Doorkeepers

The office of doorkeeper appears in two settings: the temple, where threshold-keepers stand among the senior priestly staff, and the household of a high official, where a servant controls who enters at the gate.

Keepers of the Temple Threshold

When Jerusalem falls, the captain of the guard rounds up the leading temple personnel, and the threshold-keepers are listed alongside the chief priest and his second: "And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold" (2Ki 25:18). The three are named with the highest priestly officers, which places the doorkeeping office among the senior temple staff rather than as a menial post.

Door-Keepers in a Great House

A household door-keeper appears in the courtyard of the high priest. When Peter is brought in, "the female slave therefore who kept the door says to Peter, Are you also [one] of this man's disciples? He says, I am not" (John 18:17). The door-keeper here is a household servant whose job is to admit or challenge those who arrive at the gate, and her question is the first of Peter's denials.