קָרָא
to call
also: call out, recite, read, cry out fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Qal verb in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
- Preposition
- A relational word (e.g. “in,” “to,” “from”) governing a noun.
Stem
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”). Here: ‘call’
- Niphal
- Usually the simple passive or reflexive of the Qal (“he was written”). Here: ‘reflex.’
- Pual
- The passive counterpart of the Piel.
Form
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
- Sequential Perfect
- A perfect with prefixed waw continuing a preceding imperfect or command (waw-consecutive perfect).
- Participle Passive
- A verbal adjective expressing action received (“written”).
- Jussive
- A third- or second-person volitional form expressing wish or command (“let him write”).
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
Grammatical forms 57 distinct
- Verb, Qal, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 208 times (28%)
- Verb, Qal, Perfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 48 times (6%)
- Verb, Qal, Perfect, 1st Person, Common, Singular 37 times (5%)
- Verb, Qal, Infinitive Construct 36 times (5%)
- Verb, Qal, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 33 times (4%)
- Verb, Qal, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Feminine, Singular 32 times (4%)
- Verb, Qal, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Plural 29 times (4%)
- Verb, Qal, Imperfect, 1st Person, Common, Singular 29 times (4%)
+49 more forms (287 occurrences)
Parsed forms decoded from the imported morphology (morphhb / Westminster Leningrad Codex — WLC text public domain, morphhb tagging CC BY 4.0), counted across 739 parsed occurrences — not distinct verses.
Page 4 of 4 — showing verses 601–689 of 689 distinct verses where H7121 appears, across 37 books. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Jeremiah 58 verses
- Jeremiah 32:34 נִקְרָֽא Niphal pf 3ms But they set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to defile it.
- Jeremiah 33:3 קְרָ֥א Qal impv 2ms Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great things, and difficult, which you don't know.
- Jeremiah 33:16 יִקְרָא Qal impf 3ms In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely; and this is [the name] by which she shall be called: Yahweh our righteousness.
- Jeremiah 34:8 לִ/קְרֹ֥א prep + Qal inf.cs The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty to them;
- Jeremiah 34:15 לִ/קְרֹ֥א נִקְרָ֥א prep + Qal inf.cs Niphal pf 3ms You were now turned, and had done that which is right in my eyes, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbor; and you had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:
- Jeremiah 34:17 לִ/קְרֹ֣א קֹרֵא֩ prep + Qal inf.cs Qal ptcp.act ms Therefore thus says Yahweh: you have not listened to me, to proclaim liberty, every man to his brother, and every man to his neighbor: behold, I proclaim to you a liberty, says Yahweh, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of the earth.
- Jeremiah 35:17 וָ/אֶקְרָ֥א conj + Qal wimpf 1cs therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them; because I have spoken to them, but they have not heard; and I have called to them, but they have not answered.
- Jeremiah 36:4 וַ/יִּקְרָ֣א conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah; and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of Yahweh, which he had spoken to him, on a scroll of a book.
- Jeremiah 36:6 וְ/קָרָ֣אתָ תִּקְרָאֵֽ/ם conj + Qal wpf 2ms Qal impf 2ms + sfx pers 3mp therefore go you, and read in the scroll, which you have written from my mouth, the words of Yahweh in the ears of the people in Yahweh's house on the fast-day; and also you shall read them in the ears of all Judah who come out of their cities.
- Jeremiah 36:8 לִ/קְרֹ֥א prep + Qal inf.cs Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of Yahweh in Yahweh's house.
- Jeremiah 36:9 קָרְא֨וּ Qal pf 3cp Now it happened in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, that all the people in Jerusalem, and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem, proclaimed a fast before Yahweh.
- Jeremiah 36:10 וַ/יִּקְרָ֨א conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of Yahweh, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan, the scribe, in the upper court, at the entry of the new gate of Yahweh's house, in the ears of all the people.
- Jeremiah 36:13 בִּ/קְרֹ֥א prep + Qal inf.cs Then Micaiah declared to them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people.
- Jeremiah 36:14 קָרָ֤אתָ Qal pf 2ms Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying, Take in your hand the scroll in which you have read in the ears of the people, and come. So Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand, and came to them.
- Jeremiah 36:15 וּ/קְרָאֶ֖/נָּה וַ/יִּקְרָ֥א conj + Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 3fs conj + Qal wimpf 3ms They said to him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears. So Baruch read it in their ears.
- Jeremiah 36:18 יִקְרָ֣א Qal impf 3ms Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words to me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book.
- Jeremiah 36:21 וַ/יִּקְרָאֶ֤/הָ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms + sfx pers 3fs So the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll; and he took it out of the chamber of Elishama the scribe. Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes who stood beside the king.
- Jeremiah 36:23 כִּ/קְר֣וֹא prep + Qal inf.cs It happened, when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, that [the king] cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier.
- Jeremiah 42:8 וַ/יִּקְרָ֗א conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,
- Jeremiah 44:26 נִקְרָ֣א Niphal ptcp.pass ms Therefore hear the word of Yahweh, all Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by my great name, says Yahweh, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, As the Lord Yahweh lives.
- Jeremiah 46:17 קָרְא֖וּ Qal pf 3cp They cried there, Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise; he has let the appointed time pass by.
- Jeremiah 49:29 וְ/קָרְא֧וּ conj + Qal wpf 3cp Their tents and their flocks shall they take; they shall carry away for themselves their curtains, and all their vessels, and their camels; and they shall cry to them, Terror on every side!
- Jeremiah 51:61 וְֽ/קָרָ֔אתָ conj + Qal wpf 2ms Jeremiah said to Seraiah, When you come to Babylon, then see that you read all these words,
- Jeremiah 51:63 לִ/קְרֹ֖א prep + Qal inf.cs It shall be, when you have made an end of reading this book, that you shall bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates:
Lamentations 7 verses
- Lamentations 1:15 קָרָ֥א Qal pf 3ms The Lord has set at nothing all my mighty men in the midst of me; He has called a solemn assembly against me to crush my young men: The Lord has trodden as in a winepress the virgin daughter of Judah.
- Lamentations 1:19 קָרָ֤אתִי Qal pf 1cs I called for my lovers, [but] they deceived me: My priests and my elders gave up the spirit in the city, While they sought them food to refresh their souls.
- Lamentations 1:21 קָרָ֖אתָ Qal pf 2ms They have heard that I sigh; there is none to comfort me; All my enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that you have done it: You will bring the day that you have proclaimed, and they shall be like me.
- Lamentations 2:22 תִּקְרָא֩ Qal impf 2ms You have called, as in the day of a solemn assembly, my terrors on every side; There was none that escaped or remained in the day of Yahweh's anger: Those that I have dandled and brought up has my enemy consumed.
- Lamentations 3:55 קָרָ֤אתִי Qal pf 1cs I called on your name, Yahweh, out of the lowest dungeon.
- Lamentations 3:57 אֶקְרָאֶ֔/ךָּ Qal impf 1cs + sfx pers 2ms You drew near in the day that I called on you; you said, Don't be afraid.
- Lamentations 4:15 קָ֣רְאוּ Qal pf 3cp Depart you, they cried to them, Unclean! depart, depart, don't touch! When they fled away and wandered, men said among the nations, They shall no more sojourn [here].
Ezekiel 9 verses
- Ezekiel 8:18 וְ/קָרְא֤וּ conj + Qal wpf 3cp Therefore will I also deal in wrath; my eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.
- Ezekiel 9:1 וַ/יִּקְרָ֣א conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then he cried in my ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause you them that have charge over the city to draw near, every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.
- Ezekiel 9:3 וַ/יִּקְרָ֗א conj + Qal wimpf 3ms The glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon it was, to the threshold of the house: and he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writer's inkhorn by his side.
- Ezekiel 10:13 קוֹרָ֥א Pual pf 3ms As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing, the whirling [wheels].
- Ezekiel 20:29 וַ/יִּקָּרֵ֤א conj + Niphal wimpf 3ms Then I said to them, What means the high place whereunto you go? So the name of it is called Bamah to this day.
- Ezekiel 23:23 וּ/קְרוּאִ֔ים conj + Qal ptcp.pass mp the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod and Shoa and Koa, [and] all the Assyrians with them; desirable young men, governors and rulers all of them, princes and men of renown, all of them riding on horses.
- Ezekiel 36:29 וְ/קָרָ֤אתִי conj + Qal wpf 1cs I will save you from all your uncleanness: and I will call for the grain, and will multiply it, and lay no famine on you.
- Ezekiel 38:21 וְ/קָרָ֨אתִי conj + Qal wpf 1cs I will call for a sword against him to all my mountains, says the Lord Yahweh: every man's sword shall be against his brother.
- Ezekiel 39:11 וְ/קָ֣רְא֔וּ conj + Qal wpf 3cp It shall happen in that day, that I will give to Gog a place for burial in Israel, the valley of those who pass through on the east of the sea; and it shall stop those who pass through: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude; and they shall call it The valley of Hamon Gog.
Daniel 5 verses
- Daniel 2:2 לִ/קְרֹ֨א prep + Qal inf.cs Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the enchanters, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.
- Daniel 8:16 וַ/יִּקְרָא֙ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms I heard a man's voice between [the banks of] the Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.
- Daniel 9:18 נִקְרָ֥א Niphal pf 3ms My God, turn your ear, and hear; open your eyes, and see our desolations, and the city which is called by your name: for we do not present our petitions before you for our righteousness, but for your great mercies' sake.
- Daniel 9:19 נִקְרָ֔א Niphal pf 3ms Lord, hear; Lord, forgive; Lord, listen and do; don't defer, for your own sake, my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.
- Daniel 10:1 נִקְרָ֥א Niphal pf 3ms In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, even a great warfare: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.
Hosea 9 verses
- Hosea 1:4 קְרָ֥א Qal impv 2ms Yahweh said to him, "Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel on the house of Jehu, and will cause the kingdom of the house of Israel to cease.
- Hosea 1:6 קְרָ֥א Qal impv 2ms She conceived again, and bore a daughter. Then he said to him, "Call her name Lo-Ruhamah; for I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, that I should in any way pardon them.
- Hosea 1:9 קְרָ֥א Qal impv 2ms He said, "Call his name Lo-Ammi; for you are not my people, and I will not be yours.
- Hosea 2:16 תִּקְרְאִ֖י תִקְרְאִי Qal impf 2fs Qal impf 2fs It will be in that day," says Yahweh, "That you will call me 'my husband,' And no longer call me 'my master.'
- Hosea 7:7 קֹרֵ֥א Qal ptcp.act ms They are all hot as an oven, And devour their judges. All their kings have fallen. There is no one among them who calls to me.
- Hosea 7:11 קָרָ֖אוּ Qal pf 3cp "Ephraim is like an easily deceived dove, without understanding. They call to Egypt. They go to Assyria.
- Hosea 11:1 קָרָ֥אתִי Qal pf 1cs "When Israel was a child, then I loved him, And called my son out of Egypt.
- Hosea 11:2 קָרְא֖וּ Qal pf 3cp They called to them, so they went from them. They sacrificed to the Baals, And burned incense to engraved images.
- Hosea 11:7 יִקְרָאֻ֔/הוּ Qal impf 3mp + sfx pers 3ms My people are determined to turn from me. Though they call to the Most High, He certainly won't exalt them.
Joel 5 verses
- Joel 1:14 קִרְא֣וּ Qal impv 2mp Sanctify a fast. Call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders, And all the inhabitants of the land, to the house of Yahweh, your God, And cry to Yahweh.
- Joel 1:19 אֶקְרָ֑א Qal impf 1cs Yahweh, I cry to you, For the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, And the flame has burned all the trees of the field.
- Joel 2:15 קִרְא֥וּ Qal impv 2mp Blow the trumpet in Zion! Sanctify a fast. Call a solemn assembly.
- Joel 2:32 יִקְרָ֛א קֹרֵֽא Qal impf 3ms Qal ptcp.act ms It will happen that whoever will call on the name of Yahweh shall be saved; For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, As Yahweh has said, And among the remnant, those whom Yahweh calls.
- Joel 3:9 קִרְאוּ Qal impv 2mp Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare war. Stir up the mighty men. Let all the warriors draw near. Let them come up.
Amos 6 verses
- Amos 4:5 וְ/קִרְא֥וּ conj + Qal impv 2mp Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, And proclaim free will offerings and brag about them: For this pleases you, you children of Israel," says the Lord Yahweh.
- Amos 5:8 הַ/קּוֹרֵ֣א ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act ms Seek him who made the Pleiades and Orion, And turns the shadow of death into the morning, And makes the day dark with night; Who calls for the waters of the sea, And pours them out on the surface of the earth, Yahweh is his name,
- Amos 5:16 וְ/קָרְא֤וּ conj + Qal wpf 3cp Therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the Lord: "Wailing will be in all the broad ways; And they will say in all the streets, 'Alas! Alas!' And they will call the farmer to mourning, And those who are skillful in lamentation to wailing.
- Amos 7:4 קֹרֵ֛א Qal ptcp.act ms Thus the Lord Yahweh showed me and, behold, the Lord Yahweh called for judgment by fire; and it dried up the great deep, and would have devoured the land.
- Amos 9:6 הַ/קֹּרֵ֣א ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act ms It is he who builds his chambers in the heavens, and has founded his vault on the earth; he who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the surface of the earth; Yahweh is his name.
- Amos 9:12 נִקְרָ֥א Niphal pf 3ms that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the nations who are called by my name," says Yahweh who does this.
Jonah 8 verses
- Jonah 1:2 וּ/קְרָ֣א conj + Qal impv 2ms "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach against it, for their wickedness has come up before me."
- Jonah 1:6 קְרָ֣א Qal impv 2ms So the shipmaster came to him, and said to him, "What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your gods! Maybe the gods will notice us, so that we won't perish."
- Jonah 1:14 וַ/יִּקְרְא֨וּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp Therefore they cried to Yahweh, and said, "We beg you, Yahweh, we beg you, let us not perish for this man's life, and don't lay on us innocent blood; for you, Yahweh, have done as it pleased you."
- Jonah 2:2 קָ֠רָאתִי Qal pf 1cs He said, "I called because of my affliction to Yahweh. He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried. You heard my voice.
- Jonah 3:2 וִּ/קְרָ֤א conj + Qal impv 2ms "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I give you."
- Jonah 3:4 וַ/יִּקְרָא֙ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried out, and said, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"
- Jonah 3:5 וַ/יִּקְרְאוּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp The people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
- Jonah 3:8 וְ/יִקְרְא֥וּ conj + Qal impf 3mp but let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and animal, and let them cry mightily to God. Yes, let them turn everyone from his evil way, and from the violence that is in his hands.
Micah 2 verses
- Micah 3:5 וְ/קָרְא֣וּ conj + Qal wpf 3cp Thus says Yahweh concerning the prophets who lead my people astray; for those who feed their teeth, they proclaim, "Peace!" and whoever doesn't provide for their mouths, they prepare war against him:
- Micah 6:9 יִקְרָ֔א Qal impf 3ms Yahweh's voice calls to the city, And wisdom sees your name: "Listen to the rod, And he who appointed it.
Habakkuk 1 verse
Zephaniah 2 verses
- Zephaniah 1:7 קְרֻאָֽי/ו Qal ptcp.pass mp cs + sfx pers 3ms Be silent at the presence of the Lord Yahweh, for the day of Yahweh is at hand. For Yahweh has prepared a sacrifice. He has consecrated his guests.
- Zephaniah 3:9 לִ/קְרֹ֤א prep + Qal inf.cs For then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that they may all call on the name of Yahweh, to serve him shoulder to shoulder.
Haggai 1 verse
Zechariah 9 verses
- Zechariah 1:4 קָרְאֽוּ Qal pf 3cp Don't you be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying: Thus says Yahweh of hosts, 'Return now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings;' but they did not hear, nor listen to me, says Yahweh.
- Zechariah 1:14 קְרָ֣א Qal impv 2ms So the angel who talked with me said to me, "Proclaim, saying, 'Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: "I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.
- Zechariah 1:17 קְרָ֣א Qal impv 2ms "Proclaim further, saying, 'Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: "My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and Yahweh will again comfort Zion, and will again choose Jerusalem."'"
- Zechariah 3:10 תִּקְרְא֖וּ Qal impf 2mp In that day,' says Yahweh of hosts, 'you will invite every man his neighbor under the vine and under the fig tree.'"
- Zechariah 7:7 קָרָ֤א Qal pf 3ms Aren't these the words which Yahweh proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and its cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?'"
- Zechariah 7:13 קָרָ֖א יִקְרְאוּ֙ Qal pf 3ms Qal impf 3mp It has come to pass that, as he called, and they refused to listen, so they will call, and I will not listen," said Yahweh of Hosts;
- Zechariah 8:3 וְ/נִקְרְאָ֤ה conj + Niphal pf 3fs Thus says Yahweh: "I have returned to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called 'The City of Truth;' and the mountain of Yahweh of Hosts, 'The Holy Mountain.'"
- Zechariah 11:7 קָרָ֤אתִי קָרָ֣אתִי Qal pf 1cs Qal pf 1cs So I fed the flock of slaughter, especially the oppressed of the flock. I took for myself two staffs. The one I called "Favor," and the other I called "Union," and I fed the flock.
- Zechariah 13:9 יִקְרָ֣א Qal impf 3ms I will bring the third part into the fire, And will refine them as silver is refined, And will test them like gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will hear them. I will say, 'It is my people;' And they will say, 'Yahweh is my God.'"
Malachi 1 verse
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
“to call” is the headline sense of the Hebrew verb קרא (qârâʼ). Across 4 stems, its meaning turns on the binyan (Qal, Niphal). It turns up in 689 verses across 37 books, one of the most common footprint. First canonically at Genesis 1:5, it enters the text early. From the same root come קרא, קראה and מקרא. See the sense tree, 689-verse concordance, and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H7121 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 689
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 689 distinct verses.
- 37 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 37 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #69
- by frequency
- Top 100 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 69 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 689 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 689 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 359 verses · 52%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 183 verses · 27%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 147 verses · 21%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 2 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Called 156×, Call 52×, He called 40×
- American Standard Version†: Called 146×, Call 46×, He called 35×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Called 53×, Call 35×, Summoned 34×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Called 117×, He called 81×, And 66×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H7121 across 736† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 144 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 1 further occurrence.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H7121 across 734† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 174 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H7121 across 708† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 195 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 24 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H7121 across 839† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 125 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
45 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each. This entry also uses Pual (the passive of Piel).
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 45 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
קרא I call, proclaim, read (NH id., read aloud, read
Qal
- Pf. ק׳ Gn 11:9 +, 3 fs. consec. וְקָרָאת Is 7:14 (Ges§ 74 g); 2 ms. קָרָאתָ Ju 12:1 +, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יִקְרָא Gn 2:19 +; sf. יִקְרְאוֹ Je 23:6, -אֵהוּ Is 41:2 +; 1 s. אֶקְרָא Dt 32:3 +, וָאֶקְרָאֶה 1 S 28:15 (Ges§ 48 d NesMarg. 15); 3 fpl. וַתִּקְרֶאנָה Ru 4:17(×2), וַתִּקְרֶאן Nu 25:2; 2 fpl. תִּקְרֶאנָה Ru 1:20, 21, etc.; Imv. ms. קְרָא Ju 7:3 +, sf. קְרָאֵנִי ψ 50:15, etc.; Inf. cstr. קְרֹא 1 S 3:6 +, קְרֹאות (Baer -אֹת) Ju 8:1 (Ges§ 74 h); sf. קָרְאִי ψ 4:2 +, etc.; Pt. act. קוֹרֵא Am 5:8 +, קֹרֵא Je 1:15 +; pl. קֹרִאים ψ 99:6 (Ges§§ 74 i; 75 oo); pass. קָרוּא Est 5:12; pl. קְרוּאִים 1 S 9:22; Ez 23:23, קְרֻאִים 1 S 9:13 +; cstr. קְרוּאֵי Nu 1:16 Qr (Kt קריאי), 26:9 Kt (Qr קְרִיאֵי, v. קָרִיא);— e.g. Genesis 11:9
- 1.
- a. call, cry, utter a loud sound, Ju 9:7; 2 S 18:25 (in v 28 read וַיִּקְרַב We, confirmed by 𝔊L, so Dr and all recent Comm.), Je 4:5 Dn 8:16 (all + אמר), 2 K 7:11 (on text v. Kit Benz), Is 6:4; for help Gn 39:15, 18 (J); of pleading in court Is 59:4 (ב of manner); explicitly בְּקוֹל גָּדוֹל Gn 39:14 (J), 1 K 18:27, 28; 2 K 18:28 = Is 36:13 = 2 Ch 32:18, קוֹל גָּדוֹל Ez 9:1 (+ בְּאָזְנֵי); c. אַחֲרֵי pers. 1 S 20:37 (+ אָמַר), 24:8 (Gi; v 9 van d. H. Baer; + לֵאמֹר), Je 12:6. e.g. Judges 9:7
- b. call, cry, obj. in orat. recta Ju 7:20 1 S 3:4 (read שְׁמוּאֵל שְׁמוּאֵל; 𝔊 Th We Dr Kit Bu HPS), v 6 (cf. 𝔊), v 8 (agst. accents), v 10 (v. שְׁמוּאֵל), 20:38; 2 S 20:16; 2 K 11:14; Je 20:8; Lv 13:45; = utter, speak Je 36:18; of command Gn 45:1 (E). e.g. Judges 7:20
- 2.
- a. call unto some one: אֶל pers. (often + אָמַר; sometimes c. מִן loc.), Gn 3:9; 19:5; Ex 3:4 Is 6:3 + often; c. עַל (for אֶל) of satyrs Is 34:14 (so Vrss Ges CheComm. al. > recent Comm. from ii. קָרָא or קָרָה which (in Qal) always take accus.); unto (אֶל) י׳ (God), in praise †ψ 66:17 1 Ch 4:10, usually for help, Ju 15:18; 1 S 12:17, 18; Ho 7:7 ψ 3:5; 4:4 +, + עַל pers. against Dt 15:9; 24:15; to (ל) י׳ (God) †Jb 12:4 ψ 57:3; 141:1; to (ל) a servant (for service) 2 K 4:36; Jb 19:16, so (ל) 2 S 1:15; call to (ל) one Je 3:4 (+ orat. rect.), La 4:15 (id.), Pr 2:3 (לְבִינָה); subj. י׳ Mi 6:8; Je 35:17. e.g. Genesis 3:9
- b. cry for help, abs., (poet. and late) Zc 7:13; Is 58:9; 65:24; Jb 5:1; 9:16; Pr 21:13 ψ 4:2; 20:10 + 10 times ψψ (147:9 of young ravens); בְּאָזְנֵי Ez 8:18. e.g. Zechariah 7:13
- c. ק׳ בְּשֵׁם י׳ call with name of י׳ (i.e. use it in invocation): Gn 4:26; 12:8; 2 K 5:11; Je 10:25 = ψ 79:6 + 16 times (1 K 18:24 of specif. appeal to י׳ to display his power), + Is 65:1 (v. Pu.); with name of Baal †1 K 18:24, 25, 26. e.g. Genesis 4:26
- d. late, c. acc. dei Is 43:22 ψ 14:4 + 4 times ψψ; abs. ψ 116:2. e.g. Isaiah 43:22
- 3. proclaim:
- a. c. acc. rei procl. Am 4:5; Gn 41:43; Dt 15:2; Je 31:6; Lv 25:10 +; ק׳ צוֹם proclaim a fast 1 K 21:9, 12 Je 36:9 +, ק׳ מוֹעֲדֵי י׳ Lv 23:2, 4; ק׳ sq. orat. rect. Ex 34:6, etc.; sq. ל pers. Je 34:8, 15, 17(×2) Is 61:1, עַל pers. (against, concerning) 1 K 13:4, 32; Je 49:29; La 1:15; proclaim peace to (ל pers.) Ju 21:13; cf. ק׳ אֵלֶיהָ לְשָׁלוֹם Dt 20:10; ק׳ c. acc. cogn. מִקְרָא Is 1:13, הַקְרִיאָה Jon 3:2 (+ אֶל). e.g. Amos 4:5
- b. ק׳ שֵׁם י׳ Dt 32:3 ψ 99:6; so (earlier) ק׳ בְשֵׁם י׳ Ex 33:19; 34:5 (JE); cf. ק׳ בְּשֵׁם יַעֲקֹב Is 44:5 (but read יִקָּרֵא, Lo Che and most). e.g. Deuteronomy 32:3
- c. ק׳ בְּשׁ׳ עֲלֵי ψ 49:12 proclaim (with) name over landed estates, claim possession (Hup Bae); proclaim one’s own name Ru 4:11 = become famous; pt. pass. proclaimed, i.e. renowned Ez 23:23. e.g. Psalms 49:12
- d. abs. make proclamation (sometimes + אָמַר, לֵאמֹר) Ju 7:3; Je 2:2 (בְּאָזְנֵי) Zc 1:14, 17; Jon 3:4; Is 40:3, 6 +, c. עַל concerning Ne 6:7, against 1 K 13:2 Jon 1:2. e.g. Judges 7:3
- 4.
- a. read aloud, often בְּאָזְנֵי, less often לִפְנֵי, c. ב of roll, book Je 36:6, 8, 14; Ne 8:3, 8, 18; 9:3; 2 Ch 34:18, + acc. of words Je 36:8, 10; obj. om. Ex 24:7 (E) Je 36:15; c. acc. of roll, book v 15, 21; 51:63; 2 K 22:10; 2 Ch 34:24, of letter (סֵפֶר), writing 2 K 5:7 Is 29:11, 12; Je 29:29, columns of manuscript Je 36:23; c. acc. of words Jos 8:34, 35; Je 36:6; 51:61; 2 K 23:2 = 2 Ch 34:30, cf. Dt 31:11. e.g. Jeremiah 36:6
- b. read, to oneself, in (ב) a roll, book, Dt 17:19, so of vision written on tablets Hb 2:2; c. acc. of letter (סֵפֶר) 2 K 19:14 = Is 37:14, book 2 K 22:8; abs. Is 34:16. e.g. Deuteronomy 17:19
- c. read, for hear read, 2 K 22:16. e.g. 2 Kings 22:16
- 5. summon: usually
- a. c. ל pers.: Gn 12:18; 20:8, 9; Nu 22:5, 20, 37; Ju 8:1 1 S 3:5, 6, 8(×2) + often (c. 100 times), + ל reflex. 1 K 1:28, 32, + אֶל loc. Ex 19:20, + אֶל pers. 2 S 9:2, + inf. purpose Jos 24:9; Ju 12:1; 14:15; 1 S 28:15, + מִן loc. Ho 11:1 Ju 4:6; + בִּשְׁמֶ֑ךָ Is 45:4 summon by thy name; specif. summon = invite (especially to feast) Ex 34:15 Ju 14:15 (+ inf. purpose) 1 S 16:3 (+ בַּזָּבַ֑ח, read prob. לַזּ׳ v. HPS), v 5 (+ לַזּ׳), 1 K 1:9, 26 + (c. 17 times). e.g. Genesis 12:18
- b. c. אֶל pers. Ex 10:24 Jos 4:4; 10:24 1 K 13:21 + (c. 20 times); אֶל pers. + ל pers. (diff. persons in same relation) Ex 8:21 Je 42:8; = call for (demand to see), c. אֶל pers. 2 K 18:18; c. ל rei = demand, require Pr 18:6 cf. 27:16 (prob. corrupt, v. Toy). e.g. Exodus 10:24
- c. c. acc. pers. Gn 41:8, 14 Ex 2:7 (+ ל pers.), v 7 Am 5:16 (+ אֶל rei), Is 13:3 (ל rei), 1 S 3:16; 22:11 + (c. 33 times), ins. וַיִּקְרָא in this sense also 2 S 15:12 𝔊L We Dr and most; + inf. purpose Nu 24:10, ק׳ מִמִּזְרָח עַיִט Is 46:11; in weakened sense (to bring response, or bring pers. near) Ct 5:6; specif. invite, 1 S 9:24 (but corrupt, v. especially HPS), 1 K 1:9 (also + ל, MT), v 10; 12:20 (+ אֶל loc), Dt 33:19 (acc. loc.); אֲנִי קָרוּא לָהּ Est 5:12, pt. pass. elsewhere pl., invited ones, guests 1 S 9:13, 22 2 S 15:11 1 K 1:41, 49 Zp 1:7 Pr 9:18; invite or summon (acc. pers.) for help, succour, Ho 7:11; usually obj. י׳ (poet. and late) Je 29:12 2 S 22:4, 7 = ψ 18:4, 7 Is 55:6 La 3:57 Jb 27:10 ψ 50:15; 86:5 + 8 times ψψ, acc. שֵׁם י׳ La 3:55; acc. חכמה Pr 1:28. e.g. Genesis 41:8
- d. abs. call, summon Am 7:4 (+ ל rei), Is 22:12 (id.), 1 S 3:5, 6; Zc 7:13; subj. י׳ (God) Is 50:2; 65:12; 66:4; Jb 13:22; 14:15, קְרוּאֵי הָעֵדָה Nu 1:16 Qr (Kt קְרִיאֵי), 26:9 Kt (Qr קְרִיאֵי!). e.g. Amos 7:4
- e. call and commission, appoint, acc. pers., Is 48:15; 49:1, + בְּשֵׁם by name, specifically, Ex 31:2; 35:30 Is 43:1; 45:3. e.g. Isaiah 48:15
- f. call and endow (with privilege) Is 51:2; 54:6; 55:5. e.g. Isaiah 51:2
- 6. call = name:
- a. (eárly and most common usage), call one’s name (שֵׁם) so and so, 2 acc.: of pers. Gn 3:20; 4:25, 26; 5:2, 3, 29 + 34 times Gn, Ex 2:10, 22 Ho 1:4, 6, 9 Is 7:14; 8:3; 9:5 + 10 times (Je 46:17 read קִרְאוּ שֵׁם 𝔊 Gie al.); of places, etc., Gn 4:17; 11:9 + 17 times Gn, Ju 1:17, 26; 2:5; 15:19; 18:29 + 21 times e.g. Genesis 3:20
- b. c. acc. of appellation only, Ez 39:11. e.g. Ezekiel 39:11
- c. acc. pers. vel loc. + acc. appell. Ho 2:18 Dt 3:14 Je 23:6 Is 58:5 Nu 32:41. e.g. Hosea 2:18
- d. acc. pers. + cl. ψ 89:27. e.g. Psalms 89:27
- e. = give name to, acc. appell. + ל pers. (loc., velrei): (1) pers. Ho 2:18; Gn 35:18; 1 S 4:21; Je 3:19; 30:17; 33:16 + 9 times; (2) loc., vel rei, Ju 18:12 2 S 2:16; 5:9; 6:8 Jos 22:34 (name lost, 𝔖 Heb. Codd. ins. עֵד; cf. DiSteuern), Gn 1:5(×2), 8; 2:19(×2) Ex 33:7 + 30 times + Jb 17:14 (ל + sentence incl. name). e.g. Hosea 2:18
- f. c. בְּשֵׁם + ל Is 40:26, cf. 65:11 (שֵׁם אַחֵר), ψ 147:4 (שֵׁמוֹת), Ru 4:17 (שֵׁם + לֵאמֹר), Gn 2:20; 26:18(×2) (all c. שֵׁם). e.g. Isaiah 40:26
- g. c. ל rei + עַל־שֵׁם 2 S 18:18. e.g. 2 Samuel 18:18
- h. call by (ב) names the names (acc.) of cities Nu 32:38; call to (ל) city, + appell., + בִּשְׁמוֹ v 42. e.g. Numbers 32:38
- i. call cities (acc.) בְּשֵׁם, i.e. specify them, Jos 21:9; 1 Ch 6:50 (בְּשֵׁמוֹת). e.g. Joshua 21:9
Niphal
- Pf. 3 ms. נִקְרָא Je 4:20 +, 1 s. נִקְרֵאתִי Est 4:11, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יִקָּרֵא Gn 2:23 +, וַיִּקָּרֵא Ez 20:29 +, etc.; Pt. נִקְרָא Is 43:7; Je 44:26; pl. נִקְרָאִים Is 48:1 Est 6:1;— e.g. Jeremiah 4:20
- 1. reflex., מֵעִיר הַקֹּדֶשׁ נִק׳ Is 48:2 from the holy city they call themselves. e.g. Isaiah 48:2
- 2. pass. be called:
- a. be proclaimed (cf. Qal 3), of שֵׁם י׳ Je 44:26 (בְּפֶה instr.); of man’s name = be famous Ru 4:14; = be announced Je 4:20. e.g. Jeremiah 44:26
- b. be read aloud (cf. Qal 4): impers. c. ב of book, + בְּאָזְנֵי Ne 13:1; subj. records Est 6:1 (לִפְנֵי). e.g. Nehemiah 13:1
- c. be summoned (cf. Qal 5): Is 31:4 (עַל against); Est 3:12; 4:11(×2); 8:9; †בְּשֵׁם, i.e. specifically, 2:14. e.g. Isaiah 31:4
- d. be named (cf. Qal 6): (1) appell. subj. + ל pers. Gn 2:23 to her shall be called ‘woman,’ 1 S 9:9; Is 32:5; 62:4, 12; Pr 16:21; + ל loc. 2 S 18:18; Is 1:26; 35:8; Je 19:6. (2) וְנִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ וגו׳ Dt 25:10, so Gn 35:10 Dn 10:1; Ez 20:29 (of place); אֶת־שִׁמְךָ Ez 20:29. (3) וְנִקְרְאָה יְרוּשׁ׳ וגו׳ Zc 8:3, so of land Dt 3:13, temple Is 56:7. (4) especially נִקְרָא שֵׁם י׳ עַל, denoting ownership, of pers. Je 15:16, people Dt 28:10; Je 14:9; Am 9:12; Is 63:19; 2 Ch 7:14, ark 2 S 6:2 (del. 2nd שֵׁם 𝔅 We Dr al.), = 1 Ch 13:6 (adding עָלָיו Oettli Kau; > KitHpt שְׁמוֹ שָׁם), temple 1 K 8:43 = 2 Ch 6:33; Je 7:10, 11, 14, 30; 32:34; 34:15, city Je 25:29; Dn 9:18, city + people v 19; so name of man 2 S 12:28, as given to his wife Is 4:1. (5) be called עַל שֵׁם, i.e. reckoned to, Gn 48:6; Is 54:5; 61:6; עַל־שֵׁבֶט 1 Ch 23:14, cf. Ezr 2:61 = Ne 7:63. (6) be called בְּשֵׁם Is 43:7; 48:1. (7) בְּיִצְחָק יִקּ׳ לְךָ זָ֑רַע Gn 21:12, i.e. in (through) יִצ׳ shall seed be reckoned to thee; וְיִקָּרֵא בָהֶם שְׁמִי 48:16 through them shall my name be called, i.e. perpetuated. (8) be named = mentioned, of pers. Is 14:20. (9) subj. שֵׁם Ec 6:10, i.e. thing is known. e.g. Genesis 2:23
Pual
- (Ez and Is 2) Pf. 3 ms. קֹרָא be called, subj. appell. + ל pers. vel rei = be named, Is 48:8 Ez 10:13 (קוֹ׳); וְקֹרָא consec. Is 58:12; 61:3; 62:2 (שֵׁם חָדָשׁ); גּוֹי לֹא קֹרָא בִּשְׁמִי 65:1 (קָרָא or קֹרֵא [Qal 2 c], Vrss Lo Ew Che Di al.); be called and privileged (cf. Qal 5 f), Pt. יִשׂ׳ מְקֹרָאִי 48:12. e.g. Isaiah 48:8
קרא II encounter, befall (‖ form of קָרָה, q.v.
Qal
- Pf.5 3 ms. sf. קְרָאַנִי Je 13:22 Jb 4:2; 3 fs. קָרָאת Dt 31:29; Je 44:23, etc.; Impf.4 3 ms. יִקְרָא Gn 49:1, sf. יִקְרָאֶנּוּ Gn 42:4; 3 fpl. וַתִּקְרֶאנָה Lv 10:19; Ex 1:10 read 3 fs. sf. תִּקְרָאֵנוּ (Sam Vrss Di Ges§ 47 k SoKau Baen); Inf. cstr.121 לִקְרַאת (Ges§ 19 k Ol§ 137), Gn 15:10 +, etc.; Pt. fpl. sf. קֹרְאֹתַיִךְ Is 51:19;— e.g. Jeremiah 13:22
- 1. meet, encounter, only inf. cstr. לִקְרַאת often = prep. toward, against (Köii. 1, 317), almost always c. acc. pers., after vb. of motion, Is 7:3; Gn 19:1; 24:17; Ju 4:18, 22; 1 K 2:8 +; in war, battle, Ju 7:24; 20:25, 31; 1 S 4:1; 1 K 20:27 +, after עָרַךְ 2 S 10:9, 10, 17 +, ψ 35:3 v. I. סגר 2 b; לְחַזֵּק לִבָּם לִק׳ הַמִּלְחָמָה Jos 11:20 to harden their heart to encounter the war with Isr.; after הִנֵּה (without vb. of motion), †1 S 10:10; 2 S 15:32; 16:1; 1 K 18:7; Pr 7:10; in constr. prægn. וַיִּשְׂמַח לִק׳ Ju 19:3 he rejoiced to meet him, + 1 S 6:13 (𝔊 We Dr al.); חרד לִק׳ 1 S 16:4; 21:2; so c. שׁאג Ju 14:5, הריע 15:14, מצא 2 K 10:15, נצב Ex 5:20; 7:15 Nu 22:34, etc.; redund. יִקָּרֶה י׳ לִק׳ Nu 23:3; implic. of helping, Is 21:14 ψ 59:5 (fig.); לִק׳ נְחָשִׁים Nu 24:1 he did not go to encounter (in expectation of) signs of divination; in metaph. Is 14:9, לִק׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ Am 4:12. e.g. Isaiah 7:3
- 2. fig. befall c. acc. pers., bad sense Gn 42:4, 38; Dt 31:29; Je 13:22; 44:23; Is 51:19; Jb 4:14; Lv 10:19; of war Ex 1:10 (v. supr.); in gen., Gn 49:1. e.g. Genesis 42:4
Niphal
- meet unexpectedly; Pf. 3 ms. נִקְרָא, c. עַל pers. Ex 5:3; Impf. 3 ms. וַיִּקָּרֵא, c. לִפְנֵי pers. 2 S 18:9; Pf. 20:1, c. שָׁם, chanced to be there; Impf. of bird’s nest Dt 22:6 (לִפְנֵי); Inf. abs. נִקְרֹא v. קרה. e.g. Exodus 5:3
Hiphil
- Impf. 2 ms. וַתַּקְרֵא Je 32:23 thou didst cause all this evil to befall them (acc. pers. et rei). e.g. Jeremiah 32:23
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
I. vb. call, proclaim, read (NH id., read aloud, read; Ph. קרא call; Arabic قَرَأَ read aloud, recite (the ‘Ḳorʾān’), القُرْآنُ the Ḳorʾān; Aramaic קְרָא, ܩܪܳܐ call, etc., so Old Aramaic קרא, Nab. id., Palm. id., קרה);—
II. vb. encounter, befall (‖ form of קָרָה, q.v.; SI 4 לקרת to meet, opposite; Arabic قَرَأَ, put part to part; Min. קרא set opposite, HomChrest. 127);—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from קרא (qârâʼ) (H7122) — to meet.
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
קָרָא I
- (קְרַר II) pumpkin, gourd. Succ. 56ᵇ; Keth. 83ᵇ, a. e. טב מק׳, v. בּוּצִין. Yoma 78ᵃ מצטנן בק׳ cooled his hands with a pumpkin. Ker. 6ᵃ; Hor. 12ᵃ; a. fr.—Pl. קָרֵי, קָרַיָּא. Meg. 12ᵃ, v. בּוּצִין; Sot. 10ᵃ קָארֵי. Ned. 51ᵃ Rashi (ed. קרא, corr. acc.). B. Mets. 64ᵃ ק׳ בני זרתא pumpkins of the size of a fist. B. Bath. 88ᵃ קארי. Sabb. 129ᵇ מאה ק׳, v. קַרְנָא I; a. e.—קָרַיָּיא וְקָרָוָותָא large and small gourds, all kinds of gourds. Y. Ned. VII, beg. 40ᵇ (not וכרובתא); Y. Orl. III, 63ᵇ top קירייא וקרותוא (corr. acc.).
קָרָא II
- to call, v. קרי.
קְרָא I
- v. קְרֵי
קְרָא II
- (preced.) = h. מִקְרָא, Biblical verse. Targ. Esth. VI, 1.—Ber. 2ᵃ אק׳ קאי, v. קָאֵי. Ib. 27ᵃ אמר ק׳ וכ׳ the text reads babboḳer &c. Ib. 29ᵇ מאי קראה where is the Biblical passage to prove it? Snh. 45ᵇ; 71ᵃ, a. e. בעינן ק׳ וכ׳, v. כְּתַב I. Ker. 11ᵇ bot. ק׳ בעי do we need a Bible verse for it?; a. v. fr.—Ber. 30ᵇ פוק קרא קְרָאָיךְ לברא go out, read thy verse in the street, i.e. thy authority is not recognized at college; Keth. 56ᵃ; Yeb. 40ᵃ קַרְיָיךְ, v. קַרְיָיא.—Pl. קְרָאֵי. M. Kat. 3ᵇ והני … ק׳ נינהו are these traditional rulings? are they not intimated in the Biblical text? Pes. 4ᵇ תרי ק׳ כתיבי there are two verses (seemingly contradictory); a. v. fr.
קַרָא
- (preced.) a Biblical scholar, Bible teacher. Kidd. 49ᵃ אבל אמר לה ק׳ אנא וכ׳ but if he said to her, (thou art betrothed unto me under the condition that) I am a Biblical scholar, she is not betrothed unless he can read the Pentateuch, Prophets and Hagiographa correctly (understandingly), contrad. to קַרְיָנָא. Ber. 30ᵇ, a. e. ר׳ חנינא ק׳ R. Ḥanina, the Bible teacher.—Pl. (h. form) קַרָאִים; (ch.) קַרָאֵי. Pesik. Shubah, p. 165ᵇ ק׳ טובים וכ׳ good Bible teachers, good preachers, like Levi &c.; Yalk. Hos. 533. Ab. Zar. 40ᵃ מתלתא ק׳ שמיע לי (Ar. קיראי) I have it from three authorities (as reliable as the Scriptures, Rashi).—V. קַרָיָיא.—[Meg. 24ᵇ in Mish. דרך הקראים, a censorial change for המינות, as in Mish. ed. IV, 8, a. Ms. M., v. Rabb. D. S. a. l.—In later literature קראים Karaites, a Jewish sect recognizing the Bible as sole authority.]
קרי ²
- (b. h.)
- 1. to call, name; to invite. Ber. 7ᵇ מיום שברא … שקְרָאוֹ … וּקְרָאוֹ אדון from the day that the Lord created the world there was no man that called the Holy One, blessed be He, lord, until Abraham came and called him lord (Gen. XV, 2 אדני). Gen. R. s. 56 אברהם קראו יראה Abraham called it (the Temple site) yeraëh (Gen. XXII, 14), שם ק׳ אותו שלם Shem called it Salem (ib. XIV, 18), הריני קוֹרֵא אותו ירושלם I will call it Jerusalem. Snh. 70ᵇ אין … לִקְרוֹא אבא וכ׳ no sooner does a child know to call ‘father’ and ‘mother’, than it tastes grain food. Num. R. s. 15, beg. ק׳ אותו אוהב he invited that friend. Ib. והיה קורא אומניות, v. אוּמָנוּת; a. v. fr.—Part. pass. קָרוּא, קָרוּי; f. קְרוּאָה, קְרוּיָה; Pl. קְרוּאִים, קְרוּאִין, קְרוּיִים, קְרוּיִם, קְרוּיִין, קְרוּיִן; קְרוּאוֹת, קְרוּיוֹת. B. Mets. 114ᵇ, a. e. (ref. to Ez. XXXIV, 31) אתם ק׳ אדם וכ׳ you are called men, but idolaters &c. Sifra Aḥăré, end כל העריות ק׳ טומאה all illicit connections are called uncleanness; a. fr.—Esp. קְרוּאִים, קְרוּיִין those called up to read from the Torah (v. infra). Gen. R. s. 70 (ref. to Gen. XXIX, 2) אלו שלשה ק׳ this is typical of the three persons called up to read from the Torah (priest, Levite, and Israelite). Y. Meg. III, 74ᵇ ולא שבעה ק׳ אינון are not seven persons called up (on the Sabbath)?; a. fr.—V. קְרוּיוֹת.—2) to read, recite (esp. from the Scriptures). Yoma I, 6 אם רגיל לִקְרוֹת … קוֹרִין לפניו if he (the high priest) is accustomed to read (the Scriptures), he reads himself, if not, they read to him; ובמה קורין לפניו and from what books do they read to him? Ib. פעמים הרבה קָרִיתִי וכ׳ many a time I read to him from Daniel. Meg. II, 1 הקורא את המגילה וכ׳, v. מִפְרֵעַ. Ib. 2 קְרָאָהּ סירוגין, v. סֵירוּג. Ib. 3 קורא כמקומו he must read in accordance with the usage of the place he came from. Ib. 4 הכל כשרין לִקְרוֹת וכ׳ all persons are qualified to recite the Book of Esther (before the congregation). Y. Meg. IV, 74ᵈ bot. וקְרָיָיהּ and read from it; a. fr.—Esp. to read from the Torah at public services. Ib. III, 4 קורין בפרשת שקלים they (those who are called up, v. supra) read the section of Sheḳalim (Ex. XXX, 11-16). Ib. 6 אחד קורא את כולן one person must read the entire chapter (of the curses). Ib. IV, 1 בשני … קורין שלשה on Mondays … three persons read. Ib. 4 הקורא בתורה לא יפחות וכ׳ he who is designated to read from the Torah must read no less than three verses; לא יִקְרָא למתורגמן וכ׳ he must read to the interpreter one verse at a time, but from the Prophets, three verses. Bicc. I, 1 יש מביאין … וקורין וכ׳ there are those who are bound to bring the first-fruits and to read (Deut. XXVI, 5-10), and those who must bring but not read &c. Ib. 4; a. v. fr.—Esp. (את שמע) ק׳ to recite the Sh’mʿa in the morning and in the evening prayer. Ber. I, 1 לא קָרִינוּ וכ׳ we omitted to read the Sh’mʿa. Ib. II, 3 ק׳ וטעה if one read the Sh’mʿa and made a mistake. Ib. 4 האומנין קוֹרְאִין וכ׳ (Bab. ed. 16ᵃ קורין) workingmen read the Sh’mʿa on top of a tree, or on the scaffolding; a. v. fr.—אל תִּקְרֵי … אלא (or תִּיקְרִי Chald. form; abbrev. א"ת) read not … but—, i.e. change the traditional (Massoretic) reading (for homiletical purposes). Ib. 64ᵃ (ref. to Is. LIV, 13 א"ת בָּנַיִךְ אלא בּוֹנַיִךְ read not banayikh (thy children) but bonayikh (thy builders, the scholars). M. Kat. 9ᵇ (ref. to Ps. XLIX, 12) א"ת קִרְבָּם אלא קִבְרָם read not ḳirbam (their innermost) but ḳibram (their grave); a. fr. e.g. Genesis 15:2
- same, to call, invite. Part. pass. מְקוֹרָא, pl. מְקוֹרָאִים, מְקוֹרָאִין. Num. R. s. 13 יש חתן … למק׳ וכ׳ does a bridegroom give a banquet for the invited guests and not sit with them?; a. e.
- 1. to be called. Lev. R. s. 1, beg. נִקְרְאוּ הנביאים וכ׳, v. בַּיִת. Ex. R. s. 1 (ref. to Ex. II, 13) מכאן … נ׳ רשע from here we learn that when a man lifts up his hand to strike his neighbor, even if he does not strike, he is called a wicked man; Snh. 58ᵇ. Ab. Zar. 19ᵃ (ref. to Ps. I, 2) בתחלה נִקְרֵאת … נקראת וכ׳ first it (the Law) is called the Lord’s, and then his (the student’s); a. fr.— to be read, recited. Meg. I, 1 מגלה נקראת וכ׳ the Book of Esther may be read at public service on the eleventh &c. Ib. IV, 10 מעשה ראובן נ׳ ולא וכ׳ the story of Reuben (Gen. XXXV, 22) is read at public service but not translated. Ib. לא נִקְרָאִין וכ׳ (Y. ed. נִיקְרִין) must be neither read nor interpreted. Tosef. ib. IV (III), 31 יש נקראין ומתרגמין וכ׳ certain verses are read but not interpreted &c.; Meg. 25ᵃ נִקְרִין; a. v. fr. e.g. Exodus 2:13
- to cause to call, to lead in reading. Sot. 10ᵃ sq. (ref. to Gen. XXI, 33) א"ת וַיִּקְרָא אלא וַיַּקְרִיא read not vayiḳra (and he called) but vayaḳri (and he made call), מלמד שה׳ וכ׳ intimating that Abraham caused the name of the Lord to be called by the mouth of every passer-by. Y. ib. V, 20ᶜ top קטן שהוא מַקְרֵא וכ׳ a child that reads the Hallel at school, and they (the class) respond by repeating each sentence (v. עָנָה I); גדול שהוא מקרא וכ׳ an adult that leads in reciting …, when the congregation responds with the first sentence (as refrain). Succ. III, 10 מי שהיה … מַקְרִין אותו וכ׳ if a slave, a woman, or a child reads to him, he responds with Hallelujah. Gitt. III, 1 שמע קול סופרים מקרין וכ׳ heard the teaching scribes as they made the practicing children read, ‘such and such … divorces &c.’—Esp. to teach the Scriptures (מִקְרָא). Lam. R. to I, 6 הַקְרינִי דף אחד … השניני וכ׳ teach me a page of the Scriptures, teach me a chapter of the Mishnah; a. fr.—[Erub. 104ᵇ שהקרו, v. קָרַר I.] e.g. Genesis 21:33
קרי ³
- (b. h.) to join.—Denom. קוֹרָה III.—לִקְרַאת to meet. Sabb. 31ᵃ ויצא לִקְרָאתוֹ and came out to meet him. Ib. 119ᵃ; B. Kam. 32ᵃ top לקראת כלה to meet the bride (the Sabbath); a. fr.
- to meet, join, esp. נִקְרֵי, נִיקְרֵי (denom. of קֶרִי) to lose semen. Gen. R. s. 52; s. 74, a. e. אין הלשון הזה וַיִּקָּר אלא לשון טומאה this expression vayiḳḳar (Num. XXIII, 4) has the meaning of uncleanness (by analogy from Deut. XXIII, 11).—Meg. 15ᵃ; Taan. 5ᵇ. Yeb. 76ᵃ e.g. Numbers 23:4
- same, to have (nocturnal) pollution; to lose semen. Y. Snh. II, 20ᵇ top; Midr. Sam. ch. XXIII (ref. to I Sam. XXV, 20) ותפגש אותם הוּקְרוּ כולן ‘she struck them’ (with her charms), all of them met with &c. e.g. 1 Samuel 25:20
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 334 distinct written forms H7121 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 274 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H7121, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Shares the same root
Derived from this word
- מקרא miqrâʼ H4744 convocation
- קרא qᵉrâʼ H7123 to call
- קרא qôrêʼ H7124 partridge
- קריא qârîyʼ H7148 called
- קריאה qᵉrîyʼâh H7150 proclamation
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 9 — not the complete family. 1 of the same-root words is a proper name (a person or place). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 653 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 689 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 1:5
- Exodus 1:18
- Leviticus 1:1
- Numbers 1:16
- Deuteronomy 2:11
- Joshua 4:4
- Judges 1:17
- Ruth 1:20
- 1 Samuel 1:20
- 2 Samuel 1:7
- 1 Kings 1:9
- 2 Kings 3:10
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
