Greek word · G1528
εἰσκαλέω
eiskaleō
to invite
To call or summon inside, to invite in. Used of bringing someone across the threshold of a house, often in a hospitable sense.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
To call or summon inside, to invite in. Used of bringing someone across the threshold of a house, often in a hospitable sense.
- Against the English
KJV "called he them in" is literal. BSB/ESV "invited them in" captures the courtesy. The word itself is plain, but in this setting the act was significant.
- Used elsewhere in the period
This is its only occurrence in the New Testament. Elsewhere in Greek it is used for inviting or calling people indoors, for example guests to a meal (BDAG).
Where it appears
Acts · 1
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Acts 10:23 εἰσκαλεσάμενος Having called in
So Peter invited them in as his guests. And the next day he got ready and went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa.
Here: Peter calls the three men from the gate (10:17) into the house. The verb's form suggests he does it for his own part, as their host. This is the only place the word appears in the New Testament, and it marks the moment Gentile messengers cross the threshold.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.