Last Update 01/28/08

Ekklasía (ek-klay-see'-ah) is an English transliteration of a Greek word.

Transliteration: The representation of a word from a language written in one alphabet to another alphabet. A transliteration is a big sounding word that simply means "write the word in English so it sounds as close as possible to how it sounds in Greek (or whatever language you are working with). Then use the written transliteration as a basis for speaking the word. Since a transliteration is not a translation of a Greek word, we must examine the Greek word Ekklasía, directly, to find out what it really means and then use that meaning for the translation into English rather than using a tranliteration of the Greek word.

Transliteration example: when you transliterate the Spanish word digital into English the result is digital. Again, when you transliterate reloj/sonido digital into English the result is digital watch/sound. When you transliterate the Greek word apostolos into English the result is apostles. The resulting transliterations look and sound very similar.

Translation: Translation is the interpretation of the meaning of a text in one language (the "source text") and the production, in another language (the "target language"), of an equivalent text (the "target text," or "translation") that communicates the same message.

Translation example: when you translate the Spanish word ordenador into English the result is computer. Again, when you translate estudia diseño asistido por ordenador into English the result is "she's taking a class in computer-aided design." When you translate the Greek word oikos into English the result is house. The resulting translations do not look or sound like the original language being translated.

Supplantation: Supplatation is the replacement of one word with another without considering either the meaning of the word in one language (the "source text") or the similarity of the word in one language (the "source text") to what the word should be in another language (the "target text"). When one word takes the place of the "rightful" word, it is usually because of underhanded tactics. Supplantation: To usurp the place of, especially through intrigue or underhanded tactics usually by religions or governments. Since supplantation is neither a transliteration nor a translation of a Greek word, we must examine the Greek word Ekklasía, directly, to find out what it really means. Once we know the meaning of the Greek word, we can use that meaning for the translation of the Greek word into the English language.

Supplantation example: when you supplant a translated English word such as assembly, assemblies, gathering, or congregation, with another English word that is not based on the Greek language, the result might be the English word church.

The question that has been raised by some is, "How do you know that the Greek word ekklasía means "congregation," "assembly," or "gathering," and not "church"? Part of the answer has to do with the Greek and English languages. The other part has to do with the current usage of the words "congregation," "assembly," "gathering," and "church." While this is an excellent question, there is no easy answer to it. However, on this web page we will try and address the issue of translating the meaning of ekklasía from the Hebrew and then translating the meaning of ekklasía into English.

It is a well-known fact that there have been problems in translating the New Testament from the beginning. There have been disagreements over specific Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and English words and their meanings. There has been sloppy scholarship. There has been conspiracies among governments and religious institutions that has resulted in the intentional, incorrect translation of many different words for the purpose of deceiving the average, garden variety Christian.

In chapter 3, we discussed that when the Old Testament was translated into Greek (the Septuagint or LXX), the translators usually translated (KaHaL) with the Greek word ekklasía; which comes from the preposition (ek), meaning "out" plus the verb (kaleo), meaning "call." Kahal (from the Hebrew kol, "voice") is generally translated "assembly" or "congregation" (though other words are sometimes used such as "assembly," "company," "congregation," or "multitude." The Septuagint translators used ekklasía to describe an assembly, congregation, and the community of Israel.

In Israel, the legislative assembly was originally composed of the elders of each family group. By the time of Christ it had become a body of rulers exercising authority over the people of Judea. It was a body of lawmakers who exercised authority and ran the offices of government through a vast bureaucratic system.

Since, the authority of the State in Israel was originally in the hands of the elders of each family they did not usually gather together to overthrow the corruption of government since they were the government. The heads of every household were the princes of Israel, which was a government of the people, for the people and by the people, under the God of Heaven as long as they remained faithful to Him. But once the voice of the people sought a king who appointed officers over them from the top down the need for an ekklasía steadily grew.

The meaning of the Hebrew word (KaHaL). The Hebrew Bible had a root word (KaL), which meant "voice" and its verb meant "call." Those who heard the call and answered the call congregated in a (KaHaL), which meant "an assembly."

In Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, the transliterated version of (KaHaL) (6951) as used in Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible is: qahal. Strong gives the English translation of qahal as: "assembly," "company," "congregation," or "multitude." For our purposes in this book, we will use (KaHaL) instead of qahal. The King James Bible translates (KaHaL) as assembly, companies, company, congregation, and multitude throughout the Old Testament.

According to the HTML Bible - Johnhurt.com (the King James Bible Hebrew Concordance) lists the usage the word kahal as; assembly, assemble, congregation, congregate, meeting, gathering, community, and group. The King James Bible translates (KaHaL) as assembly, companies, company, congregation, and multitude throughout the Old Testament.

Proverbs 5:14 in Hebrew

Proverbs 5:14 is translated by the New American Standard Bible Update as:

"I was almost in utter ruin in the midst of the assembly and congregation".

The Hebrew word that is translated congregation is (KaHaL). According to the King James Bible Hebrew Concordance, the Hebrew word kahal is translated throughout the Old Testament as follows:

assembly: Gen 49:6, Exo 12:6, Exo 16:3, Lev 4:13, Num 14:5, Num 20:6, Deu 5:22, Deu 9:10, Deu 10:4, Deu 18:16, Jud 20:2, Jud 21:8, 1 Sam 17:47, 2 Chr 30:23, Jer 26:17, Jer 50:9, Eze 23:24

companies: Eze 26:7

company: Gen 35:11, Num 22:4, Jer 31:8, Eze 16:40, Eze 17:17, Eze 23:46, Eze 23:47, Eze 27:27, Eze 27:34, Eze 32:3, Eze 32:22, Eze 32:23, Eze 38:4, Eze 38:7, Eze 38:13, Eze 38:15

congregation: Lev 4:14, Lev 4:21, Lev 16:17, Lev 16:33, Num 10:7, Num 15:15, Num 16:3, Num 16:33, Num 16:47, Num 19:20, Num 20:4, Num 20:10, Num 20:12, Deu 23:1, Deu 23:2, Deu 23:2, Deu 23:3, Deu 23:3, Deu 23:8, Deu 31:30, Jos 8:35, Jud 21:5, 1 Ki 8:14, 1 Ki 8:14, 1 Ki 8:22, 1 Ki 8:55, 1 Ki 8:65, 1 Ki 12:3, 1 Chr 13:2, 1 Chr 13:4, 1 Chr 28:8, 1 Chr 29:1, 1 Chr 29:10, 1 Chr 29:20, 1 Chr 29:20, 2 Chr 1:3, 2 Chr 1:5, 2 Chr 6:3, 2 Chr 6:3, 2 Chr 6:12, 2 Chr 6:13, 2 Chr 7:8, 2 Chr 20:5, 2 Chr 20:14, 2 Chr 23:3, 2 Chr 24:6, 2 Chr 28:14, 2 Chr 29:23, 2 Chr 29:28, 2 Chr 29:31, 2 Chr 29:32, 2 Chr 30:2, 2 Chr 30:4, 2 Chr 30:13, 2 Chr 30:17, 2 Chr 30:24, 2 Chr 30:24, 2 Chr 30:25, 2 Chr 30:25, 2 Chr 31:18, Ezr 2:64, Ezr 10:1, Ezr 10:8, Ezr 10:12, Ezr 10:14, Neh 5:13, Neh 7:66, Neh 8:2, Neh 8:17, Neh 13:1, Job 30:28, Psa 22:22, Psa 22:25, Psa 26:5, Psa 35:18, Psa 40:9, Psa 40:10, Psa 89:5, Psa 107:32, Psa 149:1, Prov 5:14, Prov 21:16, Prov 26:26, Lam 1:10, Joel 2:16, Micah 2:5

multitude: Gen 28:3, Gen 48:4, Jer 44:15

The translation of Hebrew word (KaHaL) in the Septuagint. When the Old Testament was translated into Greek (the Septuagint or LXX), they usually translated (KaHaL) with the Greek word ekklasía; which comes from the preposition (ek), meaning "out" plus the verb (kaleo), meaning "call." Kahal (from the Hebrew kol, "voice") is generally translated "assembly" or "congregation" (though other words are sometimes used). The Greeks, especially the Athenians, used this word ekklasía to designate "an assembly of the people, called out by the civil magistrate." The Septuagint translators used ekklasía to describe an assembly, congregation, and the community of Israel. What is puzzling is that the Greek translators did not appear to be consistent when translating kahal, since sometimes they chose ekklasía, but in 36 places they chose the word synagogas.

In Proverbs 5:14, we find both the Hebrew word (kahal) and the Hebrew word (`edah). The translators of the Septuagint usually translated the word (`edah) as (syna go gas). In the first century, (syna go gas) did not mean synagogue - a Jewish religious meeting place! It was just a common word for a gathering. For example: Genesis 1:9, says, "Let the waters of heaven be (syna go gas) gathered" and Exodus 12:3 says, "Speak ye unto all the (syna go gas) congregation - `edah - Strong's 5712 - of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:" It seems that the word kahal conveys the idea of a general assembly, whereas the word `edah conveys the idea of assembling at a specific time or at a particular place of meeting for a particular purpose.

The translation of Hebrew word (`edah) in the Septuagint. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible gives the English translation of `edah (5712) as "assembly," "company," "congregation," multitude," "people," "swarm."

Proverbs 5:14 in Hebrew

Proverbs 5:14 is translated by the New American Standard Bible Update as:

"I was almost in utter ruin in the midst of the assembly, and congregation."

The Hebrew word that is translated assembly is (`edah). According to the King James Bible Hebrew Concordance, the Hebrew word `edah is translated, in English, throughout the Old Testament, as follows:

assemblies: Psa 86:14

assembly: Lev 8:4, Num 8:9, Num 10:2, Num 10:3, Num 16:2, Num 20:8, Psa 22:16, Prov 5:14

company: Num 14:7, Num 16:5, Num 16:6, Num 16:11, Num 16:16, Num 16:40, Num 26:9, Num 26:10, Num 27:3, Num 27:3, Job 16:7, Psa 106:17, Psa 106:18

congregation: Exo 12:3, Exo 12:6, Exo 12:19, Exo 12:47, Exo 16:1, Exo 16:2, Exo 16:9, Exo 16:10, Exo 16:22, Exo 17:1, Exo 34:31, Exo 35:1, Exo 35:4, Exo 35:20, Exo 38:25, Lev 4:13, Lev 4:15, Lev 8:3, Lev 8:5, Lev 9:5, Lev 10:17, Lev 16:5, Lev 19:2, Lev 24:14, Lev 24:16, Num 1:2, Num 1:16, Num 1:18, Num 1:53, Num 3:7, Num 4:34, Num 8:20, Num 13:26, Num 13:26, Num 14:1, Num 14:2, Num 14:5, Num 14:10, Num 14:27, Num 14:35, Num 14:36, Num 15:24, Num 15:24, Num 15:25, Num 15:26, Num 15:33, Num 15:35, Num 15:36, Num 16:3, Num 16:9, Num 16:9, Num 16:19, Num 16:19, Num 16:21, Num 16:22, Num 16:24, Num 16:26, Num 16:41, Num 16:42, Num 16:45, Num 16:46, Num 19:9, Num 20:1, Num 20:2, Num 20:8, Num 20:11, Num 20:22, Num 20:27, Num 20:29, Num 25:6, Num 25:7, Num 26:2, Num 26:9, Num 27:2, Num 27:14, Num 27:16, Num 27:17, Num 27:19, Num 27:20, Num 27:21, Num 27:22, Num 31:12, Num 31:13, Num 31:16, Num 31:26, Num 31:27, Num 31:43, Num 32:2, Num 32:4, Num 35:12, Num 35:24, Num 35:25, Num 35:25, Jos 9:15, Jos 9:18, Jos 9:18, Jos 9:19, Jos 9:21, Jos 9:27, Jos 18:1, Jos 20:6, Jos 20:9, Jos 22:12, Jos 22:16, Jos 22:17, Jos 22:18, Jos 22:20, Jos 22:30, Jud 20:1, Jud 21:10, Jud 21:13, Jud 21:16, 1 Ki 8:5, 1 Ki 12:20, 2 Chr 5:6, Job 15:34, Psa 1:5, Psa 7:7, Psa 74:2, Psa 82:1, Psa 111:1, Jer 6:18, Jer 30:20, Hos 7:12

multitude: Psa 68:30

people: Lev 10:6

swarm: Jud 14:8

The Greeks, especially the Athenians, used the word ekklasía to designate "an assembly of the people, called out by the civil magistrate."

The words agora and paneguris as well as heorte, koinon, thiasos, sunagoge and sunago can all mean an assembly. The word ekklasía was a political term, not a religious term. Jesus was the King and the Bible used the term ekklasía for a good reason. In classical Greek ekklasía meant "an assembly of citizens summoned by the crier, the legislative assembly."1 End Note:

How was ekklasía used among the Greeks and Romans? The Greek word ekklasía is from two words: ek , out of, and klesis, a calling. Ekklasía was used among the Greeks of a body of citizens gathered to discuss the affairs of state (Acts 19:32 , 39, 41).

When the Greek city states found their governments had become too corrupt and oppressive, they would call for an ekklasía, an assembly outside the civil authority of the city. If enough people came out and refused to accept the existing centralized civil authority, that government would collapse. Non participation has been a successful and peaceful means to free mankind from oppressive civil authority throughout history.

Ekklasía, derived via ek-kaleo, which was used for the summons to the army to assemble, from kaleo, to call (--. Call). It is attested from Eur. and Hdt. onwards (5th cent. B.C.), and denotes in the usage of antiquity the popular assembly of the competent full citizens of the polis, city. It reached its greatest importance in the 5th cent, and met at regular intervals (in Athens about 30--40 times a year, elsewhere less frequently) and also in cases of urgency as an extra-ordinary ekklasía. Its sphere of competence included decisions on suggested changes in the law (which could only be effected by the council of the 400), on appointments to official positions and -- at least in its heyday -- on every important question of internal and external policy (contracts, treaties, war and peace, finance). To these was added in special cases (e.g. treason) the task of sitting in judgment, which as a rule fell to regular courts. The ekklasía opened with prayers and sacrifices to the gods of the city.
(3) End Notes: 3. Colin Brown, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology. 3 vols. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979), p. 291.

It should be noted that the word ekklasía was used to denote the meeting together of a special assembly. Brown further defines the word as to it political characteristics:

Thus ekklasía, centuries before the translation of the OT and the time of the NT, was clearly characterized as a political phenomenon, repeated according to certain rules and within a certain framework. It was the assembly of full citizens, functionally rooted in the constitution of the democracy, an assembly in which fundamental political and judicial decisions were taken.

What is noteworthy, however, is that the word ekklasía, throughout the Gk. and Hel. areas, always retained its reference to the assembly of the polis. In only three exceptional cases was it used for the business meeting of a cultic guild (cf. H. Lietzmann, An die Korintlier, 9, 4). Otherwise it was never used for guilds or religious fellowships. These were referred to by such expressions as thiasos, cultic assembly to worship a god; lit, contract of partnership, but in this context a fellowship which held particular feasts (heorte), to which each participant contributed; koinon, lit, that which is in common (--. Fellowship, art. koinos); or synodos, which meant a group following the same --. way, i.e. the same teaching. Significantly, however, none of words found its way into the NT. (4) End Notes: 4. Brown, pp. 291-292.

But, the question remains, "What did the disciples of Christ think about when they used the Greek word ekklasía as they wrote the New Testament?"

What is the origin of the term "church?" There is some uncertainty on the exact development of the word "church." The Compact Oxford English Dictionary says its origin is "from Greek kuriakon doma 'Lord's house'." Kuriakon is from kurios 'master or lord'. According to The Online Etymology Dictionary, it is from the Old English cirice, from West Germanic kirika, and from Greek kyriake, meaning Lord's, and the Greek adjective kyriakon, of the Lord.

Another source identifies "church" from the Old English chirche and cherche, and from the Anglo-Saxon circe, cirice, and cyrice. It also compares to the Scottish word kirk, the Dutch kerk, the Danish kirke, and the German kirche.

The following shows the development of the word "church" in its various word forms, tracing it back to the Greek kyriaka, the plural form of kyriakon.

1600 - church becomes common spelling during long process of standardization.
1500 - church, churche, chirch, chirche, chyrch, chyrche, church, cherche
1400 - churche, chirch, chirche, chyrch, chyrche, cherch, cherche
1300 - churche, chirch, chirche, chyrch, chyrche, cherch, cherche
1200 - churche, chureche, churiche, cherche, chereche, chyrche, chyreche, chireche, chiriche, chirche
1100 - chirche, chiriche, chireche, chyreche, chyrce (Middle English period 1100-1500)
1000 - cirice, cyrice, circe, cyrce (Old English/Anglo-Saxon period 600-1100)
300+ - kirika, kerika (W. German/Old Saxon-Pre-English period)
200+ - kyriaka/kuriaka, the plural form of kyriakon (Greek)

However linguists may differ on the exact development of the word 'church,' most agree it comes to us from the Greek kyriakon "belonging to the lord" and its use dates back to the third century.

According to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary the English word 'church' comes from "Middle English chirche, from Old English cirice, ultimately from Late Greek (koo-ree-a-kón), from Greek, neuter of kyriakos "of the lord", from kyrios lord, master".

In tracing the word "church" back to its earliest recorded occurrence, we learn it came from a Greek word (koo-ree-a-kón) meaning "of the Lord". The earliest written record of kyriakon was more than two hundred years after Jesus and the twelve (apostles) died. People used it of the building in which Christians met for corporate worship, kyriakon doma or house of the Lord."

The word 'church' in the English New Testament was supposedly translated from the Greek word ekklasía which comes from two words 'ek' meaning 'out' and 'kaleo' meaning to 'call.' An ekklasía or 'calling out' was not just an assembly. However, scholars agree, ekklasía is not a Greek word that can be properly translated 'church.'

A word search for the Greek word (koo-ree-a-kón) was conducted in The Blue Letter Bible Dictionary to see if (koo-ree-a-kón) is found anywhere in the Bible. It is found in the New Testament only twice, translated once as "the Lord's supper" and once as "the Lord's day" but never translated as 'church'. The Greek root of our English word church isn't used in the New Testament as 'church'. Since it is not there, how did 'church' get into our Bible?

The Greek word (koo-ree-a-kón) and the Greek word ekklasía have "no etymological connection... they are two entirely different words... words like "church" or "churches" do not convey the meaning of the Greek word ekklasía."

The Online Etymology Dictionary confirms the Greek word kyriakos as the origin of our English word 'church'. It states, "O.E. cirice 'church,' from W.Gmc. *kirika, from Gk. kyriake (oikia) "Lord's (house)," from kyrios "ruler, lord." For vowel evolution, see bury. Gk. kyriakon (adj.) "of the Lord" was used of houses of Christian worship since c.300, especially in the East, though it was less common in this sense than ekklasía or basilike. An example of the direct Gk.-to-Gmc. progress of many Christian words, via the Goths; it was probably used by W.Gmc. people in their pre-Christian period. Also picked up by Slavic, via Gmc. (cf. O.Slav. criky, Rus. cerkov). Romance and Celtic languages use variants of L. ekklasía. Slang church key for "can or bottle opener" is from 1950s. Church-mouse, proverbial in many languages for its poverty, is 1731 in Eng."

Why doesn't Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words provide a Greek word for 'church'? When we look up the word CHURCH in Vine's Dictionary, we find the following listing: "For CHURCH see ASSEMBLY AND CONGREGATION." What this tells us is that there is no Greek word that can be translated 'church'. The reason he did not give a Greek word for 'church' is because the sacred writings simply do not contain the Greek word for "church" (Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, copyright 1996, p. 102).

How did Robert Young translate ekklasía? Robert Young (1822-1888) was a Scottish editor and publisher who became proficient in several ancient languages through self-study. Earnest students of the Holy Scriptures, through the years, have considered Young's Literal Translation of the Holy Bible (YLT) [1898] an excellent, literal, translation. The YLT is a strictly literal and idiomatic rendering of the Original Greek Texts. The Greek Text followed is that generally recognized as the "Received Text," or the "Textus Receptus," from which the King James Version was translated. Jesus stated in Matthew 16:18 that he was going to build his "ekklasía", or as the 1898 Young's Literal Translation puts it "...I will build my assembly..." Did you catch it, did you notice that Robert Young did not use "church" to translate ekklasía?

The writers of the New Testament used the Greek word ekklasía 114 times in 111 verses. Just what were these writers thinking when they used the term ekklasía?

Ekklasía is used in the New Testament in reference to Jesus Christ, Christians, geographical locations...for example:

There is a link between the Greek New Testament, the Hebrew Bible and the Greek translation of that Hebrew Bible - the Septuagint (LXX). Both the Hebrew Bible and the Septuagint were used throughout the Roman Empire during the days of Christ and His disciples.

What is interesting is that when the Jewish translators translated some of the Hebrew words, they used the Greek word ekklasía to convey their meaning. So what were the Jewish translators trying to convey from the Hebrew to the Greek by using the Greek word ekklasía? Why do we have to use the Hebrew Bible to gain insight into the meaning of the Greek word ekklasía? Because, when the Jewish scholars translated the Hebrew Bible into Greek (the LXX), they used the Greek word ekklasía to convey the meaning of certain Hebrew words. That Greek translation, called The Septuagint, was also extensively quoted by the writers of the New Testament who used the Greek word ekklasía 114 times in 111 verses.

Try the following exercise: Look up church in your New Testament...all 114 times it can be found. Next, replace the word 'church' with 'assembly' 'assemblies' 'congregation' 'gathering' or 'company.' Then, read the verse(s) within the paragraph or chapter that it is found. Finally, ask yourself the question, "Which of these words best fit the meaning of this Biblical passage?"

Notice that the meaning changes depending on the context. Write down the different meanings and ponder the exact meaning of ekklasía This is a good beginning for your personal research into the meaning of ekklasía. This process will help you to purge your thinking that is currently tied to the word 'church.'

The contents of this web page are excerpted from chapter 4, The Translation of KaHal and edah, and chapter 9, The Translation of Ekklasía, in the unpublished manuscript with the working title The Great Church Conspiracy.

© 2007 by Jerold L. Reed All Rights Reserved

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