ekklesia is a gathered body, usually the community identified with God and sometimes a public assembly.

The term most often denotes a gathered community identified with God, addressed, instructed, cared for, or gathered for shared action. In one occurrence it denotes the public assembly involved in a civic commotion.

1. Community gathered in relation to God · dominant

   The singular and plural noun forms identify communities that receive instruction, have appointed elders, pray, send people, and gather together. In Acts 14:27 the APB renders the clause “gathered the assembly,” while Acts 14:23 describes elders appointed “in each assembly”; 1 Corinthians 14:23 likewise depicts the whole group coming together.

   Acts 14:27Acts 14:231 Corinthians 14:23Acts 12:51 Corinthians 12:281 Timothy 3:15
2. Public gathering amid a civic commotion · rare

   In Acts 19:40 the accusative singular names the gathering connected with an uprising and a commotion; the APB concludes that the speaker “released the assembly.” The clause distinguishes this gathering from the communities elsewhere identified with God or characterized by shared instruction and care.

   Acts 19:40

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the term as “assembly” or “assemblies,” but also uses “church” or “churches” in several verses, such as 1 Corinthians 11:18 and 1 Thessalonians 2:14. These English variations should be read as renderings of the verse rather than separate lexical meanings.