Congregation in Biblical History

Bible History

Schaff's Bible Dictionary

Definitions in Biblical History
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

What is a Congregation?
CONGREGA'TION
, an assembly; a gathering of people for either political or religious purposes. 1. In the O.T. (kabal) it denotes the Hebrew people in its collective capacity, under its peculiar aspect as a holy community, held together by religious rather than political bonds. Deut 31:30; Josh 8:35; 1 Chr 29:1, etc. "Sometimes it is used in a broad sense, as inclusive of foreign settlers, Ex 12:19, but more properly as exclusively appropriate to the Hebrew element of the population. Num 15:15." The congregation was governed by the chief of the tribes and families, but from these was selected a council of 70 elders. Num 16:2; Num 11:16. This was a permanent institution, for these representatives of the people -who at first met at the door of the tabernacle at the call of one silver trumpet, while the congregation came at sound of the two, Num 10:3-4, 1 Kgs 15:7- became in postexilic days the Sanhedrin. Doubtless these meetings of the elders are often meant when the term "congregation" is used. Thus they meet to elect a king. 1 Sam 10:17. Their decisions bound the nation. Josh 9:15, 1 Sam 30:18. 2. In the N.T. it means the Christian Church at large or a local congregation, but in King James's Version the corresponding Greek word (ecelesia), when used of a religious assembly, is always rendered "church," even in Acts 7:38, where it means the Jewish congregation in the wilderness. King James expressly commanded the revisers to do this, in opposition to the Geneva Version, which uses the more literal rendering "congregation." In Acts 19:32, Acts 19:39-40 it means simply a popular assembly. See Church. 'CONI'AH. See Jehoiachin.

Bibliography Information
Schaff, Philip, Dr. "Biblical Definition for 'congregation' in Schaffs Bible Dictionary".
bible-history.com - Schaff's

Copyright Information
© Schaff's Bible Dictionary

Schaff's Bible Dictionary Home
Bible History Online Home

Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
Online Bible (KJV)
Naves Topical Bible
Smith's Bible Dictionary
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Schaff's Bible Dictionary
Fausset's Bible Dictionary
Matthew Henry Bible Commentary
Hitchcock's Bible Dictionary

Schaff's Bible Dictionary

Popular in the New Testament

Popular in the
New Testament