3862. lahaqah

Lexical Summary

lahaqah: Company, band, assembly

Original Word: לַהֲקָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: lahaqah
Pronunciation: lah-hah-KAH
Phonetic Spelling: (lah-hak-aw')
KJV: company
NASB: company
Word Origin: [probably from an unused root meaning to gather]

1. an assembly

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

company

Probably from an unused root meaning to gather; an assembly -- company.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
band, company
NASB Translation
company (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[לַהֲקָה] noun feminine dubious; according to ᵐ5 ᵑ6 ᵑ7 Aq Symm band, company (perhaps by transposing from קְהִלָּה, compare Thes (קַהֲלָה) The Klo Bu; see also HPS). — לַהֲקִת הַנְּבִיאִים 1 Samuel 19:20.

Topical Lexicon

Scriptural Setting

“Then Saul dispatched men to capture David, but when they saw the company of prophets prophesying with Samuel leading them, the Spirit of God came upon Saul’s men, and they also prophesied.” (1 Samuel 19:20)

The single canonical appearance of לַהֲקָה portrays a gathered group of prophets under the leadership of Samuel at Naioth in Ramah. The term points to an organized circle—more purposeful than a crowd yet less formal than Israel’s later Levitical orders.

Historical Background

During the transitional period from the judges to the united monarchy, Samuel fostered “schools” or groups of prophets (cf. 1 Samuel 10:5; 2 Kings 2:3) who cultivated spiritual discernment and national conscience. These collectives likely provided instruction in Torah, music, and inspired proclamation, thus reinforcing covenant faithfulness while Israel struggled with external threats and internal instability.

The Prophetic Company in Samuel’s Era

1. Leadership: Samuel, recognized as judge, priest, and prophet, presided over the company, illustrating how prophetic ministry functioned alongside royal authority (1 Samuel 3:19–20; 1 Samuel 12:23).
2. Spiritual Atmosphere: The Spirit’s abrupt seizure of Saul’s emissaries—and later of Saul himself (1 Samuel 19:23)—highlights the infectious power of corporate worship and prophetic utterance. God employed the לַהֲקָה as a bulwark protecting David, thereby guiding redemptive history toward the Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7:12–16).
3. Education and Mentoring: Comparable gatherings reappear with Elijah and Elisha (2 Kings 4:38; 2 Kings 6:1). These successions imply that Samuel’s model birthed an enduring prophetic tradition that preserved divine revelation between the Law and the Prophets.

Spiritual Dynamics

• Corporate Anointing: The account demonstrates that the Holy Spirit may rest not only on individuals but also on an assembled body, compelling even hostile observers into prophetic speech.
• Sanctuary of Refuge: David’s safety among the prophets anticipates the Church as a shelter for the persecuted (Acts 12:5–12).
• Sovereign Restraint of Evil: Saul’s murderous intent is checked when confronted with Spirit-empowered worship, underscoring divine control over earthly rulers (Proverbs 21:1).

Messianic and Ecclesiological Foreshadowing

The Spirit-filled company surrounding the Lord’s anointed prefigures the messianic community gathered around Jesus Christ. Just as David was safeguarded within the prophetic assembly, so Christ’s body, the Church, advances under Spirit empowerment despite opposition (Matthew 16:18; Acts 4:31).

Practical Ministry Applications

• Cultivate disciplined gatherings devoted to Scripture, prayer, and worship, expecting collective manifestations of the Spirit.
• Mentor emerging leaders within intentional communities to ensure generational continuity of sound doctrine and prophetic insight (2 Timothy 2:2).
• Recognize that authentic spiritual environments can disarm hostility and turn hearts, as happened to Saul’s messengers; therefore, maintain holy atmospheres in homes, churches, and ministries.

Summary

לַהֲקָה, though rare in vocabulary, illuminates the significance of Spirit-formed communities in God’s redemptive plan. Its solitary appearance captures a moment when prophetic fellowship shielded God’s chosen king and demonstrated the irresistible influence of God’s presence—a timeless pattern for believers who gather in unity under divine authority.

Forms and Transliterations

לַהֲקַ֤ת להקת la·hă·qaṯ lahaKat lahăqaṯ

Englishman's Concordance

1 Samuel 19:20
HEB: וַיַּ֗רְא אֶֽת־ לַהֲקַ֤ת הַנְּבִיאִים֙ נִבְּאִ֔ים
NAS: but when they saw the company of the prophets
KJV: and when they saw the company of the prophets
INT: David saw the company of the prophets prophesying

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 3862
1 Occurrence

la·hă·qaṯ — 1 Occ.