Democratic (and other) countries often have elections. Some communist countries have elections that give their people a choice of two communist party candidates. (Somewhat like the system in some parts of California).

What exactly is an election? And what does it mean to be elected? And who are the "elect"? And how might being "elected" differ from being "called"? We now take an "eclectic" view of these topics.

Note: In the KJV (King James Version), the word translated "elect" is often translated "chosen". The Greek words which are usually translated "elect" or "chosen" and "called" appear in the same verse in the GNT (Greek New Testament) and LXX (Septuagint) in several places, including the following.

• Matthew 22:14 and 20:16
• 2 Peter 1:10
• Revelation 17:14
• Isaiah 45:4

These verses can help shed light on the similarities and differences in which the two words are used.

Note that the phrase "many be called, but few chosen" appears in the TR (Textus Receptus) but not the WH (Westcott Horte) GNT. The phrase does appear a few chapters later.

The prefix "ex", from Latin, usually means "out of".

The GNT word "εκλέκτον" (eh-KLEH-kton) ≈ "elect, chosen" starts with the prefix «εκ». Note that there is a small linguistic effect from "ex" which can be written as "eks" to "ek" (just the "s").

So "ek" and "ex", or "eks", has the meaning of "out of".

This name of the Greek letter «ξ», is pronounced "ski" and has the sound "ks" as in the "ks" in "lacks", or "Jackson".

The Greek Ξ or ξ with the "ks" sound was written in some variants of ancient Greek as Χ or χ. It was this symbol that was brought into Latin as the letter X or x.

In English, an "x" at the beginning of a word has a "z" sound as starting a word with the "ks" sound is difficult for most English speakers. For example, consider the following Greek words starting with the "ks" sound.

The company name "Xerox", is in a "Xerox copy", originates from the modern Greek word "ξηρός" (ksee-ROS) ≈ "dry" since the product that made Xerox successful was a "dry copy" process.

A "xylophone" is a musical instrument with (originally) wooden bars that are struck by a mallet to sound musical notes.

The English word "xylophone" comes from the Greek "ξύλο" (KSEE-lo) ≈ "wood" and "φωνή" (fo-NEE) ≈ "sound, voice, articulate speech".

The modern Greek word is "ξυλόφωνο" (ksee-LO-fo-no) ≈ "xylophone".

The English word "xenophobia", literally fear of strangers, comes from the Greek "ξένος" (KSEH-nos) ≈ "stranger, guest" and "φόβος" (FO-vos) ≈ "fear" or "φοβία" (fo-VEE-a) ≈ "fear, phobia".

The modern Greek word is "ξενοφοβία" (kseh-no-fo-VEE-a) ≈ "xenophobia".

The ancient modern Greek word "πανδοχείον" (pan-tho-KHEE-on) ≈ "hotel" is literally, an "everything container".

The modern Greek word "ξενοδοχείο" (kseh-no-tho-KHEE-o) ≈ "hotel" is literally, a "stranger container".

Whenever the letter "x" ends a word in English, it is pronounced as a "ks".

• The English word "fox".
• The English word "box" which is related to the ancient Greek word "πυξ" (peeks) ≈ "box"
• The Greek word for "six" is "εξ" (ehks) ≈ "six" from which we get the English word "six".With breathing at the beginning, one gets "hex" for "six", as in "hexadecimal" (base 16, or base 6 plus 10).

In Roman times, a legion was a group of soldiers gathered or collected together for the purpose of military actions.

Legions were numbered but many legions had names, some of which appear in the GNT.

The word "legion" cames from the Latin which comes from the Greek.

Here the "band" is a "cohort", part of a Roman "legion".

• The Middle English word "knyytis" ≈ "soldier" as in "knight".
• The Middle English word "soudiars" ≈ "soldier" from the French word "soldat" ≈ "soldier".
• The Latin word "cohortis" ≈ "cohort", somewhat like a company today.

Note: The books of Luke and the Acts (both written by Luke) are often taken to be a collection of writings that were to be presented at Paul's trial before Caesar, as required by Roman law. In Luke and Acts, the Romans, such as Centurions being presented in a favorable light and insurrections presented in an unfavorable light, etc.

The Latin word "legion" was a name for a unit of soldiers, which could vary but had about 1,000 soldiers in it, more or less, usually less over time, as has happened though out history.

The Greek word «λεγιών» just mean a lot of gathered entities, as in the following verse.

The modern Greek word "λέγω" (LEH-go) ≈ "gather, say" is related to the modern Greek word "λέγιον" (LEH-y-on) ≈ "legion".

• Gathering and collecting words to say.
• Gathering and collecting soldiers for fighting.

Note that the Latin "c" was what today in English is a "k" sound. The Greek «κ» and the (hard) Latin "c" can change to/from a hard "g" sound over time.

This may be the case with "leg" (as in gather, as in a legion) and "lek" (as in gather).

The modern Greek word "αλέκτωρ" (a-LEH-ktor) ≈ "rooster" appears many times in the Bible. In the NT the roster is associated with Peter denying Christ.

The name "Αλέξανδρος" (A-LEH-ksan-thros) ≈ "Alexander", as in "Alexander the Great", literally means one who gives orders to (or calls out, or protects) men where "ανδρός" (an-THROS) ≈ "man" appears 134 times in the LXX and GNT while "αλέκτωρ" (a-LEH-ktor) ≈ "rooster" is related to "αλέκω" (a-LEH-ko) ≈ "protect, defend" which does not appear in the Bible but a variant does appear in the next section.

The war against the followers appears to be against the "called", the "elect" or "chosen", and the "faithful".

The word "and" is called a conjunction or intersection in that all must apply. Is this the case here?

• English "called", "vocati" ≈ "called" (vocal, vocation, etc.), "κλήτοι" (KLEE-tee) ≈ "called" (clergy)
• English "chosen/elected", "electi" ≈ "elected", "εκλέκτοι" (eh-KLEH-ktee) ≈ "elect" (elect, eclectic, etc.)
• English "faithful", "fideles" ≈ "faithful" (fidelity, fiduciary, etc.), "πίστοι" (PEE-stee) ≈ "faithful".



More: Logical conjunction

The LXX uses "elect" and "called" in Isaiah 45:4.

The following verse appears to mirror the meaning of the previous verse.

In the Olivet Discourse, where Jesus talks about "all of it" in the end times, the "elect", not just those "called", are in potential danger of being deceived.
The Wessex Gospels use "lease witegen" for "false prophets". The "witegen" were the "prophets" or "wise men". The "wit" in "witegen" is still in English as "wit" as in "smarts" or "understanding".

Peter uses the words for "calling" and "election".

The modern Greek word "κλήτοι" (KLEE-tee) ≈ "called" is related to the English word "call".

Note that the Latin "c" was what today in English is a "k" sound. The Latin "c" and later English "c" often softened to a "s" or "ch" sound.

The PIE (Proto Indo-European) root is "*gal" ≈ "call"

• call
• clatter
• Gallic
• gallium (Chemical element)
• "gallus" ≈ "cock or rooster"

Note: I could not find anything about this, but it appears that the "g" in "gal" for "call" in "galexander" could have disappeared over time so that "Alexander" could mean "calling out gathered men".

The chemical element Gallium, element number 31, was discovered/named by the French chemist French chemist Paul Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran in 1875.

On a warm day, gallium will melt - such as a spoon of gallium melting in hot water.

de Boisbaudran is said to have named the element Gallium in honor of his country of France, from the Latin Gallia, but his firs name in French is the word "le coq" ≈ "the rooster". The Latin word "gallus" ≈ "rooster". He denied doing this. Perhaps it was just a coincidence.

The hard "c" as a "k" can easily, over time, change to a hard "g" sound. Either sound can change to a more breathy sound as "kh" or "gh" as in the Greek letter «χ». Over time, only the "h" breathy sound can remain and that may eventually disappear altogether.

• dough

Note that the "c" as in "k", or "g" can add an "l" to get "kl" or "gl". The root of the word "call" is related to the following.

• die Klage (German for "complaint").
• Glagotitic (early Russian Slavic alphabet/language)
• The Russian word "гласн" (glasn) ≈ "say or call"

The Russian prefix "со" has the connotation of "together" so that "agree" is to "say together". From the modern Greek word "συμφωνούσιν" (seem-fo-NU-seen) ≈ "agree" comes the English word "symphony", literally to "say together".

That Russian root is the basis for the Russian word "гла́сность" (glast-nost) ≈ "Glastnost" which tends to mean "openness" and/or "transparency" and was popularized by Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980's although used by Lenin earlier.

In general, the following may apply.

• A calling is on (open) invitation without a selection process.
• An election is not a choice, one is chosen.