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Bible Dictionaries
Congregation
Smith's Bible Dictionary
or Congregation. This describes the Hebrew people, in its collective capacity, under its peculiar aspect as a holy community, held together by religious, rather than political bonds. Sometimes, it is used in a broad sense as inclusive of foreign settlers, Exodus 12:19, but more properly, as exclusively appropriate to the Hebrew element of the population. Numbers 15:15.
The congregation was governed by the father or head of each family and tribe. The number of these representatives being inconveniently large for ordinary business, a further selection was made by Moses of 70, who formed a species of standing committee. Numbers 11:16.
Occasionally indeed, the whole body of people was assembled at the door of the Tabernacle, hence, usually called the Tabernacle of the congregation. Numbers 10:3. The people were strictly bound by the acts of their representatives, even in cases where they disapproved of them. Joshua 9:18.
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Smith, William, Dr. Entry for 'Congregation'. Smith's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/sbd/c/congregation.html. 1901.
