Matthew 7:14
New International Version
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

New Living Translation
But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.

English Standard Version
For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Berean Standard Bible
But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Berean Literal Bible
For small is the gate and narrow the way leading to life, and few are those finding it.

King James Bible
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

New King James Version
Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

New American Standard Bible
For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

NASB 1995
“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

NASB 1977
“For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.

Legacy Standard Bible
For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Amplified Bible
But small is the gate and narrow and difficult to travel is the path that leads the way to [everlasting] life, and there are few who find it.

Christian Standard Bible
How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.

American Standard Version
For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few are they that find it.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
How narrow is the gate and strict the way that leads to life, and few are those who find it!

Contemporary English Version
But the gate to life is very narrow. The road that leads there is so hard to follow that only a few people find it.

Douay-Rheims Bible
How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it!

English Revised Version
For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few be they that find it.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But the narrow gate and the road that lead to life are full of trouble. Only a few people find the narrow gate.

Good News Translation
But the gate to life is narrow and the way that leads to it is hard, and there are few people who find it.

International Standard Version
How narrow is the gate and how constricted is the road that leads to life, and there aren't many people who find it!"

Literal Standard Version
how narrow [is] the gate and compressed the way that is leading to life, and few are those finding it!

Majority Standard Bible
But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.

New American Bible
How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.

NET Bible
But the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

New Revised Standard Version
For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

New Heart English Bible
How narrow is the gate, and difficult is the way that leads to life. Few are those who find it.

Webster's Bible Translation
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth to life, and few there are that find it.

Weymouth New Testament
because narrow is the gate and contracted the road which leads to Life, and few are those who find it.

World English Bible
How narrow is the gate and the way is restricted that leads to life! There are few who find it.

Young's Literal Translation
how strait is the gate, and compressed the way that is leading to the life, and few are those finding it!

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Narrow Gate
13Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it. 15Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.…

Cross References
Psalm 16:11
You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.

Isaiah 35:8
And there will be a highway called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not travel it--only those who walk in the Way--and fools will not stray onto it.

Matthew 7:13
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

Matthew 7:15
Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.


Treasury of Scripture

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads to life, and few there be that find it.

because.

Matthew 16:24,25
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me…

Proverbs 4:26,27
Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established…

Proverbs 8:20
I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:

and few.

Matthew 20:16
So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

Matthew 22:14
For many are called, but few are chosen.

Matthew 25:1-12
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom…

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Contracted Discovery Door Few Find Finding Gate Hard Leads Narrow Restricted Road Small Strait Straitened Way
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Contracted Discovery Door Few Find Finding Gate Hard Leads Narrow Restricted Road Small Strait Straitened Way
Matthew 7
1. Do Not Judge
7. Ask, Seek, Knock
13. Enter through the Narrow Gate
15. A Tree and Its Fruit
24. The Wise and the Foolish Builders
28. Jesus ends his sermon, and the people are astonished.














(14) Narrow is the way.--Literally, pressed, or hemmed in between walls or rocks, like the pathway in a mountain gorge.

Which leadeth unto life.--Noteworthy as the first passage in our Lord's recorded teaching in which the word "life" appears as summing up all the blessedness of the kingdom. The idea is developed as we advance; the life becomes "eternal," and finally we are taught that the eternal life consists in the true and perfect knowledge of God and Christ (John 17:2-3).

Few there be that find it.--The sad contrast between the many and the few runs through all our Lord's teaching. He comes to "save the world," and yet those whom He chooses out of the world are but as a "little flock." They are to preach the gospel, and yet the result will be but discord and division. The picture is a dark one, and yet it represents but too faithfully the impression made, I do not say on Calvinist or even Christian, but on any ethical teacher, by the actual state of mankind around us. They are, for the most part, unconscious of the greatness of their lives, and of the interests at stake in them. If there is any wider hope, it is found in hints and suggestions of the possibilities of the future (1Peter 3:19; 1Peter 4:6); in the fact that the words used are emphatically present; in the belief that the short span of this life is not necessarily the whole of the discipline of a soul made for eternity; and that the new life, nascent, and feeble, and stunted here, may be quickened by some new process of education into higher energies.

Verse 14. - Because (ὅτι); for (Revised Version); "many ancient authorities read, How narrow is the gate, etc." (Revised Version margin). The reading, "how" (τί) is much easier, as avoiding the difficulty of the connexion of this verse with the preceding, but probably ὅτι is right. The connexion is either that it is parallel to the first ὅτι, and thus gives a second reason for decision in entering through the narrow gate; or, and better, that it gives the reason for the statement in ver. 13b - many pass along the wrong way because the right way requires at the very outset so much determination and afterwards so much self denial. Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way; narrow is the gate, and straitened the way (Revised Version). Not only is the gate narrow, but the way itself seems compressed (τεθλιμμένη) by rocks, etc., on either side. That leadeth unto life (εἰς τὴν ζωήν). Observe, Christ does not say, "life eternal." He only cares to emphasize the thought of life in the fullest nature of life - life as "the fulfilment of the highest idea of being: perfect truth in perfect action" (Bishop Westcott, on 1 John 3:14). And few there be that; Revised Version, and few be they that (ver. 13, note). Our Lord here affirms more than the disciples ask in Luke 13:23; for there the question deals with those in a state of salvation (οἱ σωζόμενοι), here those finally saved. Find it; i.e. the gate and all it leads to. The narrow gate is here looked at as involving life. Find. It needs a search (contrast ver. 13). But there is the promise of ver. 7, "Seek, and ye shall find."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
But
ὅτι (hoti)
Conjunction
Strong's 3754: Neuter of hostis as conjunction; demonstrative, that; causative, because.

small [is]
στενὴ (stenē)
Adjective - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4728: Narrow, strait. Probably from the base of histemi; narrow.

the
(hē)
Article - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

gate
πύλη (pylē)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4439: A gate. Apparently a primary word; a gate, i.e. The leaf or wing of a folding entrance.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

narrow
τεθλιμμένη (tethlimmenē)
Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2346: (a) I make narrow (strictly: by pressure); I press upon, (b) I persecute, press hard. Akin to the base of tribos; to crowd.

the
(hē)
Article - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

way
ὁδὸς (hodos)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3598: A way, road, journey, path. Apparently a primary word; a road; by implication, a progress; figuratively, a mode or means.

that
(hē)
Article - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

leads
ἀπάγουσα (apagousa)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 520: To lead, carry, take away; met: To be led astray, seduced. From apo and ago; to take off.

to
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

life,
ζωήν (zōēn)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2222: Life, both of physical (present) and of spiritual (particularly future) existence. From zao; life.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

only a few
ὀλίγοι (oligoi)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3641: Puny; especially neuter somewhat.

find
εὑρίσκοντες (heuriskontes)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2147: A prolonged form of a primary heuro, which heureo is used for it in all the tenses except the present and imperfect to find.

it.
αὐτήν (autēn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.


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NT Gospels: Matthew 7:14 How narrow is the gate and restricted (Matt. Mat Mt)
Matthew 7:13
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