verb
fōnamō
Strong’sG5455
I crow, shout, summon
stem fōn-43 times in the New Testamentin 6 of 27 books16 forms occur
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
φωνέω means, of a person, to speak aloud, cry out, or shout 13, including exclaiming with a loud voice 1.
It is also used of the sounds animals make, and in particular to crow, of a cock 1234.
In its transitive use it means to call, summon, or invite a person 1234, and also to address someone or call them by a particular name 13.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
φωνέω, -ῶ
(< φωνή), [in LXX for קרא (Je 17:11, al.), etc.;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G5455 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidfo-neh'-o
to emit a sound (animal, human or instrumental); by implication, to address in words or by name, also in imitation
Fromfrom G5456;
King Jamescall (for), crow, cry.
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
(φωνή) produce a sound or tone:
I properly of men, speak loud or clearly, or simply, speak, give utterance, Refs 8th c.BC+aorist (present and imperfect only in compounds); ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας ἀπέβη Refs 8th c.BC+; καί μιν φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα addressed him with a loud voice in winged words, Refs; φωνοῦντος ἢ ἠχοῦντος ἢ ψοφοῦντος Refs 4th c.BC+; followed by the words spoken, φώνησε (φώνασε codices) δ᾽, εὕδεις, βασιλεῦ Refs 5th c.BC+; οἱ βουλευταὶ ἐφώνησαν.. the Senators exclaimed.., Refs 4th c.AD+; “βέκος φ. utter the word βέκος, Refs 5th c.BC+ having made her voice sound, Refs 8th c.BC+ adjective, φ. μέγιστον ἀνθρώπων to have the loudest voice, Refs 5th c.BC+; δεινὸν φ.Refs 5th c.BC+: absolutely, cry aloud, as in joy, Refs 5th c.BC+; of a singer, ἀοιδὸς.. αἰόλα φωνέων Refs 3rd c.BC+ —passive, τὰ φωνηθέντα sounds or words uttered, Refs 5th c.BC+
I.2 of animals, utter their cries, Refs 4th c.BC+; of birds,Refs; [τὰ σελάχη] φωνεῖν οὐκ ὀρθῶς ἔχει φάναι, ψοφεῖν δέLXX; of the cock, crow, NT
I.3 as law-term, affirm, testify in court, Refs
I.4 of a musical instrument, sound, Refs 5th c.BC+; of sounds, ἡδὺ φωνεῖν sound sweetly, Refs 1st c.AD+; but βροντὴ φ. it has a voice, is significant, Refs 5th c.BC+
I.5 ἄφωνα καὶ φωνοῦντα consonants and vowels, Refs 5th c.BC+
II with accusative person, call by name, call, Αἴαντα φωνῶ I call 'Ajax' NT+5th c.BC+; call by a name, ὑμεῖς φωνεῖτέ με ὁ διδάσκαλος NT:—passive, to be called, τὰ ἀρχαῖα ἐκπώματα κισσύβια φωνέεται Refs 2nd c.BC+
II.2 φ. τινα with infinitive, command, σὲ φωνῶ νεκρὸν.. μὴ συγκομίζειν Refs 5th c.BC+
II.3 invite, τοὺς φίλους NT
II.4 with dative person, call to, cry to, Ζεῦ ἄνα, σοὶ φωνῶ Refs 5th c.BC+
III with accusative of things, speak or tell of, προσβολὰς Ἐρινύων Refs 4th c.BC+; ὁδοῦ τέλος.. οἷον οὐδὲ φωνῆσαί τινι ἔξεσθ᾽ tell to any one, Refs 5th c.BC+; φ. τὸ Ἐπιχάρμειον recite it, Refs 5th c.BC+
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Biblang forms
What the New Testament actually uses, first — the whole system this verb is built from is one click further down.
| Form and the Greek behind it | What it is | Usually | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| fōnatōφωνεῖ | happening now · he/she/itpresent active indicative 3rd person singular | calling | 6× |
| fōnavōφωνεῖτέ | happening now · yepresent active indicative 2nd person plural | call | 1× |
| fōnalōφωνοῦσι | happening now · theypresent active indicative 3rd person plural | called | 1× |
| fōnateἐφώνει | was happening · he/she/itimperfect active indicative 3rd person singular | called out | 1× |
| fōnatiφωνήσει | will happen · he/she/itfuture active indicative 3rd person singular | crow | 1× |
| fōnataἐφώνησεν | happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular | called | 13× |
| fōnalaἐφώνησαν | happened · theyaorist active indicative 3rd person plural | called | 2× |
| fōnateiaφωνήσῃ | happened · he/she/itaorist active subjunctive 3rd person singular | crow | 1× |
| fōnasōrφώνει | happening now · youpresent active imperative 2nd person singular | invite | 1× |
| fōnasarφώνησον | happened · youaorist active imperative 2nd person singular | call | 1× |
| fōnavarΦωνήσατε | happened · yeaorist active imperative 2nd person plural | call | 1× |
| fōnaraφωνῆσαι | happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive | crows | 6× |
| fōniraφωνηθῆναι | happened · the “to …” formaorist passive infinitive | called | 1× |
| fōnarantosφωνήσας | happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular masculine | called | 5× |
| fōnarantemφωνῆσαν | happened · subjectaorist active participle direct singular neuter | cried out | 1× |
| fōnarantoisφωνήσαντες | happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative plural masculine | called out | 1× |
Every form the New Testament uses, in paradigm order. What the system can build beyond them — the whole of this verb, whether the text happens to use it or not — is in the tables below.
Every form the system can build — all 172, by mood, including the ones the New Testament never uses
Statements — indicative mood, 25 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | fōnamō | fōname | fōnami | fōnama | fōnamē | fōnamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | fōnasō | fōnase | fōnasi | fōnasa | fōnasē | fōnaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | fōnatō6×φωνεῖ | fōnate1×ἐφώνει | fōnati1×φωνήσει | fōnata13×ἐφώνησεν | fōnatē | fōnatelē |
| we 1st person plural | fōnanō | fōnane | fōnani | fōnana | fōnanē | fōnanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | fōnavō1×φωνεῖτέ | fōnave | fōnavi | fōnava | fōnavē | fōnavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | fōnalō1×φωνοῦσι | fōnale | fōnali | fōnala2×ἐφώνησαν | fōnalē | fōnalelē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | fōnomō | fōnome | fōnomē | fōnomelē |
| you 2nd person singular | fōnosō | fōnose | fōnosē | fōnoselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | fōnotō | fōnote | fōnotē | fōnotelē |
| we 1st person plural | fōnonō | fōnone | fōnonē | fōnonelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | fōnovō | fōnove | fōnovē | fōnovelē |
| they 3rd person plural | fōnolō | fōnole | fōnolē | fōnolelē |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | will happen future | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | fōnimi | fōnima |
| you 2nd person singular | fōnisi | fōnisa |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | fōniti | fōnita |
| we 1st person plural | fōnini | fōnina |
| ye 2nd person plural | fōnivi | fōniva |
| they 3rd person plural | fōnili | fōnila |
May, might — subjunctive mood, 1 occurrence
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | fōnameiō | fōnameia | fōnameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | fōnaseiō | fōnaseia | fōnaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | fōnateiō | fōnateia1×φωνήσῃ | fōnateiē |
| we 1st person plural | fōnaneiō | fōnaneia | fōnaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | fōnaveiō | fōnaveia | fōnaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | fōnaleiō | fōnaleia | fōnaleiē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | fōnomeiō | fōnomeiē |
| you 2nd person singular | fōnoseiō | fōnoseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | fōnoteiō | fōnoteiē |
| we 1st person plural | fōnoneiō | fōnoneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | fōnoveiō | fōnoveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | fōnoleiō | fōnoleiē |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | fōnimeia |
| you 2nd person singular | fōniseia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | fōniteia |
| we 1st person plural | fōnineia |
| ye 2nd person plural | fōniveia |
| they 3rd person plural | fōnileia |
Commands — imperative mood, 3 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | fōnasōr1×φώνει | fōnasar1×φώνησον | fōnasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | fōnatōr | fōnatar | fōnatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | fōnavōr | fōnavar1×Φωνήσατε | fōnavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | fōnalōr | fōnalar | fōnalēr |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | fōnosōr | fōnosēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | fōnotōr | fōnotēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | fōnovōr | fōnovēr |
| they 3rd person plural | fōnolōr | fōnolēr |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | fōnisar |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | fōnitar |
| ye 2nd person plural | fōnivar |
| they 3rd person plural | fōnilar |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | fōnamoiō | fōnamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | fōnasoiō | fōnasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | fōnatoiō | fōnatoia |
| we 1st person plural | fōnanoiō | fōnanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | fōnavoiō | fōnavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | fōnaloiō | fōnaloia |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | fōnomoiō |
| you 2nd person singular | fōnosoiō |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | fōnotoiō |
| we 1st person plural | fōnonoiō |
| ye 2nd person plural | fōnovoiō |
| they 3rd person plural | fōnoloiō |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | fōnimoia |
| you 2nd person singular | fōnisoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | fōnitoia |
| we 1st person plural | fōninoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | fōnivoia |
| they 3rd person plural | fōniloia |
The “to …” form — infinitive, 7 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | fōnarō | fōnari | fōnara6×φωνῆσαι | fōnarē |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | fōnorō | fōnorē | ||
| acted on passive voice | fōniri | fōnira1×φωνηθῆναι |
Used as an adjective — participle, 7 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | fōnarōntos | fōnarintos | fōnarantos7×φωνήσας | fōnarēntos |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | fōnorōntos | fōnorēntos | ||
| acted on passive voice | fōnirintos | fōnirantos |
Each is given in the form it takes as a subject. From there a participle carries the ordinary noun endings, in every case, number and gender — so these four columns are the whole of what the verb contributes.
How every form is built — the slots that make them
fōn is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Words built on the same stem
Other words sharing the exact same stem — not merely related in meaning.
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
43 occurrences, every one of them listed
fōnatō“calling”happening now · he/she/itpresent active indicative 3rd person singular6×
Matthew 27:47… ekei stēarēntoiu akouarantois legale hoti Ēliaon fōnatō houtos.… heard this, they said, “He is calling Elijah.”
Mark 10:49… ton tuflon legarōntois auto; Tharsasōr, egerasōr, fōnatō sin.… they said. “Get up! He is calling for you.”
Mark 15:35… toiu parastēarēntoiu akouarantois legale; Ide Ēliaon fōnatō.… this, they said, “Behold, He is calling Elijah.”
John 2:9… diakonois oidalelē tois antlarēntois tem hudem, fōnatō ton numfion tos architriklinos… drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside
John 10:3… autou akouatō kai teim idieim probateim fōnatō kata onomem kai exagatō auteim.… sheep listen for his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and …
John 11:28“calling”… lathra legarantas; Tos didaskalos pareiatō kai fōnatō sin.… tell her, “The Teacher is here and is asking for you.”
fōnavō“call”happening now · yepresent active indicative 2nd person plural1×
John 13:13vis fōnavō min Tos didaskalos kai Tos kurios, …You call Me Teacher and Lord, and rightly …
fōnalō“called”happening now · theypresent active indicative 3rd person plural1×
Mark 10:49… tos Iēsus legata; Fōnavar auton. kai fōnalō ton tuflon legarōntois auto; Tharsasōr, egerasōr, …… and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man. “Take courage!” they …
fōnate“called out”was happening · he/she/itimperfect active indicative 3rd person singular1×
Luke 8:8… fuirantem poiata karpon hekatontaplasiōnon. houteim legarōntos fōnate; Tos echarōntos oueim akouarō akouatōr.… hundredfold.” As Jesus said this, He called out, “He who has ears to hear …
fōnati“crow”will happen · he/she/itfuture active indicative 3rd person singular1×
Luke 22:34… de legata; Legamō si, Petror, ouk fōnati sēmeron alektōros heōs tris min aparneseia …… you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three …
fōnata“called”happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular13×
Matthew 20:32kai stēarantos tos Iēsus fōnata autoin kai legata; Tinem thelavō poiameia …Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want Me …
Matthew 26:74… oidamē ton anthrōpon. kai eutheōs alektōros fōnata;… the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed.
Mark 9:35kai kathizarantos fōnata toin dōdeka kai legatō autoi; Ei …Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone …
Mark 14:68… exō eis tem proauliem kai alektōros fōnata.… to the gateway, and the rooster crowed.
Mark 14:72kai euthuos ek deutereu alektōros fōnata; kai anamimnēskita tos Petros tem rēmem …And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. Then Peter remembered …
Luke 8:54autos de kratarantos tau cheirau autau fōnata legarōntos; Tas paidar, egerasōr.… took her by the hand and called out, “Child, get up!”
Luke 22:60… legasō. kai parachrēma ēti lalarōntou autou fōnata alektōros.… he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.
John 11:28Kai houtem legarantas aperchata kai fōnata Mariam tan adelfan autau lathra legarantas; …… said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside to tell …
John 12:17… arōntos meta autou hote ton Lazaron fōnata ek teu mnēmeieu kai egerata auton …… had been with Jesus when He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised …
John 18:27… oun arneta Petros; kai eutheōs alektōros fōnata.… once more, and immediately a rooster crowed.
John 18:33… eis tem praitōriem tos Pilatos kai fōnata ton Iēsun kai legata auto; Sis …Pilate went back into the Praetorium, summoned Jesus, and asked Him, “Are You …
Acts 16:28fōnata de fōna mega tos Paulos legarōntos; …But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Do not …
Revelation 14:18… echarōntos exousian epi teu pureu, kai fōnata fōna mega to echarōnto tem drepanem …… fire, came from the altar and called out in a loud voice to …
fōnala“called”happened · theyaorist active indicative 3rd person plural2×
John 9:18“called”… ate tuflos kai anablepata, heōs hotinou fōnala toin gonevoin autou tou anableparantou… believe that the man had been blind and had received his sight until they summoned his parents
John 9:24Fōnala oun ton anthrōpon ek deutereu hos …So a second time they called for the man who had been …
fōnateia“crow”happened · he/she/itaorist active subjunctive 3rd person singular1×
John 13:38“crow”… amēn legamō si, ouk mē alektōros fōnateia heōs hou arnesi min tris.… replied. “Truly, truly, I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.[’’]
fōnasōr“invite”happening now · youpresent active imperative 2nd person singular1×
Luke 14:12… Hotan poiaseiō aristem ē deipnem, mē fōnasōr toin filoin su mēde toin adelfoin …… dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or brothers or relatives …
fōnasar“call”happened · youaorist active imperative 2nd person singular1×
John 4:16Legatō auta; Hupagasōr fōnasar ton andron su kai erchasar enthade.Jesus told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
fōnavar“call”happened · yeaorist active imperative 2nd person plural1×
Mark 10:49kai stēarantos tos Iēsus legata; Fōnavar auton. kai fōnalō ton tuflon legarōntois …Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind …
fōnara“crows”happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive6×
Matthew 26:34… en houta ta nukta prin alektōron fōnara tris aparnesi min.… this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
Matthew 26:75… rēmeu Iēsu legarēntou hoti Prin alektōron fōnara tris aparnesi min, kai exercharantos exō …… Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times …
Mark 14:30… ta nukta prin ē dis alektōron fōnara tris min aparnesi.… this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three …
Mark 14:72… auto tos Iēsus hoti Prin alektōron fōnara dis tris min aparnesi, kai epibalarantos …… spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three …
Luke 22:61… hōs legata auto hoti Prin alektōron fōnara sēmeron aparnesi min tris.… spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny Me three …
John 1:48… legata auto; Pro teu sin Filippon fōnara arōnton hupo tan sukan horama sin.… Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the …
fōnira“called”happened · the “to …” formaorist passive infinitive1×
Luke 19:15“called”… auton labaranton tan basileian kai legata fōnira auto toin douloin houtoin hoi dōatelē …… his kingship, he summoned the servants to whom he had given the money, to …
fōnarantos“called”happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular masculine5×
Luke 16:2kai fōnarantos auton legata auto; Tinem houtem akouamō …So he called him in to ask, ‘What is …
Luke 16:24“called out”kai autos fōnarantos legata; Patror Abraam, elēasar min kai …So he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my …
Luke 23:46“calling out”kai fōnarantos fōna mega tos Iēsus legata; Patror, …Then Jesus called out in a loud voice, “Father, into Your …
Acts 9:41dōarantos de auta cheiran anastēata autan, fōnarantos de toin hagioin kai tain chērain …… and helped her up. Then he called the saints and widows and presented …
Acts 10:7… aperchata tos angelos tos lalarōntos auto, fōnarantos duo toiu oiketoiu kai stratiōton eusebon …… spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a …
fōnarantem“cried out”happened · subjectaorist active participle direct singular neuter1×
Mark 1:26“cried out”… auton tem pneumem tem akathartem kai fōnarantem fōna mega exerchata ek autou.At this, the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and came out with a loud shriek.
fōnarantois“called out”happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative plural masculine1×
Acts 10:18kai fōnarantois punthanole ei Simōnos tos epikalorōntos Petros …They called out to ask if Simon called Peter …