Bible Strands
Genesis 4:26
And to Seth also a son was born, and he called him Enosh. At that time men began to call upon the name of the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the birth of Enosh, son of Seth, during the early generations following Cain and Abel. The account shifts from family lineage to a communal religious practice without direct speech.
The words — `וַ/יִּקְרָ֥א (va/i.yik.Ra')` = "and he called"; `שֵׁם (shem)` = "name". The text literally states that people began to call upon the name of the LORD.
The thread — The phrase "call on the name of the LORD" reappears in Psalms 116:17 as a vow of thanksgiving, 1 Kings 18:24 in a covenant contest for divine fire, and Joel 2:32 as the condition for deliverance.
Why it lands — The verse marks a historical turning point where public worship of Yahweh emerges alongside human genealogy. It requires the reader to recognize that invoking God's name becomes a defined practice rather than an isolated family act.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.
Cross-references
- Psalms 116:17 I will offer to You a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.
- 1 Kings 18:24 Then you may 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.” And all the people answered, “What you say is good.”
- 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 promised, among the remnant called by the LORD.
- Zephaniah 3:9 For then I will restore pure lips to the peoples, that all may call upon the name of the LORD and serve Him shoulder to shoulder.
- Genesis 12:8 From there Abram moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built an altar to the LORD, and he called on the name of the LORD.
- Genesis 26:25 So Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there. His servants also dug a well there.
- Jeremiah 33:16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely, and this is the name by which it will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.
- Luke 3:38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
- Deuteronomy 26:17 Today you have proclaimed that the LORD is your God and that you will walk in His ways, keep His statutes and commandments and ordinances, and listen to His voice.
- Acts 2:21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’