To call (on)/name
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G1941 can mean to call, name, appeal to, or call upon. In its New Testament settings, the word is used with the range and pressure described by its local passages rather than by a bare gloss alone.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἐπικαλέομαι (G1941) · Open the biblical lexicon
G1941 can mean to call, name, appeal to, or call upon. In its New Testament settings, the word is used with the range and pressure described by its local passages rather than by a bare gloss alone.
The BSB source-word alignment has 30 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include called (4), is called (3), [who] call on (2), appealed (2), call (2).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 10:25. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (20), Romans (3), 1 Corinthians (1), 1 Peter (1).
G1941 can mean to call, name, appeal to, or call upon. In its New Testament settings, the word is used with the range and pressure described by its local passages rather than by a bare gloss alone. Its theological weight appears where people call on the name of the Lord. It also appears in ordinary naming contexts, so the object of the verb is decisive. This companion therefore treats the word as a Scripture-governed guide, not as a shortcut around exegesis.
It helps teachers connect evangelism, worship, prayer, and church identity without reducing salvation to a formula. It should help readers ask better questions of the passage: who is speaking or acting, what covenant or gospel reality is in view, and how the surrounding context limits or strengthens the claim. Calling on the Lord is not magic wording detached from faith.
G1941 ranges from naming someone to invoking the Lord\'s name in faith, dependence, and worship.
And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Peter proclaims that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
While they were stoning him, Stephen appealed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Stephen calls on the Lord Jesus as he dies.
For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Paul repeats the promise within a context of hearing, believing, and preaching.
To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:
Believers everywhere are described as those who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, together with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Calling on the Lord is joined to a pure heart and pursuit of righteousness.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. To call upon in prayer or invocation; to appeal to someone for help or authority.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 32 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
I call by an additional name, appeal to
Read verseI call by an additional name, appeal to
Read verseI call by an additional name, appeal to
Read verseI call by an additional name, appeal to
Read verseI call by an additional name, appeal to
Read verseI call by an additional name, appeal to
Read verseI call by an additional name, appeal to
Read verseI call by an additional name, appeal to
Read verseI call by an additional name, appeal to
Read verseI call by an additional name, appeal to
Read verseI call by an additional name, appeal to
Read verseI call by an additional name, appeal to
Read verseI call by an additional name, appeal to
Read verseI call by an additional name, appeal to
Read verseI call by an additional name, appeal to
Read verseI call by an additional name, appeal to
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How this verb appears across 21 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Representative Scripture witnesses for this entry: passage, original form, and sense in context.
ἐπικαλέομαι is built from these roots:
Expresses personal trust and appeal to the Lord for salvation. Acts 22:6-16
Formal invocation of Roman legal right. Acts 25:1-12
Teach G1941 as invocation shaped by faith, not a verbal mechanism. A faithful teacher should begin with the nearest passage, observe who acts, what is being named, what problem or promise is in view, and what response the text calls for, then move carefully to related passages. It helps explain why believers are marked by calling on the Lord and why that calling belongs with faith, holiness, and worship.
The entry should help readers read Scripture more carefully, not replace the work of tracing the sentence, paragraph, book, and covenant setting. This keeps the word useful for shepherds, teachers, leaders, groups, families, and disciples without letting the word carry claims that belong to the whole passage or canon.
Acts.2.21
The verb can mean name, call for, appeal to, or call upon. The object is decisive.
Joel\'s promise that all who call on the Lord will be saved is taken up in Acts and Romans.
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain