Bible Strands
Genesis 31:11
In that dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ And I replied, ‘Here I am.’
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jacob recounts a dream vision in which the angel of God calls him by name while he observes the breeding of Laban’s flocks. Jacob responds directly to the divine address within that dream sequence.
The words — The text explicitly records מַלְאַךְ הָ/אֱלֹהִים (mal.'Akh ha./'E.lo.Him), meaning "angel of God," as the speaker. Jacob’s reply הִנֵּֽנִ/י (hi.Ne./ni) translates literally to "here [am] I," denoting immediate presence and attention.
The thread — The angel’s declaration in Genesis 31:13 immediately follows, identifying himself as the God of Bethel and commanding departure. The same responsive formula appears in Isaiah 58:9, where God promises to answer when the people call.
Why it lands — The verse records a direct divine summons and requires a posture of immediate availability. It establishes that God initiates communication and expects a clear, unhesitating human response.
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 the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I.
Cross-references
- Genesis 31:13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and made a solemn vow to Me. Now get up, leave this land at once, and return to your native land.’”
- Isaiah 58:9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry out, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and malicious talk,
- Genesis 18:17 And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?
- Genesis 22:1 Some time later God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he answered.
- Genesis 31:5 and he told them, “I can see from your father’s countenance that his attitude toward me has changed; but the God of my father has been with me.
- Genesis 48:15 Then he blessed Joseph and said: “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,
- 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.
- 1 Samuel 3:4 Then the LORD called to Samuel, and he answered, “Here I am.”
- 1 Samuel 3:6 Once again the LORD called, “Samuel!” So Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” “My son, I did not call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.”
- 1 Samuel 3:8 Once again, for the third time, the LORD called to Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” Then Eli realized that it was the LORD who was calling the boy.