Congregation

A group of people gathered together for a particular purpose or activity. The Hebrew word usually rendered “congregation” in the New World Translation is qa·halʹ, which is from a root meaning “call together; congregate.” (Nu 20:8; De 4:10) It is frequently used for an organized body, being found in the expressions “congregation of Israel” (Le 16:17; Jos 8:35; 1Ki 8:14), “congregation of the true God” (Ne 13:1), “congregation of Jehovah” (De 23:2, 3; Mic 2:5), and “Jehovah’s congregation” (Nu 20:4; 1Ch 28:8). Qa·halʹ designates various kinds of human gatherings, as for religious purposes (De 9:10; 18:16; 1Ki 8:65; Ps 22:25; 107:32), for dealing with civil affairs (1Ki 12:3), and for warfare (1Sa 17:47; Eze 16:40). In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon is identified as “the congregator” (Heb., qo·heʹleth). (Ec 1:1, 12) As the king, he congregated or assembled the people to the worship of Jehovah, one notable instance being when he gathered his subjects to the newly constructed temple in Jerusalem.​—1Ki 8:1-5; 2Ch 5:2-6.
An organized group of Witnesses who regularly meet together for worship. A body of elders is designated to share the responsibility of conducting various programs of Bible instruction and providing spiritual guidance for the congregation as a group and on an individual basis. Congregation meetings are open to the public. They are free of charge and no collections are taken.
Category:Congregation