Meaning
Synagogue <1,,4864, sunagoge>
properly "a bringing together" (sun, "together," ago, "to bring"), denoted (a) "a gathering of things, a collection," then, of "persons, an assembling, of Jewish religious gatherings," e.g., Act 9:2; an assembly of Christian Jews, Jam 2:2, RV, "synagogue" (AV, marg.; text, "assembly"); a company dominated by the power and activity of Satan, Rev 2:9, Rev 3:9; (b) by metonymy, "the building" in which the gathering is held, e.g. Mat 6:2, Mar 1:21. The origin of the Jewish "synagogue" is probably to be assigned to the time of the Babylonian exile. Having no temple, the Jews assembled on the Sabbath to hear the Law read, and the practice continued in various buildings after the return. Cp. Psa 74:8.
