Original Word: קְהִלָּה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: qhillah
Pronunciation: keh-hee-LAH
Phonetic Spelling: (keh-hil-law')
KJV: assembly, congregation
NASB: assembly
Word Origin: [from H6950 (קָהַל - assembled)]

1. an assemblage

assembly, congregation

From qahal; an assemblage -- assembly, congregation.

see HEBREW qahal

Word Origin
from the same as qahal
Definition
assembly, congregation
NASB Translation
assembly (2).

קְהִלָּה noun feminine assembly, congregation; — absolute ׳ק Nehemiah 5:7; construct קְהִלַּת Deuteronomy 33:4 (poem).

Definition and Essential Sense

קְהִלָּה (qehillah) designates a gathered body of people summoned for a specific purpose. Whereas the root קָהַל (qāhal) can describe the act of assembling, קְהִלָּה highlights the community once it is actually convened, whether for worship, covenant affirmation, or civic deliberation.

Biblical Occurrences

1. Deuteronomy 33:4 – “Moses gave us the law, a possession for the assembly of Jacob.” Here קְהִלָּה embraces the whole covenant people, identifying them as the rightful heirs of Torah.
2. Nehemiah 5:7 – “So I convened a large assembly against them.” Nehemiah summons the populace to confront social injustice, demonstrating the term’s capacity to describe a public forum for moral accountability.

Theological Themes

• Covenant Identity: In Deuteronomy 33:4 קְהִלָּה marks Israel as a corporate heir of divine revelation, reinforcing that the Law is not a private treasure but a communal trust.
• Communal Accountability: Nehemiah gathers a קְהִלָּה to expose exploitation among the elites. The assembly functions as a moral court, illustrating that covenant life is safeguarded through public, collective righteousness.
• Word-Centered Gatherings: Both texts place the Word of God—whether in giving the Law or in applying it to social ethics—at the core of the assembly’s purpose, foreshadowing the later synagogue and church patterns of Scripture-focused gatherings.

Historical and Cultural Background

In the Ancient Near East, city elders or citizens met at the gate for judicial or administrative matters. Israel appropriated this civic model yet infused it with covenant meaning: every gathering is ultimately before the LORD (compare Deuteronomy 5:22, where the entire nation stands at Sinai). By the post-exilic era, as reflected in Nehemiah, קְהִלָּה had become a recognized mechanism for corporate decision-making, enforcement of justice, and affirmation of communal norms.

Relationship to Other Assembly Terms

• קָהָל (qahal) – usually the congregation as a whole or the act of assembling.
• עֵדָה (ʿedah) – often the technical term for the congregation in wilderness narratives, emphasizing testimony and representation.

קְהִלָּה overlaps these nuances but tends to appear in poetic or formal situations where the assembled state itself is stressed.

Implications for Worship and Community Life

The scant but strategic usage of קְהִלָּה shows that biblical faith is lived out corporately: receiving revelation together (Deuteronomy 33) and confronting sin together (Nehemiah 5). Worship and justice are inseparable rhythms of a holy people.

Foreshadowing the New Testament Church

The Septuagint often renders קָהָל and קְהִלָּה with ἐκκλησία, the very word adopted by the apostles for the church. Thus the conceptual bridge between Israel’s assemblies and the New-Covenant people is organic: a called-out community gathered around the Word, committed to holiness and mutual care.

Practical Ministry Application

• Preaching and Teaching: Like Moses, leaders must deliver God’s Word to the whole assembly, trusting that the inheritance remains secure when Scripture is central.
• Corporate Rebuke and Restoration: Following Nehemiah’s pattern, contemporary congregations should address injustice within their own ranks, ensuring that communal life aligns with covenant ethics.
• Inclusive Stewardship: Deuteronomy links inheritance to assembly; modern ministry likewise treats every believer as a stakeholder in the blessings and responsibilities of God’s covenant.

Reflections on Covenant Identity

קְהִלָּה reminds readers that redemption is not an individualistic enterprise. From Sinai to Jerusalem, God forms a people who stand together under His Law, rally together against sin, and ultimately bear witness together to His saving purposes for the world.

קְהִלַּ֥ת קְהִלָּ֥ה קהלה קהלת kehilLah kehilLat qə·hil·lāh qə·hil·laṯ qəhillāh qəhillaṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts