Places & biblical world
Synagogue
A Jewish gathering and its meeting place for Scripture, prayer, and communal life.
Also called · assembly
What it means
The Greek word first emphasizes an assembly and came to name the local institution and building.
Unlike the Jerusalem temple, synagogues did not center on the regular sacrificial altar.
How it appears in the Bible
Jesus reads Scripture in the Nazareth synagogue, and Acts repeatedly places Paul’s teaching in synagogues.
Translation note
The institution developed over time; not every early assembly had the same building or order.