קָהָל123 H6951
Assembly, congregation, or gathered company; the convoked community of Israel or any large assembled group.
Drawn from the root q-h-l ('to assemble'), this noun carries the weight of communal identity in ancient Israel. It is the assembly summoned for worship, law, and war -- the congregation that hears the Torah read aloud (Deut 31:30) and stands before Yahweh at Sinai. French assemblee and German Versammlung consistently mark the formal, convoked character of this gathering. In prophetic contexts (Jer 50:9; Ezek 17:17; 38:4), the word broadens to describe hostile confederacies of nations massed for invasion, where Spanish asamblea de and Korean clusters confirm a 'multitude, host' nuance distinct from the sacred assembly.
Senses
1. assembly or congregation — The formally convoked assembly or congregation, especially the gathered community of Israel for religious worship, legal proceedings, or civic decision-making (Lev 4:13-14; Deut 23:2-9; Neh 8:2). French assemblee and German Versammlung consistently render the organized, purposeful gathering. The 'congregation of Yahweh' (Num 16:3; 20:4) underscores its covenantal, sacral character. 118×
AR["الجَمَاعَةِ", "الجَمْعِ", "الْ-جَمَاعَةُ", "الْجَمَاعَةُ", "الْجَمَاعَةِ"]·ben["-মণ্ডলী", "-মণ্ডলীর", "-সমাজ", "-সমাজের", "-সমাবেশ", "সমাজ", "সমাজের", "সমাবেশ", "সমাবেশের"]·DE["Versammlung", "der-Versammlung", "der-assembly", "die-Versammlung"]·EN["the-assembly"]·FR["assemblée", "le-assemblée"]·heb["ה-קהל"]·HI["-के-सभा", "मंडली", "मण्डली", "मण्डली-के", "यह-सभ", "सभा", "सभा-की।", "सभा-ने", "सभाके।", "सभाने"]·ID["-jemaah", "jemaah"]·IT["assemblea", "il-assemblea"]·jav["-pasamuwan", "Pasamuwan-punika", "kang-pasamuwan", "pakempalan", "pasamuwan"]·KO["그-회중", "그-회중에게", "그-회중의", "그-회중이", "회중이여"]·PT["A-assembleia", "a-assembleia", "a-assembléia", "assembleia"]·RU["а-собрания", "собрание", "собранием", "собранию", "собрания"]·ES["La-asamblea", "la-asamblea", "la-congregación"]·SW["Kusanyiko", "hakaּhal", "kusanyiko", "kusanyiko-hilo"]·TR["topluluk", "topluluğa", "topluluğun"]·urd["ال-جماعت", "جماعت", "جماعت-نے", "جماعت-کی", "جماعت-کے"]
2. crowd or multitude — A crowd, company, or hostile multitude gathered without specifically religious connotations -- confederate armies, invading hordes, or assembled nations. Ezekiel favors this sense for Gog's coalition (Ezek 38:4, 15) and foreign hosts (Ezek 23:24; 26:7). Spanish asamblea de naciones and German eine Versammlung signal the military or political, rather than liturgical, nature of the gathering. Genesis 35:11's 'assembly of nations' promised to Jacob also fits here. 5×
AR["جُمْهُورَ-", "وَ-جَماعَةُ", "وَبِجَمْعِ", "وَبِـ-جُمْهُورٍ", "وَجَمَاعَةٍ"]·ben["আর-সমাবেশ", "আর-সমাবেশে", "এবং-মণ্ডলী", "এবং-সমাবেশে", "সমাবেশ-"]·DE["Versammlung", "und-Versammlung", "und-eine-Versammlung", "und-in-Versammlung"]·EN["an-assembly-of-", "and-assembly", "and-assembly-of", "and-with-assembly", "and-with-assembly-of-"]·FR["assemblée", "et-assemblée", "et-assemblée-de"]·heb["ו-ב-קהל", "ו-קהל", "קהל-"]·HI["और-में-भीड़", "और-में-सभा", "और-समुदाय", "समूह-"]·ID["dan-dengan-kerumunan", "dan-dengan-kumpulan", "dan-jemaah", "kumpulan-"]·IT["assemblea", "e-assemblea", "e-assemblea-di"]·jav["lan-kaliyan-pakempalan", "lan-kanthi-tiyang-kathah", "lan-pakempalan", "paguyuban-"]·KO["그리고-군중으로-", "그리고-모임으로", "그리고-무리가", "그리고-무리와", "회중을-"]·PT["ajuntamento-de", "e-assembléia", "e-com-assembléia", "e-com-assembléia-de", "e-congregação-de"]·RU["и-с-собранием-", "и-собрание", "и-собранием", "собрание-"]·ES["asamblea-de", "ni-con-asamblea", "y-asamblea", "y-asamblea-de", "y-con-asamblea-de"]·SW["kumbe", "kusanyiko-la", "na-kusanyiko", "na-kwa-mkusanyiko-wa", "na-kwa-umati"]·TR["topluluğunu-", "ve-topluluk", "ve-toplulukla", "ve-toplulukta", "ve-topluluğuyla"]·urd["اور-جماعت", "اور-جماعت-سے", "اور-مجمع", "اور-نہ-جماعت-سے", "مجمع"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
קָהָל123 n.m. Ez 38:15 assembly, convocation, congregation;—abs. ק׳ Je 31:8 +; cstr. קְהַל Ex 12:6 +; sf. קְהָלֶ֑ךָ Ez 38:13, etc.; pl. sf. קְהָלֶיךָ Ez 38:7;— 1. assembly specially convoked: †a. for evil counsel, ‖ סוד Gn 49:6 (poem); ק׳ מרעים ψ 26:5; for civil affairs 1 K 12:3 Pr 5:14; 26:26 Jb 30:28 (Di publice). b. for war or invasion, Nu 22:4 (E), Ju 20:2; 21:5, 8 1 S 17:47 Ez 16:40; 38:7…