God bless
Luke

The original thread is here ---
http://www.baptistboard.com/showthread.php?t=53270