Original Word: הֵן
Part of Speech: demonstrative adverb; interjection; hypothetical particle; conjunction
Transliteration: hen
Pronunciation: hane
Phonetic Spelling: (hane)
KJV: behold, if, lo, though
NASB: behold, if, even, good, here, lo, look
Word Origin: [a primitive particle]

1. lo!
2. (as expressing surprise) if

behold, if, lo, though

A primitive particle; lo!; also (as expressing surprise) if -- behold, if, lo, though.

Word Origin
a prim. interj.
Definition
lo! behold!
NASB Translation
behold (79), even (1), good (1), here (1), if (12), lo (1), look (1), see (1), since (1), though (1).

II. הֵן₁₀₀ (הֶןֿ Numbers 23:9,24; Job 8:19,20; Job 13:1; Job 26:14; Job 33:6,12,29; Job 36:5,22,26; הֵןֿ Job 13:15; Job 36:30; Job 41:1 +)

demonstrative adverb or

interjection lo! behold (on etymology see הִנֵּה), less widely used than הִנֵּה, and in prose mostly confined to calling attention to some fact upon which action is to be taken, or a conclusion based;

a. Genesis 3:22 הֵן הָאָדָם הָיָה behold the man is become as one of us, & now lest, etc., Genesis 4:14 behold, thou hast driven me forth etc., Genesis 11:6; Genesis 15:3; Genesis 19:34; Genesis 27:11; Genesis 29:7; Genesis 30:34 (nearly = yea), Exodus 5:5; Exodus 6:12,30; Leviticus 10:18,19; Numbers 17:27; Deuteronomy 5:21 (in prose only in Pentateuch (23 t.) and Ezekiel 18:4 in this usage); in poetry, used more freely, but chiefly in Isa² & Job, — Numbers 23:9,24 (Balaam) Isaiah 23:13; Isaiah 32:1; Isaiah 33:7; Psalm 51:7; Psalm 51:8; Psalm 68:34; Psalm 78:20; Psalm 139:4; Proverbs 11:31 (stating the premiss to a conclusion introduced by אַף כִּי, q. v.), Proverbs 24:12: elsewhere (except in senses b, c) only in Isa² (23 t.) & Job (31 t), as Isaiah 40:15 (twice in verse); Isaiah 41:11,24,29; Isaiah 50:1,2,9 (twice in verse); Isaiah 50:11; Job 4:18; Job 15:15; Job 25:5 (in these three passages before אַף or אַף כִּי), Job 9:1,12 etc. (see above).

b. as a hypothetical particle, propounding a possibility, if (so Late Hebrew, Biblical Aramaic, Mandean, Palmyrene (ZMG 1888, 404); on the contrary Syriac , Palestinian ᵑ7 אִין, also Palmyrene (ib. p. 415), Arabic with א), a special application or development of the use a: Exodus 4:1 והן לא יאמינו לי and behold ( = and suppose) they will not believe me ? etc., Leviticus 25:20 and if (וְכִי) ye say, What shall we eat the 7th year ? הֵן לֹא נִזְרַע behold, we shall not sow etc. (i.e. supposing we do not sow), Isaiah 54:15; Job 40:23; 2Chronicles 7:13 (twice in verse) (2Chronicles 7:13 b וְאִם); stating the ground on which a question is based, Exodus 8:22 (וְלֹא = הֲלֹא), Jeremiah 3:1; Haggai 2:12 (see הֵן Aramaic b).

c. if, whether, in an indirect question, Jeremiah 2:10 רְאוּ הֵן הָֽיְתָה כָּזֹאת (but Gr הֲנִהְיְתָה); compare אִם 2b, and הֵן Aramaic 3

הֵן conjunction if, whether (Biblical Hebrew הֵן, q. v.: Zenjirli, Egyptian Aramaic (S-C^{Pap. A 7} +), Palmyrene, Nabataean הן, Mandean הין if [ᵑ7^{Onk Jon} use אם, ᵑ7^Jer אין, Syriac ]); —

1 if, Daniel 2:6; Daniel 3:15,17; Daniel 4:24; Daniel 5:16; Ezra 4:13,16; Ezra 5:17, הֵן לָא ֗֗֗ Daniel 2:5,9; Daniel 3:15; Daniel 3:18 הֵן לָ֔א if not.

2 repeated, הֵן ֗֗֗ הֵן sive ... sive, whether ... or (compare Biblical Hebrew אִם, 1b 1), Ezra 7:26 (so Palmyrene^{Tariff ii.c.19}).

3 in indirect question, whether (compare אִם, 2b), Ezra 5:17b יִתְבַּקַּר ֗֗֗ הֵן אִיתַי ֗֗֗ . — See also לָהֵן. p. 50, 243, 1099

הַסִּק etc., see סלק Haph`el

הרהר (check of following, ᵑ7 הַרְהֵר, Late Hebrew הִרְהֵר reflect, brood impurely D^{WB 112}; Syriac is injure, irritate, quarrel PS).

Meaning and Nuances

The particle הֵן regularly serves as a verbal spotlight, drawing the reader’s attention to something decisive. Depending on context it can function as an interjection (“Behold!”), an adverb (“indeed,” “surely”), or a concessive/causal conjunction (“though,” “since”). In narrative it arrests the flow to mark a turning point; in poetry it intensifies the statement that follows; in dialogue it can introduce either affirmation or objection.

Frequency and Distribution

Appearing roughly 318 times, הֵן is scattered across every major section of the Hebrew canon:

• Torah – formative moments (Genesis 27:36; Exodus 32:9).
• Historical Books – covenantal evaluations (1 Kings 8:27).
• Wisdom Literature – reflective assertions (Job 28:28; Ecclesiastes 5:2).
• Major Prophets – divine proclamations (Isaiah 7:14; Jeremiah 31:31).
• Minor Prophets – both judgment and hope (Zechariah 9:9).

Its versatility makes it as common on kings’ lips as on prophets’, binding together diverse genres into a single rhetorical fabric.

Narrative Function

1. Revelation of hidden facts: “Behold, your brother Esau is consoling himself by planning to kill you” (Genesis 27:42).
2. Highlighting divine intervention: “Behold, I am about to rain down bread from heaven for you” (Exodus 16:4).
3. Pivotal realization: “Behold, I thought, ‘He will surely come out’” (2 Kings 5:11).

By signaling these moments, the particle trains readers to watch for the theological “hinges” in redemptive history.

Covenantal Contexts

When הֵן precedes a declaration of Yahweh’s intention, it often introduces covenantal blessings or curses:
• Warning – “Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse” (Deuteronomy 11:26).
• Promise – “Behold, the days are coming … when I will make a new covenant” (Jeremiah 31:31).

In each case the particle underscores God’s sovereign initiative and the certainty of His word.

Prophetic Usage

Prophets employ הֵן to authenticate divine speech—“Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son” (Isaiah 7:14)—or to intensify impending judgment—“Behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans” (Habakkuk 1:6). The same particle that heralds Messiah’s advent also warns of exile, revealing the unbroken coherence of God’s purposes.

Wisdom Literature

The sages use הֵן to frame revelatory axioms:
• Epistemological climax – “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom” (Job 28:28).
• Theological perspective – “Behold, God is great—beyond our knowledge” (Job 36:26).

The term thus asserts doctrinal certainties amid human perplexity.

Liturgical and Devotional Implications

Because הֵן calls worshipers to attentive wonder, it has shaped liturgical language (“Behold our shield, O God,” Psalm 84:9) and personal devotion (“Behold, You desire truth in the inmost being,” Psalm 51:6). Its presence invites the faithful to pause, perceive, and respond.

Christological Significance

New Testament authors echo the particle’s force through Greek ἰδού (“behold”), quoting or alluding to key Old Testament predictions (Matthew 1:23 cites Isaiah 7:14; Hebrews 10:7 echoes Psalm 40:7). הֵן therefore bridges testaments, anchoring Messianic expectation and fulfillment.

Pastoral Application

Preachers can exploit the particle’s function by:

1. Using it as an interpretive cue—asking, “What new act or truth is the text spotlighting?”
2. Emulating its rhetorical pause—creating moments of congregational reflection.
3. Demonstrating Scripture’s unity—showing how a single Hebrew word reverberates from Genesis to Revelation.

Historical Reception

Early Jewish commentators treated הֵן as a hermeneutical marker of divine immediacy. Church Fathers, following the Septuagint’s ἰδού, treated it as evidence of prophecy’s precision. Reformation expositors highlighted it in proof-texts for sola Scriptura, emphasizing the clarity and urgency of God’s self-disclosure.

Conclusion

Wherever הֵן appears, it signals that something demands undivided attention—whether a command, a promise, a warning, or a hope. Recognizing its function enriches exegesis, deepens worship, and reinforces confidence that every word of God is deliberate and trustworthy.

הִ֠נְנִי הִנְּךָ֤ הִנְּךָ֥ הִנְּךָ֨ הִנְּכָ֤ה הִנְנ֛וּ הִנְנ֣וּ הִנְנ֤וּ הִנְנִ֔י הִנְנִ֕י הִנְנִ֖י הִנְנִ֛י הִנְנִ֣י הִנְנִ֣י ׀ הִנְנִ֤י הִנְנִ֥י הִנְנִ֧י הִנְנִ֨י הִנְנִי֙ הִנְנִי֩ הִנְנִי־ הִנְנוּ֙ הִנֵּ֑נִי הִנֵּ֔נִי הִנֵּ֣נִי הִנֵּֽנִי׃ הִנֵּֽנוּ׃ הִנֶּ֗נּוּ הִנֶּֽךָּ׃ הִנֶּנּ֤וּ הִנָּ֑ם הִנָּ֕ם הִנָּ֣ךְ הִנָּ֣ם הִנָּ֤ךְ הִנָּ֤ם הִנָּ֥ךְ הִנָּ֥ם הִנָּ֨ךְ הִנָּם֙ הִנּ֣וֹ הִנּ֤וֹ הִנֵּ֤ה הֵ֑ן הֵ֚ן הֵ֛ן הֵ֣ן הֵ֣ן ׀ הֵ֤ן הֵ֥ן הֵ֧ן הֵן֩ הֵן֮ הֵן־ הֶן־ הן הן־ הנה הנו הנך הנך׃ הנכה הנם הננו הננו׃ הנני הנני־ הנני׃ וְהִנְּךָ֙ וְהִנְּךָ֤ וְהִנְּךָ֥ וְהִנְּכֶ֣ם וְהִנְנִ֣י וְהִנְנִ֥י וְהִנְנִ֨י וְהִנָּ֕ם וְהִנָּ֖ם וְהִנָּ֛ם וְהִנָּ֤ם וְהִנָּ֥ם וְהִנָּ֧ם וְהֵן֙ וְהֵן־ והן והן־ והנך והנכם והנם והנני hen hên hen- hên- hin·nāḵ hin·nām hin·ne·kā hin·nə·ḵā hin·nə·ḵāh hin·nê·nî hin·nê·nū hin·nêh hin·nen·nū hin·nî hin·nî- hin·nōw hin·nū hinNach hinnāḵ hinNam hinnām hinneCha hinneChah hinNeh hinnêh hinNeka hinnekā hinnəḵā hinnəḵāh hinNeni hinnênî hinnenNu hinnennū hinNenu hinnênū hinNi hinnî hinnî- hinNo hinnōw hinNu hinnū veHen vehinNam vehinneCha vehinneChem vehinNi wə·hên wə·hên- wə·hin·nām wə·hin·nə·ḵā wə·hin·nə·ḵem wə·hin·nî wəhên wəhên- wəhinnām wəhinnəḵā wəhinnəḵem wəhinnîInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts