A special note on the use of the Hebrew word ‘qahal’ in the Old Testament meaning ‘congregation’ and the Greek word ‘Ekklesia’ in the New Testament meaning ‘Assembly’.

In the A.V. Acts 7:38 is translated ‘church in the wilderness’, meaning the Hebrews (Israel) of the Old Testament This gives a wrong idea of ‘church’, because the Church was ‘born’ on that special Day of Pentecost and not in the Old Testament Jesus said He will build His Church – future. Acts 7:38 is unfortunately not using the correct word to translate the Hebrew word ‘qahal’. It should be translated ‘congregation’ as it is in the NKJV. The Greek word ‘ekklesia’ is not only used for the New Testament Church but is also in the Septuagint as translation of the Hebrew ‘qahal’, meaning congregation. In Acts 7:38 ‘ekklesia’ is clear hermeneutically and must therefore mean Church, being New Testament and in true context. In Acts, ‘ekklesia’ is also used for assembly of townspeople – not known to be Jews or Gentiles. See Acts 19:32 and 41 where the word ‘ekklesia’ is used for ‘assembly of the unruly pagan Ephesian crowd’ – again used hermeneutically in context. Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum puts it succinctly , “the mere use of ‘ekklesia’ in Acts 7:38 no more proves that Israel is the Church back in the Old Testament context, than its use in Acts 19:32 and 41 proves that the pagan Ephesian unruly crowd constituted the Church.” (“Israelology by Arnold Fruchtenbaum).

    As far as the argument that ‘qahal’ equals ‘ekklesia’, ‘ekklesia’ does not mean ‘an assembly of the people of God’. No lexicon supports this view. Again, Arnold Fruchtenbaum clearly puts it, “the truth is that the Septuagint used ‘ekklesia’, not to teach that Israel and the Church are the same, but because it is the best Greek word to translate the Hebrew ‘qahal’, emphasizing the ‘congregation’ or ‘assembly’ of Israel. Note that the word ‘qahal’ was used when Israel comprised of a majority of unbelievers – in the wilderness. The Septuagint used ‘ekklesia’ there to describe the same thing”. Acts 7:39 makes this clear by saying that ‘Israel’s fathers would not obey, but rejected Moses authority under God, and in their hearts turned back again to Egypt’. This was clearly a rebellious disobedient unbelieving assembly.

Dr Don Hender.