Reference: Congregation
Easton
(3) (Heb. kahal), the Hebrew people collectively as a holy community (Nu 15:15). Every circumcised Hebrew from twenty years old and upward was a member of the congregation. Strangers resident in the land, if circumcised, were, with certain exceptions (Ex 12:19; Nu 9:14; De 23:1-3), admitted to the privileges of citizenship, and spoken of as members of the congregation (Ex 12:19; Nu 9:14; 15:15). The congregation were summonded together by the sound of two silver trumpets, and they met at the door of the tabernacle (Nu 10:3). These assemblies were convened for the purpose of engaging in solemn religious services (Ex 12:27; Nu 25:6; Joe 2:15), or of receiving new commandments (Ex 19:7-8). The elders, who were summonded by the sound of one trumpet (Nu 10:4), represented on various occasions the whole congregation (Ex 3:16; 12:21; 17:5; 24:1).
(4) After the conquest of Canaan, the people were assembled only on occasions of the highest national importance (Jg 20; 2Ch 30:5; 34:29; 1Sa 10:17; 2Sa 5:1-5; 1Ki 12:20; 2Ki 11:19; 21:24; 23:30). In subsequent times the congregation was represented by the Sanhedrim; and the name synagogue, applied in the Septuagint version exclusively to the congregation, came to be used to denote the places of worship established by the Jews. (See Church.)
(5) In Ac 13:43, where alone it occurs in the New Testament, it is the same word as that rendered "synagogue" (q.v.) in ver. Ac 13:42, and is so rendered in ver. 43 in R.V.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Go and gather the elders of Israel and say to them, 'Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, appeared to me, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, "I have carefully attended to you and what has been done to you in Egypt."
For seven days yeast must not be found in your houses, because {anyone eating food with yeast} will be cut off from the community of Israel--[whether] an alien or a native of the land.
For seven days yeast must not be found in your houses, because {anyone eating food with yeast} will be cut off from the community of Israel--[whether] an alien or a native of the land.
And Moses called all the elders of Israel, and he said to them, "Select and take for yourselves sheep for your clans and slaughter the Passover sacrifice.
you will say, 'It [is] a Passover sacrifice for Yahweh, who passed over the houses of the {Israelites} in Egypt when he struck Egypt; and he delivered our houses.'" And the people knelt down and they worshiped.
And Yahweh said to Moses, "Go on before the people and take with you [some] from the elders of Israel, and the staff with which you struck the Nile take in your hand, and go.
And Moses came and called the elders of the people, and he placed before them all these words that Yahweh had commanded him. And all the people together answered and said, "All that Yahweh has spoken we will do." And Moses brought back the words of the people to Yahweh.
And to Moses he said, "Go up to Yahweh--you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy from the elders of Israel--and you will worship at a distance.
If an alien dwells with you he will observe the Passover of Yahweh according [to] the decree of the Passover and according [to] its stipulation; thus you will have one decree for you, for the alien and for the native of the land.'"
If an alien dwells with you he will observe the Passover of Yahweh according [to] the decree of the Passover and according [to] its stipulation; thus you will have one decree for you, for the alien and for the native of the land.'"
You will blow them, and all the community will assemble to the doorway of the tent of assembly. But if they blow only one, the leaders, the heads of the thousands of Israel, will assemble to you.
[For] the assembly, there will be one decree for you and for the alien who dwells [among you]; [it is] an eternal decree for [all] your generations. {You as well as the alien} will be {before Yahweh}.
[For] the assembly, there will be one decree for you and for the alien who dwells [among you]; [it is] an eternal decree for [all] your generations. {You as well as the alien} will be {before Yahweh}.
And behold, a man from the {Israelites} came and brought to his brothers Midianite woman before the eyes of Moses and before the eyes of all of the community of the {Israelites}, and they [were] weeping [at] the doorway of the tent of assembly.
"No man {with crushed testicles} or [whose] {male organ is cut off} may come into the assembly of Yahweh. An illegitimate child may not come into the assembly of Yahweh; even [to] the tenth generation none {of his descendants} may come into the assembly of Yahweh. read more. An Ammonite or a Moabite may not come into the assembly of Yahweh; even [to] the tenth generation none {of his descendants} may come into the assembly of Yahweh {forever},
So they let the decree stand, {to make a proclamation} throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, to come to make a Passover feast to Yahweh the God of Israel.
Then they sent [word] to the king, and he gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
Blow [the] trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call an assembly;
And [as] they were going out, they began urging [that] these things be spoken about to them on the next Sabbath. And [after] the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking to them [and] were persuading them to continue in the grace of God.
Fausets
eedah. CONVOCATION, qaahaal (restricted to the Pentateuch, except Isa 1:13). The Hebrew, regarded in their collective capacity as a "holy" community, gathered in sacred assembly composed of the homeborn Israelites. Settlers, only if circumcised, were admitted to the privileges (Ex 12:19). Each Israelite was member of a house; the family was a collection of houses; the tribe, a collection of families; the congregation, a collection of tribes. The CONGREGATION was a national parliament, with legislative and judicial powers. The CONVOCATION was restricted to religious meetings (Leviticus 23). Each house, family, and tribe had its head; these representative heads were "the elders" or "princes."
Moses selected 70 elders by God's appointment to share the burden of government with him (Nu 11:16). The sounding of the two silver trumpets was the signal for the whole body of the people assembling at the door of the tabernacle, which was there called "the tabernacle of the congregation," the moed, literally, a place of meeting (Nu 10:2-4). The princes were convened with only one trumpet. The people were bound to abide by the acts of their representatives (Jos 9:18). In later times the Sanhedrin council (corresponding to Moses' seventy elders) represented the congregation. Synagogue, which originally applied to the assembly, came to mean the place of worship.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
For seven days yeast must not be found in your houses, because {anyone eating food with yeast} will be cut off from the community of Israel--[whether] an alien or a native of the land.
For seven days yeast must not be found in your houses, because {anyone eating food with yeast} will be cut off from the community of Israel--[whether] an alien or a native of the land.
"Make yourself two silver trumpets; make them [of] hammered-work. {You will use them} for calling the community and for breaking the camp.
"Make yourself two silver trumpets; make them [of] hammered-work. {You will use them} for calling the community and for breaking the camp. You will blow them, and all the community will assemble to the doorway of the tent of assembly.
You will blow them, and all the community will assemble to the doorway of the tent of assembly. But if they blow only one, the leaders, the heads of the thousands of Israel, will assemble to you.
But if they blow only one, the leaders, the heads of the thousands of Israel, will assemble to you.
And Yahweh said to Moses, "Gather for me seventy men from the elders of Israel whom you know [are] elders of the people and their officials; take them to the tent of assembly, and they will stand there with you.
And Yahweh said to Moses, "Gather for me seventy men from the elders of Israel whom you know [are] elders of the people and their officials; take them to the tent of assembly, and they will stand there with you.
But the {Israelites} did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by Yahweh the God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured {against their leaders}.
But the {Israelites} did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by Yahweh the God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured {against their leaders}.
You must not {continue} to bring offerings of futility, incense--it [is] an abomination to me; new moon and Sabbath, [the] calling of a convocation-- I cannot endure iniquity with [solemn] assembly.
You must not {continue} to bring offerings of futility, incense--it [is] an abomination to me; new moon and Sabbath, [the] calling of a convocation-- I cannot endure iniquity with [solemn] assembly.
Morish
The term is constantly applied in the O.T. to the community of Israel, and also to the actual assembling together of the people according to the unity of the congregation. Every descendant of the twelve tribes formed a part of that community. Those of other nations were received into the congregation on becoming PROSELYTES, q.v. The Ammonite and the Moabite were forbidden ever to come into the congregation of Jehovah, and there were a few other restrictions. De 23:1-4. For various offences an Israelite was cut off from the congregation. Ex 12:19; Nu 9:13, etc. See EXCOMMUNICATION.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
For seven days yeast must not be found in your houses, because {anyone eating food with yeast} will be cut off from the community of Israel--[whether] an alien or a native of the land.
But the man who [is] clean and not on a journey, and he fails to observe the Passover, that person will be cut off from the people because he did not present the offering of Yahweh on its appointed time. That man will bear his guilt.
"No man {with crushed testicles} or [whose] {male organ is cut off} may come into the assembly of Yahweh. An illegitimate child may not come into the assembly of Yahweh; even [to] the tenth generation none {of his descendants} may come into the assembly of Yahweh. read more. An Ammonite or a Moabite may not come into the assembly of Yahweh; even [to] the tenth generation none {of his descendants} may come into the assembly of Yahweh {forever}, {because} they did not come to meet you with food and with water {when you came out of Egypt}, and [also] {because} they hired Balaam, son of Beor, from Pethor, in Aram Naharaim [to act] against you to curse you
Smith
Congregation.
This describes the Hebrew people in its collective capacity under its peculiar aspect as a holy community, held together by religious rather than political bonds. Sometimes it is used in a broad sense as inclusive of foreign settlers,
but more properly as exclusively appropriate to the Hebrew element of the population.
The congregation was governed by the father or head of each family and tribe. The number of these representatives being inconveniently large for ordinary business, a further selection was made by Moses of 70, who formed a species of standing committee.
Occasionally indeed the whole body of people was assembled at the door of the tabernacle, hence usually called the tabernacle of the congregation.
The people were strictly bound by the acts of their representatives, even in cases where they disapproved of them.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
For seven days yeast must not be found in your houses, because {anyone eating food with yeast} will be cut off from the community of Israel--[whether] an alien or a native of the land.
You will blow them, and all the community will assemble to the doorway of the tent of assembly.
And Yahweh said to Moses, "Gather for me seventy men from the elders of Israel whom you know [are] elders of the people and their officials; take them to the tent of assembly, and they will stand there with you.
[For] the assembly, there will be one decree for you and for the alien who dwells [among you]; [it is] an eternal decree for [all] your generations. {You as well as the alien} will be {before Yahweh}.
But the {Israelites} did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by Yahweh the God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured {against their leaders}.