Keys, seals, signet rings in the Bible

27 passages of the Berean Standard Bible, line by line, from Nave’s Topical Bible.

Keys and bolts

Ehud locked the doors of King Eglon's upper room behind himJudg 3:23
The verses
Judg 3:23Then Ehud went out through the porch, closing and locking the doors of the upper room behind him.
The servants waited, then took the key and opened the doorsJudg 3:24–25
The verses
Judg 3:24–25After Ehud was gone, Eglon’s servants came in and found the doors of the upper room locked. “He must be relieving himself in the cool room,” they said. So they waited until they became worried and saw that he had still not opened the doors of the upper room. Then they took the key and opened the doors—and there was their lord lying dead on the floor.
Levites guarded the house of God at night and opened it each morning1 Chr 9:27
The verses
1 Chr 9:27They would spend the night stationed around the house of God, because they were responsible for guarding it and opening it every morning.
Jerusalem's gates were rebuilt with doors, bolts, and barsNeh 3:3
The verses
Neh 3:3The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid its beams and installed its doors, bolts, and bars.

Seals and signet rings

Judah left his seal, cord, and staff with Tamar as a pledgeGen 38:18
The verses
Gen 38:18“What pledge should I give you?” he asked. She answered, “Your seal and your cord, and the staff in your hand.” So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.
Tamar: 'Whose seal and cord and staff are these?'Gen 38:25
The verses
Gen 38:25As she was being brought out, Tamar sent a message to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these items belong.” And she added, “Please examine them. Whose seal and cord and staff are these?”
Pharaoh put his signet ring on Joseph's fingerGen 41:42
The verses
Gen 41:42Then Pharaoh removed the signet ring from his finger, put it on Joseph’s finger, clothed him in garments of fine linen, and placed a gold chain around his neck.
Jezebel wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal1 Kgs 21:8
The verses
1 Kgs 21:8Then Jezebel wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived with Naboth in his city.
Xerxes gave his signet ring to HamanEsth 3:10
The verses
Esth 3:10So the king removed the signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.
Haman's order was written in the king's name and sealed with the ringEsth 3:12
The verses
Esth 3:12On the thirteenth day of the first month, the royal scribes were summoned and the order was written exactly as Haman commanded the royal satraps, the governors of each province, and the officials of each people, in the script of each province and the language of every people. It was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the royal signet ring.
The ring, recovered from Haman, was given to MordecaiEsth 8:2
The verses
Esth 8:2The king removed the signet ring he had recovered from Haman and presented it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed Mordecai over the estate of Haman.
A decree sealed with the royal signet ring cannot be revokedEsth 8:8
The verses
Esth 8:8Now you may write in the king’s name as you please regarding the Jews, and seal it with the royal signet ring. For a decree that is written in the name of the king and sealed with the royal signet ring cannot be revoked.”
Mordecai sealed the letters and sent them by mounted couriersEsth 8:10
The verses
Esth 8:10Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes and sealed it with the royal signet ring. He sent the documents by mounted couriers riding on swift horses bred from the royal mares.
The lions' den was sealed with the king's ring and his nobles' ringsDan 6:17
The verses
Dan 6:17A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that nothing concerning Daniel could be changed.
A written agreement sealed with the names of leaders, Levites, and priestsNeh 9:38, Neh 10:1
The verses
Neh 9:38In view of all this, we make a binding agreement, putting it in writing and sealing it with the names of our leaders, Levites, and priests.”
Neh 10:1Now these were the ones who sealed the document: Nehemiah the governor, son of Hacaliah, and also Zedekiah,
Jeremiah signed and sealed a deed: one sealed copy, one open copyJer 32:10–11
The verses
Jer 32:10–11I signed and sealed the deed, called in witnesses, and weighed out the silver on the scales. Then I took the deed of purchase—the sealed copy with its terms and conditions, as well as the open copy—
The deeds were put in a clay jar to last a long timeJer 32:14
The verses
Jer 32:14“This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Take these deeds—both the sealed copy and the open copy of the deed of purchase—and put them in a clay jar to preserve them for a long time.
Jesus' tomb was secured by sealing the stone and posting a guardMatt 27:66
The verses
Matt 27:66So they went and secured the tomb by sealing the stone and posting the guard.

Engraved like a seal

Two onyx stones engraved like a seal with the names of Israel's sonsExod 28:9, Exod 28:11, Exod 39:6
The verses
Exod 28:9Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel:
Exod 28:11Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings.
Exod 39:6They mounted the onyx stones in gold filigree settings, engraved like a seal with the names of the sons of Israel.
Twelve breastpiece stones, each engraved like a seal with a tribe's nameExod 28:21, Exod 39:14
The verses
Exod 28:21The twelve stones are to correspond to the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.
Exod 39:14The twelve stones corresponded to the names of the sons of Israel. Each stone was engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.
A gold plate engraved like a seal: HOLY TO THE LORDExod 28:36, Exod 39:30
The verses
Exod 28:36You are to make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: HOLY TO THE LORD.
Exod 39:30They also made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and they engraved on it, like an inscription on a seal: HOLY TO THE LORD.
A saying in the Song of Songs: 'Set me as a seal over your heart'Song 8:6
The verses
Song 8:6Set me as a seal over your heart, as a seal upon your arm. For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as unrelenting as Sheol. Its sparks are fiery flames, the fiercest blaze of all.

Sources

From Nave’s Topical Bible (Orville J. Nave, 1896; public domain): subjects chosen, lines shortened and put into modern words, lines of interpretation left out; each verse checked.

Berean Standard Bible · Public domain