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קְהִלָּה

𐤒𐤄𐤋𐤄

qᵉhillâh

H6952 noun

SILEX Entry

Root קהל to assemble, gather (people), call together

Definition

A gathering or assembly of people, especially for a specific communal purpose, such as worship, deliberation, or other collective activity. Predominantly denotes a formally convened group within the Israelite community, particularly in religious or civic contexts.

Semantic Range

formal assembly, summoned congregation, organized gathering for worship or communal purpose, religious assembly, civic congregation

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root קהל (k-h-l), meaning 'to assemble, gather (people)'. קְהִלָּה (qᵉhillâh) is a feminine noun formation denoting both the process and result of being gathered together. The root itself has the core sense of convoking people into an organized group.

Historical & Contextual Notes

קְהִלָּה appears in later biblical books, especially in Chronicles, Nehemiah, Esther, and Psalms, often referring to a collective gathering of Israelites, especially for religious purposes (e.g., worship, public prayer, or hearing the Law). The term tends to emphasize the organized, often official, nature of the gathering, as contrasted with more general words for a group or crowd (e.g., עֵדָה, ‘ēdah). By the post-exilic period, קְהִלָּה is used almost interchangeably with עֵדָה for the Israelite community as a whole or its formal assembly. In later Jewish tradition (well after the biblical period), קְהִילָה came to denote a Jewish community or municipality in the Diaspora, but this developed sense is not present in the biblical context. English translations as "assembly" or "congregation" generally approximate the meaning but may not capture the formal, often sacred, character implied in some contexts.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from קָהַל; an assemblage; assembly, congregation.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

קהל (q-h-l) — assemble, gather (people), call together

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4721 מַקְהֵל in gathered assemblies
H4722 מַקְהֵלֹת in Assemblies
H6950 קָהַל in being assembled
H6951 קָהָל in the summoned assembly
H6953 קֹהֶלֶת the assembler

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6952-01 קְהִלָּ֥ה qehilah HNcfsa assembly summoned assembly 1
H6952-02 קְהִלַּ֥ת qehilat HNcfsc congregation assembly of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6952-02 Deuteronomy 33:4 קְהִלַּ֥ת qehilat HNcfsc congregation assembly of
H6952-01 Nehemiah 5:7 קְהִלָּ֥ה qehilah HNcfsa assembly summoned assembly
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