TR: qahal → ekklesia (Assembly / Congregation)¶
The Chain¶
Hebrew OT LXX (Greek OT) Greek NT
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קָהָל (qâhâl) → ἐκκλησία (ekklēsía) → ἐκκλησία (ekklēsía)
H6951, 116x in OT 66x as LXX rendering 115x in NT
"assembly, congregation" PMI score: 31.39 "church, assembly"
OT Usage (Hebrew)¶
| Strong's | Word | Occurrences | Primary Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| H6951 | קָהָל (qâhâl) | 116 | assembly, congregation, company, multitude |
| H6950 | קָהַל (qâhal) | ~40 | to assemble, gather together (verb) |
Primary KJV translations: the congregation (40x), congregation (14x), assembly (8x), company (8x), multitude (4x).
Key OT passages: - Exo 12:6 — "And the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening." - Deu 5:22 — "These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire." - 1 Sa 17:47 — "And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's." - Neh 8:2 — "And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding."
LXX Bridge¶
| Hebrew | Greek Translation | Co-occ | PMI Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| qahal (H6951) | ἐκκλησία (G1577) | 66x | 31.39 | Primary — strong, consistent translation choice |
| qahal (H6951) | συναγωγή (G4864) | 36x | 19.13 | Secondary — especially in Numbers/Deuteronomy |
| qahal (H6951) | ὄχλος (G3793) | 6x | 11.29 | Crowd/multitude contexts |
Semantic note: The LXX translators divided between two Greek words for qahal. Ekklesia emphasized the "called out" / constituted assembly (civic, covenant, formal); synagoge (lit. "bring together") emphasized gathering. The NT consistently assigned ekklesia to the Christian assembly and largely reserved synagoge for Jewish gatherings — a meaningful choice that signals continuity with Israel's covenant qahal while marking the new covenant community.
NT Usage (Greek)¶
| Strong's | Word | Occurrences | Primary Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| G1577 | ἐκκλησία (ekklēsía) | 115 | church, assembly, congregation |
| G4864 | συναγωγή (synagōgḗ) | 57 | synagogue, assembly |
Key NT passages: - Mat 16:18 — "Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (First NT occurrence; Jesus claims qahal-building authority) - Acts 7:38 — "This is he, that was in the church [ekklesia] in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina." (Stephen explicitly calls Israel's wilderness assembly ekklesia) - Heb 2:12 — "I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee." (Quotes Ps 22:22 — the Hebrew word there is qahal; the chain is explicit) - Eph 1:22 — "Gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body."
Direct OT→NT Quotations¶
| NT Verse | Quotes OT | Shared Word | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heb 2:12 | Ps 22:22 | qahal → ekklesia | NT author quotes OT verse with qahal and renders it ekklesia — explicit chain in text |
| Acts 7:38 | Deut context | qahal → ekklesia | Stephen calls Israel's wilderness assembly "the church" — same Greek word |
Continuity and Shifts¶
What stays the same: - Core meaning: the constituted, gathered assembly of God's covenant people - Formal/representative character: not an informal crowd but a called/summoned body - Leadership structure: elders, appointed officers (qahal had its princes; ekklesia has its elders/apostles) - Worship in the assembly (Ps 22:22 → Heb 2:12 shows singing praise in the qahal/ekklesia)
What shifts: - Constituency: qahal = national Israel; ekklesia = multi-ethnic body in Christ (Gal 3:28) - Summons: qahal = trumpet/herald call to gather; ekklesia = the called-out ones by the gospel - Scope: ekklesia develops a universal/cosmic dimension (Eph 1:22, Col 1:18) that qahal does not reach
Generated from: gather_trace_data.py, search_strongs.py (--lxx-map, --hebrew-source, --lookup) Last updated: 2026-04-02