CONGREGATION, the supreme political body of the Hebrew nation, duly met in congress, is designated in the original by two words of nearly equal frequency in the sacred writings rry, from ly+ to appoint, also to bring together; and from z. q. KaViP, to convoke (Sept. cruPayurp j; Vulgate, Congregatio, Ccrtus, Ecclesia). The phrase, tabernacle of the Congregation,' how ever, which so frequently occurs as indicating the platy of meeting, is described by neither of these ently mark the difference also, the LXX. invariably translating this phrase by i cricnvil roD Aapruptou and the Vulg. by tabernaculunz testimonii. [Al though when the word `WM occurs without the (as in Num. xvi. 2) it has somewhat of the ambiguity of the Latin Curia, which equally well signifies the Senate and the Senate House. In this passage 13.T2 is translated by BouXi? and Tempus Concilii ; in many other passages the word is variously rendered; but generally bears reference to a set time or place, e. g. in Lam. i. 15, A. V. renders it assembly; but in ii. 6, place of assembly and solemn feast; the LXX. and Vulgate are equally capricious,—Katp6s and tempus standing in Lam. i. 15 and goprt tabernaculum and festivitas in ii. 6].* There is good reason to believe that, not unlike the Servian constitution of the Roman people (Arnold's History of Rome, i. 7o), the Hebrew nation from the first received a twofold organisation, militazy as well as politicaL (Corn pare Exod. xii. 51; Num. i. 3 (and throughout); Num. xxvi. 3 ; and I Chron. vii. 4 and 4o. See also Lowman's Dissertation on the Civil Government of the Hebrews, 159, 186, etc.) The classification of the people is very clearly indicated in Josh. vii. 14-18. (1) The Tribe ( or ta2t,) was divided into clans, gentes, A. V. families,' (2) Each Miskpachah comprised a number of familia, A. V. Houses,' (3) Each I1'2 or house' was made up of qualified men,' fit for military as well as political service, being twenty years old and upward (Num. i. 3). The word which
describes the individual member of the body politic, [plur. is very significant ; for it means vir a robore dictus, (Gesenius, Thes. i. 262), ' a man of valour' from 121 to be strong (Furst. Hebr.
Wiirterb. i. 239; Meier Hebr. Wurz. w.-b. 251). Now it was the organic union of the twelve tribes, which constituted in the highest and truest sense the My or 1p, i. e., Congregation'—convened duly for a competent purpose. (Kurtz, Hist. Old Covt. [Clark] ii. 163). As with the Greeks there was an drqsla, and with the Latins a Deminutio Capitis, so there were sundry faults which deprived a home-born Israelite (ri-v, LXX. ; or doeXcbos, elvis, in Deut. i. 16) of his privilege as a member of the national assembly (See Deut. xxiii. 1-3 [comp. with Neh. xiii. 1-3] ; also Exod. xii. 17, 19 ; xxx. 33, 33; xxxi. 14; Lev. vii. 20, 21, 25, 27; xvii. 4, 9, so, 14; xviii. 29; xix. 8; xx. 3, 6, 17, 18; xxii. 3; xxiii. 29; Num. ix. 13 ; xv. 31; xix. 2o). On the other hand, the franchise or civitas was conferred (with certain exceptions, such as are mentioned in Deut. xxiii. 3) on foreigners ?'elp (A. V. strangers; LXX. rpocrOurat; Vulg. peregrini) after they had qualified themselves by circumcision,-' (Exod. xii.
19 ; Lev. xix. 34; Deut. xxix. II, comp. with Is. lvi. 6, 7). The words, which stand at the head of our article to express the national congre gation, sometimes imply (t) a meeting of the whole mass of the people ; sometimes (2) a congress of deputies (Jahn's Hebrew Republic, 243). (1.) At first when the entire nation dwelt in tents in their migration from Egypt to Canaan under the im mediate command of the great legislator, the Con gregation seems to have comprised every qualified Israelite, who had the right of a personal presence and vote in the congress. In Exod. xxxv. t, this ample assembly is designated 9N1t,t+ the entire Sons of Israel [7rdrra plcroctO, 07117ZiS turbafiliorum Israel].