to call: call to
qa.ra denotes calling people, assigning names, appealing to God, and publicly proclaiming a message.
Across the supplied verses, qa.ra most often marks addressing, summoning, or inviting people; it also marks giving a person or place a name, calling upon God in appeal, and voicing a public message. A rare participial use depicts the calling forth of the sea’s waters.
Senses in use
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Summon, address, or invite people · dominant
The Qal forms introduce direct requests and summonses: Elijah calls to the widow for water and food in 1 Kings 17:10 and 1 Kings 17:11, while David summons priests and Levites in 1 Chronicles 15:11. The same use can gather people for an occasion, as the APB renders the clause in 1 Kings 1:19 with guests whom Adonijah had invited.
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Give or bear a name · common
In naming clauses, the Qal form accompanies the assignment of a name: Jabez’s mother names him in 1 Chronicles 4:9, and Hannah names her son in 1 Samuel 1:20. It also identifies places after an event or person, as in 1 Chronicles 11:7 and 1 Kings 16:24.
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Appeal to God · common
When the object is the LORD or God’s name, the clause is an appeal for response or help. In 1 Chronicles 21:26 David calls upon the LORD and the APB reports an answer by fire; in 1 Kings 17:21 Elijah calls to the LORD concerning the youth’s life.
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Cry out or proclaim publicly · occasional
The verb can introduce a voiced declaration directed against an object or heard by a public audience. In 1 Kings 13:2 the APB renders a man’s speech against the altar as calling out, while Deuteronomy 31:11 places the action in the hearing of all Israel as the instruction is proclaimed.
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Call forth the sea’s waters · rare
In Amos 5:8, the Qal active participle occurs in the description of the one who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them over the land. The APB presents this as an ongoing descriptive action rather than a human summons.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB variously renders relevant clauses with “called,” “summoned,” “invited,” “called upon,” “called out,” and “proclaim.” These renderings show the clauses’ overall presentation rather than a fixed English equivalent for every form.