Lexical Summary
phóneó: To call, to cry out, to speak
Original Word:φωνέω
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:phóneó
Pronunciation:fo-neh'-o
Phonetic Spelling:(fo-neh'-o)
KJV: call (for), crow, cry
NASB:called, calling, crowed, crows, call, cried, crow
Word Origin:[fromG5456 (φωνή - voice)]
1. to emit a sound (animal, human or instrumental)
2. (by implication) to address in words or by name, also in imitation
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
call for, crow, cry.
Fromphone; to emit a sound (animal, human or instrumental); by implication, to address in words or by name, also in imitation -- call (for), crow, cry.
see GREEKphone
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
phónéDefinitionto call out
NASB Translationcall (4), called (13), calling (6), calls (1), cried (3), crow (2), crowed (5), crows (5), crying (1), invite (1), summoned (2).
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 5455: φωνέωφωνέω,
φώνω; imperfect 3 person singular
ἐφώνει; future
φωνήσω; 1 aorist
ἐφώνησα; 1 aorist infinitive passive,
φωνηθῆναι; (
φωνή);
1. as fromHomer down, intransitive,to sound, emit a sound, to speak: of a cock,to crow,Matthew 26:34, 74;Mark 14:30, 68 (L brackets;WH omits the clause (see the latter's Appendix at the passage)), 72;Luke 22:34, 60;John 13:38;John 18:27 (of the cries of other animals,Isaiah 38:14;Jeremiah 17:11;Zephaniah 2:14; rarely so in secular authors as (Aristotle (see Liddell and Scott, under I. 2)),Aesop fab. 36 (225 edition Halm)); of men,to cry, cry out, cry aloud, speak with a loud voice: followed by the words uttered,Luke 8:8; withφωνήμεγάλη added ((cf.Winer's Grammar, § 32, 2 at the end),Mark 1:26TTrWH);Acts 16:28;ἐφώνησελέγων,Luke 8:54;φωνήσαςεἶπεν,Luke 16:24;φωνήσαςφωνήμεγάλη ...εἶπεν,Luke 23:46;ἐφώνησενἐνκραυγή (LTTrWHφωνή)μεγάλη ...λέγων,Revelation 14:18; (φωνήσαντεςἐπυνθάνοντο (WH textἐπυθοντο),Acts 10:18).
2. as from (Homer, Odyssey 24, 535)Sophocles down, transitive,
a.to call, call to oneself:τινα — either by one's own voice,Matthew 20:32;Matthew 27:47;Mark 9:35;Mark 10:49 (cf.Buttmann, § 141, 5 at the end);;John 1:48();LTTrWH;;Acts 9:41;Acts 10:7; — or through another;to send for, summon:Mark 3:31RG;Luke 16:2;John 9:18, 24;John 11:28b;εἶπεφωνηθῆναιαὐτῷτούςκτλ.,Luke 19:15;ἐφώνησεντινα ...ἐκ, with a genitive of the place,to call out of (i. e. bid one to quit a place and come to one),John 12:17.b.to invite:Luke 14:12.
c. equivalent toto address, accost, call by a name:τινα, followed by a nominative of the title (seeWiners Grammar, § 29, 1; (Buttmann, § 131, 8)),John 13:13. (Compare:ἀναφωνέω,ἐπιφωνέω,προσφωνέω,συμφωνέω.)
Topical Lexicon
OverviewStrong’s Greek 5455 portrays the purposeful use of the voice—whether summoning, exhorting, pleading, or proclaiming. It occurs forty-three times across the New Testament, spanning the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, the life of the early church, and a single eschatological scene. The verb’s settings cluster around five broad spheres: personal encounters with Jesus, miraculous works, parabolic instruction, apostolic ministry, and final judgment.
Personal Encounters with Jesus
1. Summoning the needy: “Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him.’ So they called the blind man” (Mark 10:49). The command sets in motion Bartimaeus’s healing and illustrates that Christ’s compassion often begins with an audible summons.
2. Private invitation: After Martha quietly informs Mary, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you” (John 11:28), the same verb underscores the intimacy of Jesus’ invitation to mourners.
3. The Shepherd’s initiative: “He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out” (John 10:3). Here phoneō frames the doctrine of effectual calling; the sheep respond because they recognize the Shepherd’s voice.
4. Interrogating disciples: Nathanael asks, “How do You know me?” (John 1:48). Philip’s earlier “come and see” is ratified when Jesus ‘called’ him out by name, revealing divine knowledge that compels faith.
Miraculous Works and Resurrection Power
1. Jairus’s daughter: “But He took her by the hand and called, ‘Child, get up!’” (Luke 8:54). The mere utterance of Christ reverses death.
2. Lazarus’s household: The same verb structures the narrative bridge from grief to glory (John 11:28).
3. Healing at Cana: After the water became wine, the master of the banquet “called the bridegroom” (John 2:9), signaling public recognition of Jesus’ first sign.
Warning, Denial, and Fulfillment of Prophecy
The cock’s crow is rendered with phoneō in every Synoptic account (Matthew 26:74-75;Mark 14:68-72;Luke 22:60-61). Each “calling” of the rooster punctuates Peter’s denial and verifies Christ’s foreknowledge. InJohn 18:27 the same verb seals the fulfillment: “and at once a rooster crowed.” The repeated usage turns an ordinary farmyard sound into a prophetic alarm, reminding disciples to watch and pray.
Parabolic Instruction and Moral Accountability
1. Stewardship: “He called the servants to whom he had given the money” (Luke 19:15).
2. The dishonest manager: “He called him in and asked, ‘What is this I hear about you?’” (Luke 16:2).
3. Rich man and Lazarus: The tormented rich man “called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me’” (Luke 16:24).
In every instance, phoneō introduces a reckoning—either gracious reward or irreversible loss.
Passion and Crucifixion
1. Gethsemane betrayal: Servants at the high priest’s courtyard “called” Peter’s Galilean accent into question (Mark 14:70, implied by context).
2. The cry from the cross: “Jesus called out in a loud voice, ‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit’” (Luke 23:46). The verb here records the triumphant self-surrender of the Son to the Father.
3. Misunderstood agony: Onlookers think Jesus “is calling Elijah” (Matthew 27:47;Mark 15:35). Their mistake highlights spiritual deafness even as salvation is accomplished.
Apostolic and Early Church Usage
1. Apostolic rescue: “But Paul called out in a loud voice, ‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!’” (Acts 16:28). The gospel interrupts a jailer’s suicide and opens a household for baptism.
2. Dorcas restored: Peter “called the saints and widows” (Acts 9:41). The public summons transforms private sorrow into communal praise.
3. Cornelius narrative: Twice servants “called out” at Simon’s gate (Acts 10:7-18). Phoneō functions as a hinge between Jewish Peter and Gentile Cornelius, previewing the church’s multiethnic future.
Eschatological Proclamation
“Then another angel… called in a loud voice to the one who had authority over the fire, ‘Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters…’” (Revelation 14:18). The final occurrence shifts the verb from human to angelic speakers, portraying a cosmic summons that unleashes judgment.
Theological Themes
1. Divine initiative: Whether Jesus addresses individuals, creation, or God the Father, His voice inaugurates life, healing, and destiny.
2. Human accountability: Every occurrence invites a response—faith, obedience, repentance, or rejection.
3. Certainty of prophecy: From the rooster’s crow to the angel’s cry, phoneō authenticates God’s foreordained plan.
Ministry Significance
Preaching and evangelism echo the pattern of phoneō: believers speak aloud so others may hear and live (Romans 10:14). Pastoral care, like Jesus’ call to Mary, often begins with a personal name. Corporate worship anticipates the angelic phoneē of Revelation by sounding forth praise and warning.
Responding to the biblical call is not optional; “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 3:15, verbal echo). Strong’s 5455 therefore challenges every reader to discern, heed, and relay the living voice of God.
Forms and Transliterations
εφωνει εφώνει ἐφώνει εφωνησαν εφώνησαν ἐφώνησαν εφωνήσατε εφώνησε εφωνησεν εφώνησεν ἐφώνησεν φωνει φωνεί φωνεῖ φώνει φωνειτε φωνείτέ φωνεῖτέ φωνηθηναι φωνηθήναι φωνηθῆναι φωνησαι φωνήσαι φωνῆσαι φωνησαν φωνῆσαν φωνησαντες φωνήσαντες φωνησας φωνήσας Φωνησατε Φωνήσατε φωνησει φωνήσει φωνηση φωνήσῃ φωνησον φώνησον φώνησόν φωνήσουσιν φωνήσω φωνούνσιν φωνούντας φωνούντες φωνουσι φωνούσι φωνοῦσι φωνοῦσιν ephonei ephōnei ephṓnei ephonesan ephōnēsan ephṓnesan ephṓnēsan ephonesen ephōnēsen ephṓnesen ephṓnēsen phonei phoneî phōnei phōneî phṓnei phoneite phoneîté phōneite phōneîté phonesai phonêsai phōnēsai phōnē̂sai phonesan phonêsan phōnēsan phōnē̂san phonesantes phonḗsantes phōnēsantes phōnḗsantes phonesas phonḗsas phōnēsas phōnḗsas Phonesate Phonḗsate Phōnēsate Phōnḗsate phonese phōnēsē phonesei phonḗsei phōnēsei phōnḗsei phōnḗsēi phoneson phōnēson phṓnesón phṓnēsón phonethenai phonethênai phōnēthēnai phōnēthē̂nai phonousin phonoûsin phōnousin phōnoûsinLinks
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