ESTUDIO DE LA PALABRA GRIEGA
Kaleō (G2564) — Meaning & Usage in the Bible
Kaleō means to call aloud — whether summoning someone, inviting them, or assigning a name — and is the root of related terms like 'calling' and 'called ones.'
Significado de la palabra
Kaleō is a common verb rendered in English as 'to call.' At its root it pictures calling aloud and from that core sense branches several applications: summoning someone to come, inviting them into one's presence, or giving them a name. The lexicon defines it broadly as 'to call, aloud,' and notes that it covers a wide range of usages both direct and indirect.
In the New Testament the three main senses are (1) to summon — e.g. calling workers or family to appear (Matthew 20:8, Mark 3:31); (2) to invite — extending hospitality or, metaphorically, extending God's invitation into His kingdom (Luke 14:16; Romans 8:30; 1 Corinthians 1:9); and (3) to name or be called by a name — whether of a person (Luke 1:32) or of a status ('they shall be called sons of God,' Matthew 5:9).
A reader should note that passive and participial forms are frequent and theologically loaded: 'the called ones' (hoi keklēmenoi) and 'God who calls' (ho kalōn) frame the Christian life as a response to a divine summons, not a self-initiated project.
Uso en las Escrituras
Kaleō occurs about 132 times across 123 verses in the Greek NT. In the Gospels it appears in narrative scenes of calling disciples or summoning people (Matthew 20:8) and in Jesus' invitations — most famously the wedding feast parable in Matthew 22:3, where the king 'calls' the invited guests. Matthew 5:9 promises a title — 'they shall be called sons of God' — turning the verb into a statement of conferred identity.
In the Epistles the word moves from everyday scenes into theology. Paul speaks of 'God who calls' (Galatians 1:6) and describes believers as 'the called' according to purpose (Romans 8:30). Hebrews 9:15 and Ephesians 4:1–4 use related forms ('calling,' 'the called') to explain the gospel as an invitation requiring a response. In Revelation 12:9 the dragon 'is called' the Devil and Satan — kaleō marking a designated, revealed name.
La palabra en detalle
- G2564 Kaleō (καλέω) is the verbal root behind a family of NT terms: klēsis ('calling,' Ephesians 4:1), klētos ('called,' Romans 1:7), and the name-title epiklētos ('surnamed,' Acts 10:1). Composed forms such as parakaleō and proskaleō build on its basic sense of summoning or inviting.
Versículos de ejemplo
- Matthew 5:9 Kaleō as conferring a name and identity: the peacemakers 'shall be called sons of God.' The passive κληθήσονται signals a God-given title.
- Matthew 20:8 Everyday sense: a master commands his foreman, 'Call (κάλεσον) the laborers.' Here kaleō is a simple summons to come and receive their wages.
- Matthew 22:3 Invitation sense: the king 'calls (καλέσαι) those invited to the wedding feast,' but they refuse. The parable uses kaleō for divine invitation that can be rejected.
- Romans 8:30 Theological chain: those God 'called' He justified and glorified. Here 'called' is not a casual word but God's effectual summons into salvation.
Preguntas frecuentes
Does kaleō mean 'to call' in everyday situations?
Yes. In straightforward narrative it means simply to summon or invite someone to come — e.g. Matthew 20:8, where the vineyard owner tells his foreman to 'call' the workers.
How is 'calling' in 1 Corinthians 1:9 related to kaleō?
It expresses God's trustworthy invitation into fellowship with His Son. The verb-form 'God who called you' shows that the Christian life begins with God's initiative in calling.
Is kaleō used for naming in the New Testament?
Yes — either in active ('he called his name Jesus,' Luke 1:31–32) or passive constructions ('he is called the Devil,' Revelation 12:9). In Matthew 5:9 the passive 'shall be called' means being given an identity by God.