Greek/Hebrew Definitions Strong's #1577: ekklesia (pronounced ek-klay-see'-ah) from a compound of 1537 and a derivative of 2564; a calling out, i.e. (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both):—assembly, church. (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both):--assembly, church. The Church in the Old Testament using the Septuagint (LXX). 2. a. ae 1. Remember that we’ve already discussed the Greek translation, ekklesia, of the Hebrew word qahal. The Hebrew equivalent of ekklesia is the word qahal (קהל). b. Ekklesia, being derived from the verb ek-kaleo, “to call out or forth,” has often been interpreted as an exclusive term, connecting its etymological meaning with the Biblical doctrine that Christians are those “called out of the world by God.”[[12 This doctrine is substantiated apart … However, it should be pointed out that of the 162 occurrences of qahal in the Hebrew Old Testament, approximately 96 times it is translated ekklesia in the Greek Old Testament (LXX), while approximately 45 times it is translated sunagoge (synagogue). A church or congregation. The way the word 'ekklesia' functions in these ancient discourses thus differs from how the term ‘church’ functions in common usage today; if we agree that a translation should communicate approximate meaning across time and culture then clearly this particular translation is inaccurate. The Greek word that is translated as “church” in the Bible is ekklesia. Compare the Greek Ekklesia and Hebrew Qahal. It is translated in most occurrences as an assembly . Parallels in 1 Peter, Exodus, Hosea (chosen generation, royal priesthood, holy nation, peculiar people, Lo Ammi, Lo Ruhamah). G1577 - ἐκκλησία ekklēsía, ek-klay-see'-ah; from a compound of and a derivative of ; a calling out, i.e. Definition: a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly . an assembly of the people convened at the public place of the council for the purpose of deliberating ; the assembly of the Israelites ; any gathering or throng of men assembled by chance, tumultuously ; … This word is made up of a prefix and a root. In his book Hebrew Christianity, Dr. Fruchtenbaum lists a number of things Christ’s Ekklesia has lost because of separating the body of Christ in two and should become a part of the Ekklesia once again: 1) The ability of the Jewish believers to contribute to the growth of the church through the use of his or her spiritual gifts. The political assembly of citizens of an ancient Greek state. The word "ekklesia" has the specific meaning of an assembly or congregation and can only be interpreted to have a universal meaning by imposing the bias or tradition founded in our modern understanding by the use of the English word. The first mention of qahal - ekklesia - church is in D e variym (Deuteronomy).