הִנֵּה H2009
Presentative particle: behold, look, lo; with 1st-person suffix: behold me/I; as a response to a summons: here I am.
Hinneh is the Hebrew Bible's great attention-getter — a deictic particle that grabs the listener by the collar and says 'Look!' Appearing over 1,000 times, it introduces visions (Gen 1:29, 'Behold, I have given you every plant'), announces dramatic reversals, and frames divine speech. Spanish he aqui, French voici, and German siehe all attempt to capture its demonstrative force, though modern translations often simply drop it. When combined with a first-person suffix (hinneni), it takes on two fascinatingly different roles: a self-referential declaration drawing attention to the speaker's own action ('Behold, I am about to bring the flood,' Gen 6:17), and the unforgettable responsive formula 'Here I am' — Abraham's answer to God on Mount Moriah (Gen 22:1), Samuel's reply in the night (1 Sam 3:4), and Isaiah's volunteering for prophetic mission (Isa 6:8).
3. responsive self-presentation: here I am — The responsive self-presentation formula hinneni meaning 'Here I am' — spoken exclusively in answer to a direct summons, expressing availability, readiness, and submission. Only about 12 clear occurrences, but each is iconic: Abraham answering God's call before the binding of Isaac (Gen 22:1, 11), young Samuel answering in the night (1 Sam 3:4-8), Moses at the burning bush (Exod 3:4), and Isaiah volunteering 'Here am I, send me' (Isa 6:8). Spanish aqui estoy, French me voici, and German hier bin ich shift to locative-existential vocabulary, confirming that this sense differs from sense 2: it is not 'Behold me acting' but 'I am present and willing.' 12×
AR["هاأَنَذَا","هَأَنَذَا","هَا-نَحْنُ؟"]·ben["এই-আমরা","এই-আমি","এই-যে-আমি","দেখ-আমি"]·DE["hier-ich-am","siehe","siehe-ich"]·EN["Here-I-am","here-I-am","here-am-I","here-we-are"]·FR["ici-je-am","me-voici","voici-nous"]·heb["היננ-י","היננו","הנני"]·HI["देखो-मैं","यहन-होओन-मैन","यहाँ-हम","यहाँ-हूँ-मैं","यहां-मैं-हूं","यहां-हूं-मैं"]·ID["Ini kami","Ini-aku","Inilah-Aku","Ya-aku-di-sini","inilah-Aku","inilah-aku","ya-aku-di-sini"]·IT["ecco-nostro","eccomi","qui-io-am"]·jav["Kula-wonten-mriki","Mriki-kula","Punika-Kawula","Punika-kawula","kawula-wonten-ing-ngriki","punika-Kawula","wonten-kula"]·KO["나-여기-있다","내가-여기-있사오니","내가-여기-있습니다","보라-내가-여기-있다","여기-있나이다","여기-있습니다","여기있습니다"]·PT["Eis-me","aqui-estamos?","eis-me","eis-me-aqui"]·RU["вот-Я","вот-мы","вот-я"]·ES["Heme-aquí","Henos-aquí","aquí-estoy","heme-aquí"]·SW["Mimi-hapa","hapa-niko","niko-hapa","tupo-hapa"]·TR["burada-ben","burada-biz","iste-Benim","iste-benim","işte-ben"]·urd["حاضر-ہوں","حاضر-ہوں-میں","دیکھو ہم","دیکھو-مجھے","میں-ہاضر-ہوں","یہاں-ہوں-میں"]
1 Sam 3:4, 1 Sam 3:5, 1 Sam 3:6, 1 Sam 3:8, 1 Sam 3:16, 1 Sam 22:12, 2 Sam 1:7, Job 38:35, Isa 6:8, Isa 58:9, Isa 65:1, Isa 65:1
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
1. presentative particle: behold, look — The core presentative particle meaning 'behold, look, lo' — directing the hearer's attention to a fact, situation, person, or scene. This dominant sense (881 occurrences) appears with bare hinneh or with second/third-person pronominal suffixes and waw-conjunction. From God showing Adam 'behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant' (Gen 1:29) to prophetic visions ('behold, a ladder set up on earth,' Gen 28:12), it functions as a discourse spotlight. Spanish he aqui, French voici, and German siehe form a remarkably stable equivalence class across all target languages. 881×
AR["ها","هَا","هُوَذَا","هُوَذَا-"]·ben["দেখ","দেখ-","দেখো","দেখো-"]·DE["siehe","siehe-"]·EN["behold"]·FR["voici"]·heb["הנה"]·HI["देख","देख-","देखो"]·ID["Lihatlah","lihatlah","lihatlah-"]·IT["ecco"]·jav["Lah","Lah-","Mangga-pirsa","Mangke","Sumerep","lah","lah-"]·KO["보라","보라-","보소서-"]·PT["Eis","Eis-","eis"]·RU["вот","вот-"]·ES["He-aquí","he-aquí"]·SW["Tazama","ndugu","tazama","tazama-","tena"]·TR["işte","işte-","İşte","İşte-"]·urd["دیکھ","دیکھو"]
2. self-referential presentative: behold me/I — Hinneh with first-person suffix (hinneni/hinni) used not as a response to a call but as a self-referential declaration drawing attention to the speaker's imminent action or state — 'Behold, I am about to...' With 168 occurrences, this sense dominates divine speech: 'Behold, I am bringing the flood' (Gen 6:17), 'Behold, I will send swarms of flies' (Exod 8:21), 'Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven' (Exod 16:4). Spanish he aqui yo, French voici je, and German siehe ich all preserve the first-person pronoun. The function is performative announcement — God or a prophet declaring what they are about to do. 168×
AR["ها-أنا","هَأَنَذَا","هَا-أَنَا","هَا-أَنَا-ذَا","هَا-أَنَذَا"]·ben["দেখ","দেখ-আমি","দেখো-আমি"]·DE["siehe-ich","siehe-mich"]·EN["behold-I","behold-Me","behold-me","to"]·FR["me-voici","voici-Je","voici-je","voici-moi"]·heb["הנה-י","הנני"]·HI["देख","देख-मैं","देखो","देखो-मैं","देखो-मैन","हिन्नी"]·ID["Lihatlah-Aku","Sesungguhnya-Aku","lihatlah-Aku","lihatlah-aku","sesungguhnya Aku","sesungguhnya-Aku","sesungguhnyaAku"]·IT["ecco-io","ecco-me","eccomi"]·jav["Lah-Aku","Lah-Kawula","Lah-Kula","Lah-kawula","Mangga-mirsani-Kula","gangsal-welas","lah-Aku","lah-Kawula","lah-Kula","lah-kula","lajeng-Aku","mangga-mirsani-Kula"]·KO["보라","보라-나","보라-나-는","보라-나는","보라-내가"]·PT["Eis-me","eis-Me","eis-me"]·RU["Вот-Я","вот-Я","вот-я"]·ES["He-aquí-yo","Heme-aquí","he-aquí-yo","heme-aquí"]·SW["Tazama","hinniy","tazama","tazama-Mimi","tazama-mimi"]·TR["Iste-Ben","Iste-benim","iste","iste-benim","işte-Ben","işte-ben","işte-benim","İşte-ben"]·urd["دیکھ-مَیں","دیکھ-میں","دیکھو","دیکھو-میں"]
Gen 6:17, Exod 8:21, Exod 9:18, Exod 16:4, Num 24:14, Num 25:12, 1 Kgs 11:31, 1 Kgs 14:10, 1 Kgs 20:13, 2 Kgs 22:16, 2 Chr 34:28, Isa 13:17 (+38 more)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
הִנֵּה Once הִנֶּה־ Gn 19:2, demonstr. part. lo! behold! (Arabic إِنَّ certainly, surely, lit. lo!), with sf. (the pron. being conceived as accus., Ew§ 262 c; cf. إِنَّ, which takes an accus., whether of a noun or pron. sf.) הִנְנִי Gn 6:13 + often (also הִנֶּ֣נִּי Gn 22:7), הִנֵּ֑נִי Gn 22:1, 11 +, (הִנֶּ֔נִּי Gn 27:18), †Is 65:1 הִנֵּ֣נִי הִנֵּ֔נִי (but הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי is also said Gn 24:13, 43;…