Ekklesia (assembly) — Meaning in the Bible
Greek for an assembly of people called together. The New Testament uses it for the gathered followers of Jesus, translated "church" or "assembly".
Scripture in WEBWorld English Bible — Protestant Edition
What it means
In Acts 19 ekklesia is used of the town assembly in Ephesus; most often in the New Testament it means the community of believers. Acts 19:32Acts 19:39Acts 8:1
The Greek Old Testament used the same word for the assembly of Israel, which Stephen recalls as "the assembly in the wilderness". Acts 7:38
Key passages
- Matthew 16:18 — I will build my assembly.
- Acts 7:38 — The assembly in the wilderness.
- Acts 19:32–41 — A town assembly.
- 1 Corinthians 1:2 — The assembly of God at Corinth.
Original language
A Strong’s number is a reference identifier, not a complete definition: what a word means in a passage depends on its context. Lexical data: STEPBible.org, based on work at Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).