What does it mean to "call on the name of the Lord?"

[Loveneverfails]

What does it mean to "call on the name of the Lord"? This phrase is found throughout the old testament, and a few times in the New testament.. but what does it really mean? I am particularly curious because of this famous quote from Joel, re-quoted in Romans, "those who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved".

What is this "calling"? Is it an audible cry? If so, is this audible cry a prerequisite for salvation? Is it an inward experience? Is it synonymous with placing one's faith in Christ? I would love to hear different perspectives and interpretations, particularly from those here who may have knowledge of biblical hebrew/greek.

Please forgive the huge post, but I've already begun looking into this subject so I went ahead and listed the verses I could find that quoted this popular phrase.

Genesis 4:26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.


Genesis 12:8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.


Genesis 13:4 and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord.


Genesis 21:33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Eternal God.


Genesis 26:25 Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.


1 Kings 18:24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God.” Then all the people said, “What you say is good.”


2 Kings 5:11 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.


Psalm 116:4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Lord, save me!”


Psalm 116:13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.


Psalm 116:17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord.


Joel 2:32 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.


Zephaniah 3:9 “Then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder.


Acts 2:21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’


Romans 10:13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

 

[notuptome]

David in Psalm 41:4 & 10 called upon the Lord in his time of need.

The thief on the cross called upon the Lord Luke 23:42

I do not think there is an exact wording needed only the ministering of the Holy Spirit to make known the need and to guide the soul to Christ

For the cause of Christ
Roger

 

[Joidevivre]

To me it is a dependency on His name, recognizing the power inherent in it, and your own weakness in comparison.

His name is His presence including all of His attributes. For instance, the God Who Heals, the God Who Provides, the God who Hears, the God who Defends, the God Who Delivers, the God who Saves.

Jesus - Name above all names.

 

[JesusLives]

I feel I call on the name of the Lord every time I pray to God. It is special to commune with our Father in Heaven. Calling on His name when we need help, or just talking to Him and telling Him about our day and things going on in our lives. Drawing close to Him.

 

[psychomom]

can't really call on the Name of the Lord unless we believe.

 

[Loveneverfails]

Thanks for the responses so far, everyone. I'm pretty fascinated by this topic. like I said before, I'm particularly curious about the phrase "those who call on the lord WILL BE SAVED". I know some people who believe that "calling" is an audible declaration, as opposed to prayer which may or may not be silent, and furthermore, that the Lord's name must be spoken aloud, "called on", in order to be saved.

I'm not saying I agree, but it's definitely inspired me to dig deeper because I've never really thought about it before.

 

[Bloodwashed1978]

Let me ask you this... What is the name of the Lord?

 

[Blain]

I have called on his name several times when my life was in danger and he swiftly came to my rescue, I also call to him in my heart and soul a lot, not actual words but I feel my soul groaning for him and my heart crying out to him.

 

[Karraster]

This subject is of great importance to me also! thanks for the thread.

.ish'-i, i'-shi ('ishi, "my husband"; Septuagint ho aner mou): The name symbolic of Yahweh's relation to Israel which Hosea (2:16) declares shall be used when Baali, "my lord," has become hateful on account of its associations with the worship of the Baals.

Hosea2:16 It will come about in that day," declares the LORD, "That you will call Me Ishi And will no longer call Me Baali. 17"For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, So that they will be mentioned by their names no more.

Old dictionaries have Lord defined one way as Baal, where the newer ones sometimes omit that definition. The Name is removed from the King James well over 6ooo times.

Lew White & Mark Davidson discuss the parting of ways; how one faith became two. Pagans commonly concealed the names of their deities using codes which were revealed to initiates by "mystagogues". As early Christianity developed, this practice is what we see behind the "fish" symbol. TORAHTALK 2014 ep07: MYSTAGOGUES - YouTube

 

[Bloodwashed1978]

The name of the Lord is Jesus. He gave his apostles very clear instructions.
Luke 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Acts 2:38 [SUP] [/SUP]Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.[SUP]39 [/SUP]For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
[SUP]40 [/SUP]And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

[SUP]41 [/SUP]Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

Acts 2:38 is the first message ever preached. Peter had the keys!

The Holy Ghost is just the beginning.

Those that are saved are....
Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Endure what???
2 Timothy 4:3 [SUP] [/SUP]For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
[SUP]4 [/SUP]And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
[SUP]5 [/SUP]But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

 

[notuptome]

Let me ask you this... What is the name of the Lord?

There are many names given for God. Any of them will do as God knows them all. He is the IAM, He is Jehovah and He is Christ Jesus just to place a few on the menu.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

 

[notuptome]

The Holy Ghost is just the beginning.

Those that are saved are....
Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Endure what???
2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
[SUP]4 [/SUP]And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
[SUP]5 [/SUP]But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

Incorrect exegesis. Jesus was speaking prophetically to Israel in Mat 24. Jesus is telling the Jews that those who go through the great tribulation and live will see Him and be converted.

2 Timothy is before the tribulation and church related not Israel related. Israel has long ago abandoned sound doctrine when they turned away from Christ their Messiah.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

 

[Bloodwashed1978]

Acts 4:10[SUP] [/SUP]Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.[SUP]11 [/SUP]This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
[SUP]12 [/SUP]Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

 

[Bloodwashed1978]

Matthew 24:1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.[SUP]2 [/SUP]And Jesus said unto them

He was not talking to the jews in this chapter of Matthew. He was talking to his disciples.

 

[Selihah]

What does it mean to "call on the name of the Lord"? This phrase is found throughout the old testament, and a few times in the New testament.. but what does it really mean? I am particularly curious because of this famous quote from Joel, re-quoted in Romans, "those who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved".

What is this "calling"? Is it an audible cry? If so, is this audible cry a prerequisite for salvation? Is it an inward experience? Is it synonymous with placing one's faith in Christ? I would love to hear different perspectives and interpretations, particularly from those here who may have knowledge of biblical hebrew/greek.

Please forgive the huge post, but I've already begun looking into this subject so I went ahead and listed the verses I could find that quoted this popular phrase.

You cannot say the 'name of the Lord' is Jesus. You see, God identified himself by name well over 6,800 times in the Tanach. What happened is that throughout history Christianity followed the rabbinic tradition of blotting out the proper name of the Lord with titles such as Lord, Adoni, Hashem, God. Though the scribes did this there isn't any Jew who doesn't know the proper noun of God. Christianity however as we see from the above posts think when the Tanach speaks of the 'name of the Lord' , "I am the Lord" they assume it is the proper name of Jesus. Take a look at the original Hebrew text to see what I mean. In it you find the proper noun of God, YHVH, yet in the translation it is substituted with a title instead. But if it were translated properly it would read thus.

Genesis 4:26

Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of YEHOVAH.

ולשת גם-הוא ילד-בן ויקרא את-שמו אנוש אז הוחל לקרא בשם יהוה

Genesis 12:8

From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of YEHOVAH

ויעתק משם ההרה מקדם לבית-אל ויט אהלה בית-אל מים והעי מקדם ויבן-שם מזבח ליהוה ויקרא בשם יהוה

Genesis 13:4

and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of YEHOVAH.

אל-מקום המזבח אשר-עשה שם בראשנה ויקרא שם אברם בשם יהוה

Genesis 21:33

Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of YEHOVAH, the Eternal God.

ויטע אשל בבאר שבע ויקרא-שם בשם יהוה אל עולם

Genesis 26:25

Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of YEHOVAH. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.

ויבן שם מזבח ויקרא בשם יהוה ויט-שם אהלו ויכרו-שם עבדי-יצחק באר

1 Kings 18:24

Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of YEHOVAH. The god who answers by fire—he is God.” Then all the people said, “What you say is good.”

ויבן שם מזבח ויקרא בשם יהוה ויט-שם אהלו ויכרו-שם עבדי-יצחק באר

2 Kings 5:11 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of YEHOVAH his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.

ויקצף נעמן וילך ויאמר הנה אמרתי אלי | יצא יצוא ועמד וקרא בשם-יהוה אלהיו והניף ידו אל-המקום ואסף המצרע

Psalm 116:4

Then I called on the name of YEHOVAH: “YEHOVAH, save me!”

ובשם-יהוה אקרא אנה יהוה מלטה נפשי

Psalm 116:13

I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of YEHOVAH.

כוס-ישועות אשא ובשם יהוה אקרא

Psalm 116:17

I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of YEHOVAH.

לך-אזבח זבח תודה ובשם יהוה אקרא

Joel 2:32

And everyone who calls on the name of YEHOVAH will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as YEHOVAH has said, even among the survivors whom YEHOVAH calls.

והיה כל אשר-יקרא בשם יהוה ימלט כי בהר-ציון ובירושלם תהיה פליטה כאשר אמר יהוה ובשרידים אשר יהוה קרא

Zephaniah 3:9

“Then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of YEHOVAH and serve him shoulder to shoulder.

כי-אז אהפך אל-עמים שפה ברורה לקרא כלם בשם יהוה לעבדו שכם אחד

The below text from the so called 'new' testement I will ask any Christian to define who the 'Lord' is in Acts2:21 and Romans 10:13. I think in Acts 4 Paul told you to call upon the name of Jesus. As for me I will call upon the name of Yehovah as instructed by Yehovah Himself

Acts 2:21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’


Romans 10:13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[/QUOTE]

 

[Selihah]

I really don't like this five minute limit on editing. oh well, hope it's not too hard on the eyes.

 

[GracethroughfaithinChrist]

Psalm 109:26
Help me, O LORD my God: O save me according to thy mercy:
*******Calling upon the name of the LORD my God*******

Luke 18:11
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
*******Not calling upon the name of the LORD my God******
Pharisee:
5330 Pharisaíos – properly, "a separatist, a purist"; a Pharisee."

["Pharisee" is derived from the Aramaic term, peras ("to divide and separate"). This literally refers to a "separatist"; hence, a Pharisee was someone "separated from sin."]

"They sought for distinction and praise by the observance of external rites and by the outward forms of piety, such as ablutions, fastings, prayers, and alms-giving; and, comparatively negligent of genuine piety, they prided themselves on their fancied good works. They held strenuously to a belief in the existence of good and evil angels, and to the expectation of a Messiah; and they cherished the hope that the dead, after a preliminary experience either of reward or of penalty in Hades, would be recalled to life by him and be requited each according to his individual deeds."



Luke 18:13
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
*******Calling upon the name of the LORD my God*******

 

[Loveneverfails]

There have been several very intriguing and informative posts here regarding the name of the Lord. Thank you.

However, the part I was trying to delve deeper into was the "calling", not the "name". Like I said, I know some people who think that the "calling" is audible rather than silent, and that it is something that must be done in order to receive salvation "those who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved".

 

[Karraster]

I really don't like this five minute limit on editing. oh well, hope it's not too hard on the eyes.

lol, know what u mean, it's not hard on my eyes. I love digging deeper into the origins of things, it's fascinating, and gives a better awareness of how deceived we've been on many things. Sometimes there is a lot of work involved, for we know the conquer is the one who writes "history" as he wishes. Not impossible though, to find good information. I want to know more.

My understanding to date, is that the v is really a u, however that does not change pronunciation that much. Seems to me that whether a v, u, or w, they all are a lot closer than what the kjv lists. Not speaking against the kjv, or other translations, or any who wish to say it however they choose, it's between them and their Maker. I like talking about the Name, and the commandment says not to cast away His Name.

 

[posthuman]

Psalm 116:4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Lord, save me!”

well right here it is!

the psalmist addresses his plea to the Lord of Hosts - i don't think it's a mystical formula of words or an enunciation of a special name, but who we cry out to and put our hope in.