CONGREGATION/ASSEMBLY: Edah, feminine noun (Strong’s 5712); Qahal, masculine noun (Strong’s 6951).
Root: עֵדָה Sounds like: eh’da /a’da
Root: קָהָל Sounds like: Ka’hal
The concept for an assembly or a congregation is, simply, a group that assembles or congregates. It’s the result of gathering together and it’s strongly connected to community living.
Just like in English, there are a few words in Hebrew for the concept of a congregation. In English, beside a congregation you could say an assembly, a gathering, a company, a contingent, a multitude, a gang, a herd, a pack, a swarm, a mob. In Hebrew there is edah (Strong’s 5712) and qahal (Strong’s 6951), and a’tsarah/a’tseret (Strong’s 6116). The congregation was the community. The assembly was the gathering of the community.
Abraham had been told by YHWH that he would become a father of a great nation. His son Isaac shared that sentiment with his son, Jacob:
Genesis 28:3
[Isaac to son, Jacob:] May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you may become a multitude [a congregation: li-q’hal לִקְהַ֥ל] of peoples.
Isaac’s blessing on his son highlighted that the nation should be a community. This blessing was supported by YHWH and Jacob was blessed:
Genesis 35:9-15
Then God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him. God said to him,
“Your name is Jacob; you shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.”
So He called him Israel. God also said to him,
“I am God Almighty; be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a multitude [congregation: u-q’hal וּקְהַ֥ל] of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from you. And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to you, and I will give the land to your descendants after you.”
Through Jacob, the Hebrew people became a congregation who were often called to gather together and assemble as a group:
Joel 2:15-17a
Blow a trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly [a’tsarah עֲצָרָֽה], gather the people, sanctify the congregation [qahal קָהָל֙], assemble the elders, gather the children and the nursing infants. Have the groom come out of his room and the bride out of her bridal chamber.
Let the priests, YHWH’s ministers, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, “Spare Your people, YHWH, and do not make Your inheritance a disgrace”…
By and large, YHWH’s people are called to “Assemble!” and unite as the children of YHWH.
A Grumbling Congregation
Life is a balance between time alone and time together. What God’s people did in their time together was important and it reflected the health of the congregation.
In Exodus 16:2 we read that, “the whole congregation [kal a’dat כָּל־עֲדַ֧ת] of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness”. They complained about hunger and God heard them. He provided quail and manna. The people had a corporate complaint, and YHWH addressed their grumblings, but the way they moaned and groaned was noted by YHWH. They could have gone to God in prayer, instead they passive aggressively whined about their situation and blamed their leaders. God provided for their needs, but He did not appreciate their cantankerous grumbling:
Numbers 14:26-27
…YHWH spoke to Moses and Aaron again, saying, “How long shall I put up with this evil congregation [la-edah לָעֵדָ֤ה] who are grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel which they are voicing against Me.”
By the way, the idea of a congregation wasn’t just used to describe humans. In Judges 14:8 we read about “a swarm [congregation: a’dat עֲדַ֧ת] of bees” and in Psalm 68:30 there is a “a herd [congregation: a’dat עֲדַ֤ת] of bulls”.
It is natural for almost all of God’s creatures to congregate! Community living is ingrained into creation. But humans seem to have a terrible habit of moaning and groaning as a congregation. Social media is often a hotbed platform for the human assembly to complain. Do the congregations of bees and bulls complain?
The creation story tells us that humans were made to be God’s Image Bearers on the planet, so when our focus, upon gathering, is all about grumbling we are missing the point of being a congregation of God’s people.
Let the Assembly Worship YHWH
Humans, as the face of God on the planet, should be gathering in community to, first and foremost, praise the name of YHWH:
Psalm 149:1-4
Praise YHWH! Sing a new song to YHWH, and His praise in the congregation [bi-q’hal בִּקְהַ֥ל] of the godly ones. Israel shall be joyful in his Maker; the sons of Zion shall rejoice in their King. They shall praise His name with dancing; they shall sing praises to Him with tambourine and lyre. For YHWH takes pleasure in His people; He will glorify the lowly with salvation.
This was the building of community… worshipping YHWH together with song and dance.
Psalm 35:18
[David:] I will give You thanks in the great congregation [b-qahal בְּקָהָ֣ל]; I will praise You among a mighty people.
An Evil Congregation
YHWH’s good congregation was often spoiled by an assembly of people who had been influenced to bad action by the Adversary:
Psalm 86:14-18
[David:] God, arrogant men have risen up against me, and a gang [congregation: wa-a’dat וַעֲדַ֣ת] of violent men have sought my life, and they have not set You before them. But You, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abundant in mercy and truth.
Turn to me, and be gracious to me; grant Your strength to Your servant, and save the son of Your maidservant.
The book of Lamentations (a mournful reflection on losing Jerusalem to Babylon and their subsequent exile) expressed the grief at their loss of community. At the same time, they understood that their oppressors would not be part of the congregation of YHWH’s people:
Lamentations 1:10-11
The adversary has stretched out his hand over all her precious things, for she has seen the nations enter her sanctuary, the ones whom You commanded that they were not to enter Your congregation [va-qahal בַקָּהָ֖ל].
All her people groan, seeking bread; they have given their treasures for food to restore their lives. “See, YHWH, and look, for I am despised.”
In their agony, the congregation called out to YHWH in prayer, asking to be remembered:
Psalm 74:1-4
[Asaph:] God, why have You rejected us forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture? Remember Your congregation [a’dat’ka עֲדָתְךָ֨], which You purchased of old, which You have redeemed to be the tribe of Your inheritance; this Mount Zion, where You have dwelt.
Step toward the irreparable ruins; the enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary. Your adversaries have roared in the midst of Your meeting place; they have set up their own signs as signs…
David prayed that the assembly of God’s people return to praising YHWH:
Psalm 7:6-10
[David:] Arise, YHWH, in Your anger; raise Yourself against the rage of my enemies, and stir Yourself for me; You have ordered judgment. Let the assembly [wa-a’dat וַעֲדַ֣ת] of the peoples encompass You, and return on high over it. YHWH judges the peoples; vindicate me, YHWH, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me.
Please let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous; for the righteous God puts hearts and minds to the test. My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart.
When the community called out to God in agony and despair, God listened and responded to their grief. Those who tried to break up YHWH’s Congregation would not survive:
Psalm 1:5-6
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly [ba-a’dat בַּעֲדַ֥ת] of the righteous. For YHWH knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Heavenly Council / Divine Assembly
So far, we’ve talked a lot about YHWH’s human assembly of followers, but there is another congregation that is near to His heart. God created humans on earth but He also created a divine community. This divine/angelic community is often referred to as the assembly of the divine or the assembly/council of the holy ones:
Psalm 82:1
God takes His position in the assembly of the divine [ba-a’dat el בַּעֲדַת־אֵ֑ל]; He judges in the midst of the gods [elohim].
Psalm 89:5-7
[Ethan the Ezrahite:] The heavens will praise Your wonders, YHWH; Your faithfulness also in the assembly [bi-q’hal בִּקְהַ֥ל] of the holy ones.
For who in the skies is comparable to YHWH? Who among the sons of the mighty is like YHWH, a God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all those who are around Him?
Psalm 111:1
Praise Yah! (Hallelujah)! I will give thanks to YHWH with all my heart, in the company [council] of the upright and in the assembly [w-edah וְעֵדָֽה].
Assembly of the Dead
Life and death. This is what it all comes down to. YHWH wants to raise us up and bring us home at the end of our days, because He is the champion of Life for His people. The Adversary wants to destroy because he champions death. We are given an imperative choice between life and death:
Proverbs 21:16
A person who wanders from the way of understanding will rest in the assembly [bi-q’hal בִּקְהַ֖ל] of the dead.
Humanity was sent out of the Garden and into the wilderness, but YHWH put a plan in place to bring us home. He would send His Son to pay for the sins that exiled us out of the Garden, so that we could come back home, without cost. God does not want us to be in the assembly of the dead, He wants us to part of the Congregation of the Living Ones who would spend eternity in His Presence.
Yeshua and The Church (the Great Congregation)
We get to go back to the Father without cost, but there was a cost to be paid. Yeshua laid His life down in order for us to go home. Psalm 22 foreshadowed Yeshua’s painful sacrifice:
Psalm 22:16-29
For dogs have surrounded me; a band [congregation: a’dat עֲדַ֣ת] of evildoers has encompassed me; they pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me; they divide my garments among them, and they cast lots for my clothing.
But You, YHWH, do not be far away; You who are my help, hurry to my assistance. Save my soul from the sword, my only life from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion’s mouth; from the horns of the wild oxen You answer me.
I will proclaim Your name to my brothers; in the midst of the assembly [qahal קָהָ֣ל] I will praise You. You who fear YHWH, praise Him; all you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, and stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel. For He has not despised nor scorned the suffering of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from him; but when he cried to Him for help, He heard.
From You comes my praise in the great assembly [b-qahal בְּקָהָ֥ל]; I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him. The afflicted will eat and be satisfied; those who seek Him will praise YHWH. May your heart live forever!
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to YHWH, and all the families of the nations will worship before You. For the kingdom is YHWH’s and He rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship, all those who go down to the dust will kneel before Him, even he who cannot keep his soul alive.
In the B’rit Chadashah (New Testament), the Assembly/Congregation of YHWH’s people was given the Greek word ekklesia (Strong’s 1577), which is generally translated as “church”. This was the Congregation of those who followed Yeshua as the Messiah.
When Yeshua (Jesus) and His disciples headed north they found themselves in Caesarea Philippi, a Gentile pagan hotspot. This was where the trickster god, Pan, was worshipped and where, according to the Greeks, an entrance to the underworld was visible. It was at this volatile place that Yeshua made a strange announcement:
Matthew 16:18
[Jesus to Peter:] And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church [Greek: ekklesian]; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
They stood on the precipice of one of the most un-Godly places in Israel… a place considered by many to be the gates of Hades. There Yeshua announced that He would build His congregation of people amongst the chaos of death. The assembly of people who already followed Him would shine like a lighthouse in a dark world. Peter, whose name was cleverly connected to the Greek word for rock (which made for a fun wordplay by Yeshua) was part of the assembly of people who would go out and gather others to join the congregation of believers. This community of YHWH’s people could not be overpowered; they would stand as a force against death, a force that would be a beacon of light, leading people homeward-bound to the Father.
Yeshua was, and is, the head of the great Congregation (the Church). He is our Leader, our Rescuer, and our Redeemer, and He encourages everyone to share this good news:
Colossians 1:13-22
For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
He is also the head of the body, the church [ekklesias]; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
And although you were previously alienated and hostile in attitude, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His body of flesh through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.
With His sacrifice, Yeshua set us free… and we should be sharing that Good News to the Assembly of Nations:
Psalm 40:9-10
I have proclaimed good news of righteousness in the great congregation [b-qahal בְּקָ֘הָ֤ל]; behold, I will not restrain my lips, YHWH, You know. I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your mercy and Your truth from the great congregation [l-qahal לְקָהָ֥ל].
It’s important to worship and pray individually, but worshipping and praying collectively is a beautiful experience that helps us feel connected to community. This is why a weekly gathering is so important for followers of Yeshua.
We are part of a Great Assembly, so let’s share the Good News of God’s redemption and love! Let’s gather more people to the Congregation, because happiness and peace is worth sharing, and YHWH’s Garden Kingdom is big enough for everyone!
Next week: Galilee
Hebrew Word Lessons 