ISB ~ Matthew 4 v23

synagogues:Buildings for Jewish worship, prayer, and instruction in the Scriptures. They also served a more general function as community centers within rural villages. Assemblies were held on the Sabbath (in the evening) and the liturgy centered on the proclamation and explanation of the Hebrew Bible. Since these are unmentioned in the OT, the origin of the synagogue is uncertain. Their beginning may be linked with teaching centers in the 48 Levitical cities (Num 35:1-8) or to the return of the Jewish exiles from Babylon in the sixth century B.C. Since Jewish males were required to travel to the Jerusalem Temple only three times annually (Deut 16:16), the synagogue was a complementary site for non-sacrificial worship and education during the remainder of the year.