Bible Strands
1 Samuel 3:4
Then the LORD called to Samuel, and he answered, “Here I am.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The LORD calls to Samuel while the boy lies down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark is located, before the lamp of God has gone out. Samuel responds to the voice with immediate readiness.
The words — הִנֵּנִי (hi.Ne./ni) translates literally as "here I am" and functions as a standard declaration of immediate availability. It follows וַיִּקְרָא (va/i.yik.Ra'), meaning "and he called," marking the sequence of divine initiative and human response.
The thread — This call-and-response pattern mirrors Genesis 22:1, where God tests Abraham and receives the same reply, and Exodus 3:4, where God calls Moses from the bush. Psalm 99:6 later groups Samuel with Moses and Aaron as figures who called on the Lord.
Why it lands — The text requires a posture of immediate attentiveness to divine speech rather than hesitation or self-preservation. It establishes a pattern where human readiness meets divine initiative without mediation.
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
That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.
Cross-references
- Genesis 22:1 Some time later God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he answered.
- Exodus 3:4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from within the bush, “Moses, Moses!” “Here I am,” he answered.
- Psalms 99:6 Moses and Aaron were among His priests; Samuel was among those who called on His name. They called to the LORD and He answered.
- Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: “Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?” And I said: “Here am I. Send me!”
- 1 Corinthians 12:6 There are different ways of working, but the same God works all things in all people.
- Galatians 1:15 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace, was pleased
- Acts 9:4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?”
- 1 Corinthians 12:28 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, and those with gifts of healing, helping, administration, and various tongues.