προκαλέομαι
prokaléomai
G4292 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To call forth or summon to oneself, often with the nuance of issuing a challenge or inviting confrontation; in some contexts, to provoke or incite another to action, emotion, or conflict. The primary sense denotes initiating interaction by calling someone toward oneself, with secondary senses that include provoking emotionally or socially.
Semantic Range
to summon forth (especially in a formal or confrontational sense), to challenge, to provoke, to incite, to invite (in the sense of inviting confrontation or challenge), to irritate (in the sense of stirring to action or emotion)
Root / Etymology
From πρό ('before, forth, toward') + καλέω ('to call'); a middle-voice verb compound meaning 'to call forth to oneself.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical and Hellenistic Greek, προκαλέομαι primarily denotes the action of calling or summoning someone toward oneself, most often with a challenging or invitational nuance (such as calling someone to a contest, debate, or confrontation). In the Koine period—including the New Testament and the Septuagint—the verb most frequently carries the additional meaning of provoking or inciting someone, either toward anger, confrontation, or some other response. The middle voice emphasizes the subject’s involvement or benefit in the act of calling. In certain contexts, especially polemical or rhetorical, it can suggest intentional irritation or antagonism. While most English translations use 'provoke,' this sometimes narrows the semantic range, as the original term can also imply a formal invitation to engage or participate in dispute. Related verbs (e.g., παροξύνω) more narrowly mean 'to exasperate' or 'to stir to anger,' whereas προκαλέομαι encompasses a spectrum from formal challenge to needling provocation.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
middle voice from πρό and καλέω; to call forth to oneself (challenge), i.e. (by implication) to irritate:--provoke.
Root Family
προκαλ- (prokaléomai) — to call forth, to summon, to challenge
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4292-01 |
προκαλούμενοι | prokaloumenoi | V PRS MID PTCP NOM M PL |
provoking | calling forth to themselves | provoking | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4292-01 |
Galatians 5:26 | προκαλούμενοι | prokaloumenoi | V PRS MID PTCP NOM M PL |
provoking | calling forth to themselves | provoking |