kaleō · call

What it means

kaleō (καλέω) is a Greek word of the Bible that means “call”.

Name; invite.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. To give someone a name.
2. To summon someone, or invite them to a meal or feast.
3. God inviting someone to a new life.

From Abbott-Smith (1922) · Thayer (1889)

Word study

To call: to give a name, to call someone to come, to invite. Abbott-Smith: to call; to summon; to invite to one's house; to name. Of the same family are ἐκκλησία, “assembly”, and παρακαλέω, “to urge, to encourage”.

• Giving a name: “you will call his name Jesus” Matthew 1:21Luke 1:32
• “I did not come to call the righteous” Matthew 9:13
• Inviting to a banquet Matthew 22:3Luke 14:13
• God's calling 1 Corinthians 1:9Romans 8:30

How we translate it

“Called” 99 times, “call” 15, “invited” 9, “calls” 7, “calling” 6, “those who had been invited” 3… At weddings and banquets, “invite”.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• called ×99
• call ×15
• invited ×9
• calls ×7
• calling ×6
• those who had been invited ×3
• invite ×2
• one who invited ×2
• you are invited ×2
• given ×1
• others ×2

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Matthew×26
• Mark×4
• Luke×43
• John×2
• Acts×18
• Romans×8
• 1 Corinthians×12
• Galatians×4
• Ephesians×2
• Colossians×1
• 1 Thessalonians×3
• 2 Thessalonians×1
• 1 Timothy×1
• 2 Timothy×1
• Hebrews×6
• James×1
• 1 Peter×6
• 2 Peter×1
• 1 John×1
• Revelation×7

• Matthew 1:21

  And she will give birth to a son, and you will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

• Matthew 1:23

  “Look, the virgin will be pregnant and will give birth to a son, and they will call his name Immanuel,” which is, translated, “God with us.”

• Matthew 1:25

  and he did not know her until she had given birth to a son; and he called his name Jesus.

• Matthew 2:7

  Then Herod secretly called the magi and learned precisely from them the time when the star appeared.

• Matthew 2:15

  and he was there until the death of Herod, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, when he says, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

• Matthew 2:23

  and he came and settled in a town called Nazareth, so that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

• Matthew 4:21

  And going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.

• Matthew 5:9

  Happy are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

• Matthew 5:19

  So whoever breaks one of these least commandments and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, this one will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

• Matthew 9:13

  So go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

• Matthew 20:8

  And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard says to his steward, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last up to the first.’

• Matthew 21:13

  And he says to them, “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a den of robbers.”

• Matthew 22:3

  And he sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were not willing to come.

• Matthew 22:4

  Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Look, I have prepared my dinner, my bulls and the fattened animals have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”’

• Matthew 22:8

  Then he says to his slaves, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.

• Matthew 22:9

  So go to the places where the roads go out of the city, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding feast.’

• Matthew 22:43

  He says to them, “How then does David, in the Spirit, call him Lord, saying,

• Matthew 22:45

  If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”

• Matthew 23:7

  and the greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by people.

• Matthew 23:8

  But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi,’ for one is your Teacher, and you are all brothers.

• Matthew 23:9

  And do not call anyone on earth your father, for one is your Father, the heavenly one.

• Matthew 23:10

  Nor be called instructors, because your instructor is one, the Messiah.

• Matthew 25:14

  For it is just as a man going on a journey called his own slaves and handed over to them his possessions.

• Matthew 27:8

  Therefore that field has been called Field of Blood to this day.

• Mark 1:20

  And at once he called them; and leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, they went away after him.

• Mark 2:17

  And hearing it, Jesus says to them, “Those who are well have no need of a doctor, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

• Mark 3:31

  And his mother and his brothers come, and standing outside, they sent to him, calling him.

• Mark 11:17

  And he was teaching and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”

• Luke 1:13

  But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will call his name John.

• Luke 1:31

  And look, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will call his name Jesus.

• Luke 1:32

  He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,

• Luke 1:35

  And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore also the holy one to be born will be called Son of God.

• Luke 1:36

  And look, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;

• Luke 1:59

  And it happened on the eighth day that they came to circumcise the child, and they were calling him by the name of his father, Zechariah.

• Luke 1:60

  And his mother answered and said, “No; rather, he will be called John.”

• Luke 1:61

  And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.”

• Luke 1:62

  And they were making signs to his father as to what he would want him to be called.

• Luke 1:76

  And you too, child, will be called prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

• Luke 2:4

  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,

• Luke 2:21

  And when eight days were completed for his circumcision, his name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

And 108 more times.