Isaiah 22:22

Only important people owned a key, which was long and heavy. In ancient times a key was a long piece of wood. It had wooden *pegs at one end. The *pegs fitted small holes in a wooden bar on the inside of the door.

• Only the owner of a key could use it to open or to close a door. So a key was also a sign of authority. The size and weight of a key meant that the owner carried it on his shoulder (see Revelation 3:7-8).