4116. platus
Lexical Summary
platus: Broad, wide

Original Word: πλατύς
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: platus
Pronunciation: plä-toos'
Phonetic Spelling: (plat-oos')
KJV: wide
NASB: streets, street, wide
Word Origin: [from G4111 (πλάσσω - created)]

1. spread out "flat" ("plot"), i.e. broad

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
wide.

From plasso; spread out "flat" ("plot"), i.e. Broad -- wide.

see GREEK plasso

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
a prim. word
Definition
broad, subst. a street
NASB Translation
street (4), streets (5), wide (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 4116: πλατύς

πλατύς, πλατεῖα, πλατύ (cf. Latinplanus, latus; Curtius, § 367 b; Vanicek, p. 552), from Homer down, the Sept. several times for רָחַב, broad: Matthew 7:13.

Topical Lexicon
Overview

Strong’s Greek 4116 designates the “broad” or “wide” thoroughfare mentioned once in the Greek New Testament, Matthew 7:13, where Jesus contrasts the broad way that leads to destruction with the narrow way that leads to life. Though the term appears only here, the picture it evokes runs through all of Scripture: two diverging paths—one inviting, spacious, and popular; the other demanding, narrow, and sparsely traveled. The idea of moral and spiritual roads is a dominant biblical metaphor, framing salvation history and discipleship alike.

Historical and Cultural Background

First-century Near-Eastern cities were laid out with principal streets (plateiai) wide enough for processions, markets, and public assemblies. Such avenues symbolized civic pride, prosperity, and freedom of movement. Jesus deliberately borrows this urban image, familiar to listeners walking the paved cardo of cities such as Sepphoris or the Decumanus of Jerusalem, to expose an opposite spiritual reality: the broad street is not the safe, celebrated route; it is a deceptive path to ruin.

Biblical Usage

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

Jesus the Rabbi of Galilee situates His warning at the heart of the Sermon on the Mount, marking the transition from kingdom ethics to eschatological urgency. The single occurrence of 4116 thus bears disproportionate theological weight, anchoring one of the clearest calls to decision in the Gospel.

Old Testament and Second-Temple Parallels

1. Deuteronomy 30:19 sets the covenantal choice: “life and death, blessing and curse.”
2. Psalm 1 contrasts “the way of the righteous” with “the way of the wicked.”
3. Proverbs 14:12 speaks of “a way that seems right… but its end is the way of death.”
4. Qumran community documents (e.g., 1QS 3–4) develop a “Two Ways” doctrine—light versus darkness—reflecting continuity between Israel’s wisdom tradition and Jesus’ teaching.

The Septuagint often employs cognate language for city “squares” (e.g., Isaiah 59:14) and “broad places” where injustice or idolatry is practiced, reinforcing the association of width with moral laxity.

Theological Significance

1. Moral Antithesis: The broad way epitomizes permissiveness, autonomy, and crowd approval; the narrow way epitomizes repentance, obedience, and minority conviction.
2. Eschatological Certainty: Destinations are fixed—destruction versus life—underscoring final judgment and eternal stakes.
3. Christological Center: Jesus Himself is the gate (John 10:9) and the way (John 14:6). To choose the narrow path is to choose Him.
4. Ecclesial Identity: The church is, by definition, a called-out minority (Matthew 22:14; 1 Peter 2:9), walking the narrower pilgrimage until glory.

Contrast with the Narrow Gate

Whereas the broad way is appealing, the narrow gate demands:
• Repentance (Matthew 4:17)
• Self-denial (Matthew 16:24)
• Obedience to Jesus’ words (Matthew 7:24)
• Perseverance amid opposition (2 Timothy 3:12)

Yet it yields abundant life (John 10:10), joy (1 Peter 1:8), and everlasting fellowship with God (Revelation 21:3–4).

Reception in Church History

Early catechetical manuals (e.g., Didache 1) open with “There are two ways: one of life and one of death,” mirroring Matthew 7:13–14. Reformers preached the passage to emphasize sola fide amid cultural Christianity. Modern evangelical missions similarly warn against cultural accommodation, urging entrance through the narrow gate of faith in Christ alone.

Applications for Ministry Today

1. Preaching and Teaching: Expositors should present salvation as exclusive yet gracious, avoiding both universalism and legalism.
2. Discipleship: Churches must train believers to resist societal pressures and embrace counter-cultural holiness.
3. Evangelism: The imagery of two roads provides a simple yet gripping framework for gospel presentations.
4. Pastoral Counseling: The passage encourages believers facing isolation by reminding them that few companions on the road is the biblical norm.

Related New Testament Concepts

• “Way” imagery—Acts 9:2; 19:9
• “Race” and “course”—1 Corinthians 9:24–27; 2 Timothy 4:7
• “Pilgrims” and “exiles”—1 Peter 2:11

Conclusion

Though Strong’s 4116 surfaces only once, its metaphor shapes the entire biblical narrative and Christian worldview. Every generation must decide between the spacious thoroughfare of self-direction and the constricted but life-giving road of following Jesus Christ.

Forms and Transliterations
πλατεια πλατεία πλατεῖα πλατείαις πλατείς πλατέος πλατύ πλατυσμόν πλατυσμώ plateia plateîa
Links
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Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 7:13 Adj-NFS
GRK: πύλης ὅτι πλατεῖα ἡ πύλη
NAS: gate; for the gate is wide and the way
KJV: gate: for wide [is] the gate, and
INT: gate for wide the gate

Strong's Greek 4116
1 Occurrence


πλατεῖα — 1 Occ.

4115
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