'Called' in the Bible

Then the king of Israel said, “We are doomed, for the Lord has called these three kings to be handed over to Moab.”

Now Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What business do you have with me? Go to the prophets of your [wicked] father [Ahab] and to the prophets of your [pagan] mother [Jezebel].” But the king of Israel said to him, “No, for the Lord has called these three kings together to be handed over to Moab.”

And he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her and she stood before him.

He said, “Call her.” So Gehazi called her, and she [came and] stood in the doorway.

Then she called to her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so that I may run to the man of God and return.”

Then Elisha called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her. And when she came to him, he said, “Pick up your son.”

Now the heart of the king of Aram (Syria) was enraged over this thing. He called his servants and said to them, “Will you not tell me which of us is helping the king of Israel?”

So they came and called to the gatekeepers of the city. They told them, “We went to the camp of the Arameans (Syrians), and behold, there was no one there, nor the sound of man there—only the horses and donkeys tied up, and the tents [had been left] just as they were.”

Then the gatekeepers called out and it was reported to the king’s household inside [the city].

Now Elisha had said to the [Shunammite] woman whose son he had restored to life, “Prepare and go, you and your household, and stay temporarily wherever you can; for the Lord has called for a famine, and moreover, it will come on the land [and continue] for seven years.”

Now Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Gird up your loins (prepare for action), take this flask of oil in your hand and go to Ramoth-gilead.

Then King Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest and the [other] priests and said to them, “Why are you not repairing the damage of the house (temple)? Now then, do not take any more money from your acquaintances, but turn it all over for [the repair of] the damages of the house.” [You are no longer responsible for this work. I will take it into my own hands.]

Amaziah killed 10,000 [men] of Edom in the Valley of Salt, and took Sela (rock) by war, and renamed it Joktheel, to this day.

He removed the high places [of pagan worship], broke down the images (memorial stones) and cut down the Asherim. He also crushed to pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the Israelites had burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan [a bronze sculpture].

When they called for the king, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the [king’s] household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the secretary went out to [meet] them.

Maacah the wife of Machir gave birth to a son; she named him Peresh. The name of his brother was Sheresh; his sons were Ulam and Rakem.

Then he went in to his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to a son, and he named him Beriah (on misfortune), because tragedy had come on his house.

Then David lived in the stronghold; so it was called the City of David.

David and all Israel went up to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim, which belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God the Lord who sits enthroned above the cherubim, the ark which is called by His name.

David became angry because of the Lord’s outburst against Uzza; so that place is called Perez-uzza to this day.

So Israel came up to Baal-perazim, and David defeated the Philistines there. Then David said, “God has broken through my enemies by my hand, like the breakthrough of waters.” Therefore they named that place Baal-perazim.

Then David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites—Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab,

Then David built an altar to the Lord there and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings. And he called on the Lord, and He answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.

Then he called for Solomon his son and ordered him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel.

He erected the pillars in front of the temple, one on the right, the other on the left, and named the one on the right Jachin (may He establish) and the one on the left Boaz (in Him is strength).

then hear from heaven, from Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, so that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, and fear You [reverently and worshipfully], as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Your Name.

and My people, who are called by My Name, humble themselves, and pray and seek (crave, require as a necessity) My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear [them] from heaven, and forgive their sin and heal their land.

Then the king of Israel called for an officer and said, “Bring Micaiah the son of Imla quickly.”

Then on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, for it was there that they blessed the Lord. For that reason they named that place “The Valley of Beracah (blessing)” until today.

So the king called for Jehoiada the high priest and said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax for the tent of the testimony which was authorized by Moses, the servant of the Lord and the servant of the assembly of Israel?”

Then they said, “We will give it back and not require anything from them. We will do exactly as you say.” Then I called the priests and took an oath from them that they would act in accordance with this promise.

Of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, and the sons of Barzillai, who [was so named because he had] married one of the daughters of Barzillai, the [well-known] Gileadite, and was named after them.

In the evening she would go in and the next morning she would return to the second harem, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he delighted in her and she was summoned by name.

Then the king’s scribes (secretaries) were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and it was written just as Haman commanded to the king’s satraps (chief rulers), and to the governors who were over each province and to the officials of each people, each province according to its script (writing), each people according to their own language; being written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king’s signet ring.

Then Esther summoned Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs, whom the king had appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to find out what this issue was and why it had come about.

“All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that for any man or woman who comes to the king to the inner court without being summoned, he has but one law, that he is to be put to death, unless the king holds out to him the golden scepter so that he may live. And as for me, I have not been summoned to come to the king for these [last] thirty days.”

Nevertheless, Haman controlled himself and went home. There he sent for his friends and his wife Zeresh.

So the king’s scribes were called at that time in the third month (that is, the month of Sivan) on the twenty-third day; and it was written in accordance with everything that Mordecai commanded, to the Jews, to the chief rulers (satraps), and the governors and officials of the provinces which extended from India to Ethiopia (Cush), 127 provinces, to every province in its own script (writing), and to every people in their own language and to the Jews according to their script and their language.

Therefore they called these days Purim after the name Pur (lot). And because of all the instructions in this letter, and what they had faced in this regard and what had happened to them,

“If I called and He answered me,I could not believe that He was listening to my voice.

“I am a joke to my friends;I, one whom God answered when he called upon Him—A just and blameless man is a joke [and laughed to scorn].

“For when an ear heard [my name mentioned], it called me happy and fortunate;And when an eye saw [me], it testified for me [approvingly],

“Can you bind the chains of [the cluster of stars called] Pleiades,Or loose the cords of [the constellation] Orion?

And he called the name of the first [daughter] Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch.

I have called upon You, for You, O God, will answer me;Incline Your ear to me, hear my speech.

In my distress [when I seemed surrounded] I called upon the LordAnd cried to my God for help;He heard my voice from His temple,And my cry for help came before Him, into His very ears.

The Lord will protect him and keep him alive;And he will be called blessed in the land;You do not hand him over to the desire of his enemies.

Why do you look with envy, mountains with many peaks,At the mountain [of the city of Zion] which God has desired for His dwelling place?Yes, the Lord will dwell there forever.

“You called in [the time of] trouble and I rescued you;I answered you in the secret place of thunder;I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah.

My eye grows dim with sorrow.O Lord, I have called on You every day;I have spread out my hands to You [in prayer].

Moses and Aaron were among His priests,And Samuel was among those who called on His name;They called upon the Lord and He answered them.

And He called for a famine upon the land [of Egypt];He cut off every source of bread.

Then I called on the name of the Lord:“O Lord, please save my life!”

Out of my distress I called on the Lord;The Lord answered me and set me free.

On the day I called, You answered me;And You made me bold and confident with [renewed] strength in my life.

“Because I called and you refused [to answer],I stretched out my hand and no one has paid attention [to my offer];

The wise in heart will be called understanding,And sweet speech increases persuasiveness and learning [in both speaker and listener].

He who plans to do evilWill be called a schemer or deviser of evil.

Surely I am more brutish and stupid than any man,And I do not have the understanding of a man [for I do not know what I do not know].

(The Shulammite Bride)“Awake, O north wind,And come, south wind [blow softly upon my garden];Make my garden breathe out fragrance, [for the one in whom my soul delights],Let its spices flow forth.Let my beloved come into his gardenAnd eat its choicest fruits.” Cross references: Song of Solomon 4:7 : John 14:18; Eph 5:27 Song of Solomon 4:8 : 2 Cor 11:2, 3 Song of Solomon 4:10 : John 15:9; Rom 8:35 Song of Solomon 4:13 : John 15:5; Eph 5:9 Song of Solomon 4:15 : John 4:10; 7:37, 38 end of crossrefs

“I opened for my beloved,But my beloved had turned away and was gone.My heart went out to him when he spoke.I searched for him, but I could not find him;I called him, but he did not answer me.

But my dove, my perfect one, stands alone [above them all];She is her mother’s only daughter;She is the pure child of the one who bore her.The maidens saw her and called her blessed and happy,The queens and the concubines also, and they praised her, saying,

(The Chorus)“Return, return, O Shulammite;Return, return, that we may gaze at you.”

“Then I will restore your judges as at the first,And your counselors as at the beginning;Afterward you will be called the city of righteousness,The faithful city.”

And in that day seven women will take hold of one man, saying, “We will eat our own food and wear [and provide] our own clothes; only let us be called by your name; take away our shame [of being unmarried].”

It will come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy (set apart for God)—everyone who is recorded for [eternal] life in Jerusalem.

For to us a Child shall be born, to us a Son shall be given;And the government shall be upon His shoulder,And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of [the Hebrews of] Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord of hosts. One [of them] will be called the City of Destruction.

Therefore in that day the Lord God of hosts called you to weeping, to mourning,To shaving the head and to wearing sackcloth [in humiliation].

For Egypt’s help is worthless and good for nothing.Therefore, I have called her“Rahab Who Has Been Exterminated.”

For so the Lord says to me,“As the lion or the young lion growls over his prey,And though a large group of shepherds is called out against himHe will not be terrified at their voice nor cringe at their noise,So the Lord of hosts will come down to wage war on Mount Zion and on its hill.”

The fool (the good-for-nothing) will no longer be called noble,Nor the rogue said to be generous.

A highway will be there, and a roadway;And it will be called the Holy Way.The unclean will not travel on it,But it will be for those who walk on the way [the redeemed];And fools will not wander on it.

You whom I [the Lord] have taken from the ends of the earth,And called from its remotest partsAnd said to you, ‘You are My servant,I have chosen you and have not rejected you [even though you are exiled].

“I am the Lord, I have called You (the Messiah) in righteousness [for a righteous purpose],I will also take You by the hand and keep watch over You,And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people [Israel],As a light to the nations (Gentiles),

But now, this is what the Lord, your Creator says, O Jacob,And He who formed you, O Israel,“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you [from captivity];I have called you by name; you are Mine!

Everyone who is called by My Name,Whom I have created for My glory,Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”

“Yet you have not called on Me [in prayer and worship], O Jacob;But you have grown weary of Me, O Israel.

“For the sake of Jacob My servant,And of Israel My chosen,I have also called you by your name;I have given you an honorable nameThough you have not known Me.

“Come down and sit in the dust,O virgin daughter of Babylon;Sit on the ground [in abject humiliation]; there is no throne for you,O daughter of the Chaldeans,For you will no longer be called tender and delicate.

“Sit in silence, and go into darkness,O daughter of the Chaldeans;For you will no longer be calledThe queen of kingdoms.

“Hear this, O house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of IsraelAnd who come from the seed of Judah,You who swear [allegiance] by the name of the LordAnd invoke the God of Israel,But not in truth (sincerity) nor in righteousness [with moral and spiritual integrity].

“They are created now [called into being by the prophetic word] and not long ago;And before today you have not heard of them,So that you will not say, ‘Oh yes! I knew them.’

“You have not heard, you have not known;Even from long ago your ear has not been open.For I [the Lord] knew that you [Israel] would act very treacherously;You have been called a transgressor and a rebel from birth.

“Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called;I am He, I am the First, I am the Last.

“I, even I, have spoken; indeed, I have called Cyrus;I have brought him, and will make his way successful.

Listen to Me, O islands and coastlands,And pay attention, you peoples from far away.The Lord has called Me from the womb;From the body of My mother He has named Me.

“Why, when I came, was there no man [to greet Me]?When I called, why was there no one to answer?Is My hand really so short that it cannot redeem [My servants]?Or have I no power to rescue?Listen carefully, with My rebuke I dry up the sea,I make the rivers into a desert;Their fish stink because there is no waterAnd die of thirst.

“Look to Abraham your fatherAnd to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain;For I called him when he was but one,Then I blessed him and made him many.”

“For your husband is your Maker,The Lord of hosts is His name;And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,Who is called the God of the whole earth.

“For the Lord has called you,Like a wife who has been abandoned, grieved in spirit,And like a wife [married] in her youth when she is [later] rejected and scorned,”Says your God.

All these I will bring to My holy mountainAnd make them joyful in My house of prayer.Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar;For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”

“And your people will rebuild the ancient ruins;You will raise up and restore the age-old foundations [of buildings that have been laid waste];You will be called Repairer of the Breach,Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

To grant to those who mourn in Zion the following:To give them a turban instead of dust [on their heads, a sign of mourning],The oil of joy instead of mourning,The garment [expressive] of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.So they will be called the trees of righteousness [strong and magnificent, distinguished for integrity, justice, and right standing with God],The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

But you shall be called the priests of the Lord;People will speak of you as the ministers of our God.You will eat the wealth of nations,And you will boast of their riches.

The nations will see your righteousness and vindication [by God],And all kings [will see] your glory;And you will be called by a new nameWhich the mouth of the Lord will designate.

It will no longer be said of you [Judah], “Azubah (Abandoned),”Nor will it any longer be said of your land, “Shemamah (Desolate)”;But you will be called, “Hephzibah (My Delight is in Her),”And your land, “Married”;For the Lord delights in you,And to Him your land will be married [owned and protected by the Lord].

And they will call them “The Holy People,The Redeemed of the Lord”;And you will be called “Sought Out, A City Not Deserted.”

We have become like those over whom You have never ruled,Like those who were not called by Your name.

“I let Myself be sought by those who did not ask for Me;I let Myself be found by those who did not seek Me.I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’To the nation [Israel] which did not call on My Name.