Lane
Definition and Biblical Usage
In Luke 14:21, the King James Version translates the Greek word "rhume" as "lane," referring to a narrow alley or side street within a city. The master of the house, after his invited guests have made excuses, commands his servant: "Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind." The distinction between "streets" (broader main roads) and "lanes" (narrow back alleys) emphasizes the thoroughness of the invitation.
The same Greek word "rhume" appears elsewhere in the New Testament, typically translated as "street" rather than "lane." In Acts 9:11, the Lord directs Ananias to go to "the street called Straight" to find Saul of Tarsus. In Acts 12:10, Peter, freed from prison by an angel, walks through one "street" of the city before the angel departs.
The Parable of the Great Banquet
The word "lane" appears within one of Jesus's most powerful parables about the kingdom of God. In Luke 14:15-24, Jesus tells the story of a man who prepared a great banquet and sent invitations to many guests. When the time came, each invited guest offered an excuse: one had bought a field, another had purchased oxen, and a third had just married.
Angered by their refusals, the master sent his servants first into the streets and lanes of the city to gather the outcasts — the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame (Luke 14:21). When there was still room, the master sent servants even further: "Go out to the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled" (Luke 14:23).
The Significance of Lanes and Alleys
In the ancient city, the lanes and alleys were where the marginalized lived. The main streets and public squares were the domain of commerce, social life, and the respectable classes. The narrow back alleys housed the poor, the disabled, and those pushed to the margins of society. By specifying both "streets and lanes," Jesus indicates that the invitation to God's kingdom penetrates every corner of the city, leaving no one overlooked.
This detail reflects the layout of ancient Mediterranean cities, which typically featured a few broader main roads intersected by a maze of narrow alleys, passages, and dead ends. Archaeological excavations of ancient cities like Pompeii, Ephesus, and Jerusalem confirm this urban pattern.
The Gospel to the Margins
The parable's movement from the originally invited guests to the lanes of the city and then to the highways and hedges mirrors the progression of the gospel itself. The invitation first went to Israel, God's covenant people. When many rejected it, it extended to the outcasts within Israel, and ultimately to the Gentiles beyond (Acts 13:46; Romans 1:16).
Jesus himself embodied this pattern throughout his ministry, regularly seeking out those in society's "lanes" — tax collectors, sinners, the sick, and the marginalized (Luke 15:1-2; Luke 19:1-10).
Significance for Bible Readers
The word "lane" in Luke 14:21 carries profound theological weight despite its simplicity. It reminds readers that God's invitation extends to every forgotten corner of human society. No one is too insignificant, too broken, or too marginal to be sought out and welcomed to God's table.
Biblical Context
Lane appears in Luke 14:21 (KJV) within the Parable of the Great Banquet, where servants are sent to the streets and lanes of the city to invite the poor and outcast. The Greek word 'rhume' also appears in Acts 9:11 and Acts 12:10, translated elsewhere as 'street.'
Theological Significance
The reference to lanes symbolizes the gospel's reach to society's most marginalized people. The parable teaches that when the originally invited guests (Israel's leaders) reject God's invitation, God seeks out the poor, disabled, and outcast, ultimately extending the invitation to all peoples.
Historical Background
Ancient Mediterranean cities featured a typical layout of a few major thoroughfares intersected by numerous narrow alleys and passages. The Greek word 'rhume' specifically denoted these narrower streets. Archaeological evidence from cities like Jerusalem, Pompeii, and Ephesus confirms this urban pattern. The poor and marginalized typically lived along these back alleys rather than on the main commercial streets.