kara · call, proclaim

What it means

kara (קָרָא) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “call, proclaim”.

Call: speak out to someone, summon, invite, give a name, proclaim; also read aloud. "Call on the name of YHWH" is to pray to him and worship him.

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 shout to YHWH for help, call on his name.
2. To raise the voice to someone so that he comes, or to invite him.
3. To give someone a name.
4. To announce aloud.
5. To say a written text aloud.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Call out aloud. BDB: to address someone by name, with many uses: call, summon, call on, proclaim, give a name and read aloud.

• To give a name Genesis 1:5
• To call or summon someone Genesis 12:18
• To call on the name of YHWH Genesis 4:26
• To proclaim, to call out Exodus 34:6Isaiah 6:3Isaiah 40:6
• To read aloud Exodus 24:7Nehemiah 8:8

Historical and cultural background

The public reading of the instruction is part of the people's life: Moses reads the book of the covenant (Exodus 24:7), Deuteronomy 31:11 commands it to be read before all Israel, and in Nehemiah 8:8 it is read and its sense is given.

How we translate it

“Called” 378 times, “call” 153, “read” 35, “proclaim” 27, “cried out” 21, “proclaimed” 17, “invited” 15. With the name of YHWH it is “call on”; with an announcement, “proclaim” (also the “holy convocations” of the feasts, Leviticus 23:2); with a book, “read”.

How it is translated

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

• called ×378
• call ×153
• read ×35
• proclaim ×27
• calls ×25
• cried out ×21
• proclaimed ×17
• invited ×15
• cry out ×9
• summoned ×8
• others ×47

Related words

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

Where it appears

• Genesis×111
• Exodus×34
• Leviticus×9
• Numbers×16
• Deuteronomy×22
• Joshua×15
• Judges×27
• Ruth×7
• 1 Samuel×37
• 2 Samuel×30
• 1 Kings×41
• 2 Kings×34
• 1 Chronicles×14
• 2 Chronicles×15
• Ezra×2
• Nehemiah×8
• Esther×11
• Job×10
• Psalms×56
• Proverbs×17
• Ecclesiastes×1
• Song of Songs×1
• Isaiah×85
• Jeremiah×64
• Lamentations×7
• Ezekiel×9
• Daniel×5
• Hosea×10
• Joel×6
• Amos×6
• Jonah×8
• Micah×2
• Habakkuk×1
• Zephaniah×2
• Haggai×1
• Zechariah×11
• Malachi×1

• Genesis 1:5

  And Elohim called the light “Day,” and the darkness he called “Night.” And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

• Genesis 1:8

  And Elohim called the vault “Heavens.” And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

• Genesis 1:10

  And Elohim called the dry ground “Earth,” and the gathering of the waters he called “Seas.” And Elohim saw that it was good.

• Genesis 2:19

  And YHWH Elohim formed from the ground every animal of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called it, as a living being, that was its name.

• Genesis 2:20

  And the man gave names to all the livestock and to the birds of the sky and to every animal of the field; but for Adam there was not found a helper corresponding to him.

• Genesis 2:23

  And the man said, “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called Woman, because from Man this one was taken.”

• Genesis 3:9

  And YHWH Elohim called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

• Genesis 3:20

  And the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.

• Genesis 4:17

  And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. And he was building a city, and he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.

• Genesis 4:25

  And Adam knew his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and called his name Seth, “for Elohim has granted me another offspring in place of Abel, because Cain killed him.”

• Genesis 4:26

  And to Seth, to him also, a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. Then people began to call on the name of YHWH.

• Genesis 5:2

  Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and called their name “Human Being” in the day they were created.

• Genesis 5:3

  And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years and fathered a son in his likeness, according to his image, and called his name Seth.

• Genesis 5:29

  And he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will comfort us from our work and from the toil of our hands, from the ground that YHWH has cursed.”

• Genesis 11:9

  That is why its name was called Babel, because there YHWH confused the language of all the earth, and from there YHWH scattered them over the face of all the earth.

• Genesis 12:8

  From there he moved on to the mountain east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to YHWH and called on the name of YHWH.

• Genesis 12:18

  So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?

• Genesis 13:4

  to the place of the altar that he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of YHWH.

• Genesis 16:11

  And the angel of YHWH said to her, “Look, you are pregnant and will bear a son, and you will call his name Ishmael, for YHWH has heard your affliction.

• Genesis 16:13

  So she called the name of YHWH, who was speaking to her, “You are El Roi,” for she said, “Have I really seen here after the one who sees me?”

• Genesis 16:14

  That is why the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; look, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

• Genesis 16:15

  Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.

• Genesis 17:5

  No longer will your name be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

• Genesis 17:15

  Elohim said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, for Sarah will be her name.

• Genesis 17:19

  Elohim said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish my covenant with him as an eternal covenant for his offspring after him.

• Genesis 19:5

  They called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, so that we may know them.”

• Genesis 19:22

  Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” That is why the name of the city was called Zoar.

• Genesis 19:37

  The older bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of Moab to this day.

• Genesis 19:38

  The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi; he is the father of the sons of Ammon to this day.

• Genesis 20:8

  So Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants and told all these things in their ears; and the men were very afraid.

• Genesis 20:9

  Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? Deeds that ought not to be done you have done to me.”

• Genesis 21:3

  Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.

• Genesis 21:12

  But Elohim said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your eyes on account of the boy and on account of your slave woman. All that Sarah says to you, listen to her voice, for through Isaac offspring will be named for you.

• Genesis 21:17

  Elohim heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of Elohim called to Hagar from the heavens and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for Elohim has heard the voice of the boy where he is.

• Genesis 21:31

  That is why he called that place Beersheba, because there the two of them swore.

• Genesis 21:33

  He planted a tamarisk in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of YHWH, El Olam.

• Genesis 22:11

  But the angel of YHWH called to him from the heavens and said, “Abraham! Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

• Genesis 22:14

  Abraham called the name of that place YHWH Yireh, as it is said to this day, “On the mountain of YHWH it will be seen.”

• Genesis 22:15

  The angel of YHWH called to Abraham a second time from the heavens

• Genesis 24:57

  They said, “Let us call the girl and ask her.”

And 696 more times.