“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!” (Romans 11:33 ESV)
The deeper we mine the Word of God, the more we discover that the treasury of its wisdom is both within our reach and yet inexhaustible. As we study the Scriptures, we just need a few basic tools at our fingertips—to help us dig into the context and expand our understanding of the text.
The tool I probably use most often is the trusty Strong’s Concordance, a hefty 1,600-page volume that occupies a significant space on the bookshelf. But, when accessed through a Bible study app, like Blue Letter Bible, it makes that digging as quick as a click.
Strong’s Concordance is called “Exhaustive” because it contains every occurrence of every word in the English Bible, assigning a unique code for the original Hebrew or Greek word behind each English word. HOWEVER, not every Hebrew or Greek word used in Scripture necessarily has a Strong’s code number for it. Hebrew is full of idioms, and when a single word in Hebrew translates as a phrase in English, there may be no way to accurately assign one Strong’s code number to it.
Such is the case with the Hebrew word/phrase that’s translated into English as “Here I am.” We read that response recorded not less than 18 times in the Hebrew Old Testament. Just three small words, yet deep and wide in subsurface meaning.
When I first began to research this phrase—in Genesis 22:1, for example—I found something odd. There was no Strong’s code given for the word/phrase “Here I am.” In the Strong’s annotated text, it was simply left blank.
More recently, however, I’ve found the online BLB has revised the entry, assigning the code number H2009 for “Here I am.” But, there’s a problem. The number H2009 refers only to a piece of it. It points to the Hebrew word (hinnêh), which occurs 843 times in Scripture and is commonly translated as simply “behold” or “lo”. The word “behold” does not unpack the full and deeply nuanced meaning of the phrase “Here I am.”
I had to refer to sources other than Strong’s to find that the Hebrew idiom used in that context and translated 18 times as “Here I am” or (“Here am I”) is more than “hinnêh” (behold) … it’s “HINENI.” This is particularly significant because “hineni” conveys a distinct and more personal message.
Israel Bible Center describes it this way: “‘Hineni’ means ‘Here I am,’ but it’s so much more than just stating your presence. It’s a declaration of readiness, a wholehearted offering of yourself to God’s call. This word resonates through some of the Bible’s most pivotal moments. It was not a casual response—it was a soul-deep surrender to divine purpose. It’s the kind of posture that says, ‘I’m fully here, ready, and willing to obey, no matter what comes.’”
What an interesting word! For example, it was the very word that the prophet Isaiah used to convey his courageous response to God’s calling: “And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! (HINENI!) Send ME.’” (Isaiah 6:8 ESV)
A few more examples of “hineni” moments in Scripture include:
- Genesis 22:1, 7, 11: Abraham responds to God’s call.
- Genesis 31:11: Jacob responds to an angel of God.
- Genesis 37:13: Joseph responds to his father, Jacob.
- Exodus 3:4: Moses responds to God’s voice from the burning bush.
- 1 Samuel 3:4, 5, 6, 8, 16: The boy Samuel responds to God’s call.
“Based on every usage of this idiom in the Torah, ‘hineni’ means ‘I’m already here, and I am willing to do whatever it is you wish, before you even ask.’” —Complete Jewish Bible
“Hineni” … is a statement of FAITH, full attention, and unreserved submission. It is absolute focus + trust + readiness to act.
Let’s go deeper: According to Sefaria: Jewish Texts Library, the word “hineni” is “a pure, unguarded affirmation given before all the facts are known. It is a spontaneous, unequivocal commitment promising: ‘I am here’, where and as you found me, fully attentive, all in. And even more, ‘I am here’—all of me, with all that I am and all that I can be. ‘Hineni’ is a response of sacred and undiluted presence, a response in which the self sheds all reservations, which expands the boundaries of self, indicating a readiness to receive and respond to whatever experience is about to unfold. It is brave and humble.”
“Hineni” is … a singular moment of TRUTH. Or, as Charlie Kirk would have said, a “turning point.” We’ve witnessed recently how Charlie Kirk, in the months before his death, talked about the concept of “hineni”—adopting it as the expression of his own personal resolve and determination. Charlie described it as saying to God—like Abraham, Moses, and Isaiah—“Here I am, LORD. Use me for Your will. Mold me. What do you want me to do? Give me my marching orders. I WILL obey.” That resolve powered him to boldly, brilliantly, and bravely profess the message of Jesus on college campuses and online media platforms—unashamed. Before he really knew where it would lead and what the consequences of that “turning point” would eventually be. That’s how he lived, and that’s how he died.
“To say ‘hineni’ is to live simultaneously in the past, present and future: To be aware of our past as a source of our identity and values; to see the future, alert to its possibilities, committed to its betterment; and to experience every day in the present, living according to our values, grateful for every moment.” —Hineni: A World of Meaning, Rabbi David Cohen
“When you read the Bible, you must think that, ‘Here and now, God is speaking with me.’” —Dietrich Bonhoeffer
At some point in time, we will ALL reach our moment of “hineni.” Every human on earth will one day bow their knees before God and confess with their mouth that He is LORD. At that moment, they’ll say: “Here I am NOW—willing to do whatever it is you wish. HINENI.”
But, if THAT moment is our FIRST “HINENI”, it will be too late. The time of NOW will be already tipped into timeless eternity when the time for choosing is past. Therefore, if we are wise, we will choose to have our “hineni” moment HERE and NOW. NOW is the time; HERE is the place; TODAY is the day of choosing … of submission and salvation, saying, “LORD JESUS … HINENI!”
“Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ (“Hineni!”) … Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually … you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach.” (Isaiah 58:9-12 NKJ)
