"Here am I..."

On this past Memorial Day, I mentioned the book Duty, Honor, Country, & Life: A Tribute to the American Spirit by Admiral William McCraven, who retired from the U.S. Navy in 2014 after a distinguished 37 year career.  His latest book is a collection of his speeches, essays, and poems that honor those who serve, both members of the U.S. military and civilians alike.  Admiral McCraven recites a verse from the Holy Bible (Isaiah 6:8) in his chapter, "Send Me" (based on a toast that he gave to members of the U.S. military at an annual meeting of the Alfalfa Club):

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"

And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

There's a powerful scene from the 2014 film Fury, starring Brad Pitt, Shia Leouf, and Logan Lerman, that includes the same verse.  Admiral McCraven says that this same Bible verse is read by a priest, minister, or rabbi during every "Dignified Transfer" ceremony, as a fallen military member's casket is carried by six pallbearers and loaded onto an airplane for the return of his or her remains back home.  

I've been thinking a lot about this Bible verse ever since my post on Memorial Day.  I am not an English major, but it seems to me that the choice of word order in this verse seems different from what I would expect.  It says, "Here am I" versus what I think is the more common word order of "Here I am."  It's a subtle difference, but I think it's a very important one.

As I've learned, there are several stories in the King James Bible of God calling out to a servant for a specific task, to which the servant faithfully replies, "Here am I."  Apparently, the phrase "Here am I" is used sixteen different times in the King James Bible, including the story in the Book of Isaiah mentioned above.  Now granted, the King James Bible was first published in 1611, and there is no question that the English language has changed somewhat over the last four hundred years or so.  It's safe to assume that the phrase "Here I am" has become the more commonly used and preferred way of responding to a call or question.  However, the phrase "Here I am" is used fairly frequently in the King James Bible as well, so it must be more than just changing preferences around word usage or grammar.

According to blogger Daniel Grove, the phrase "Here I am" is used in the Bible whenever God is calling someone to come out and meet him.  Used in this way, the phrase places the emphasis on where that someone is in relation to God.  The emphasis here is on the individual.  Conversely, the phrase "Here am I" is used whenever someone is surrendering him- or herself completely to the task at hand.  They are completely surrendering to God's will - here, the emphasis is on God.

Taking theology out of the discussion then, "Here I am" would be the appropriate way to respond to the question, "Where are you?"  Again, the emphasis is on the "I" (the self).  Conversely, "Here am I" would be the appropriate way to answer the question, "Whoever can help me?"  The emphasis is on the other person.  "Here am I" is selfless, while "Here I am" is centered on the self.  

Grammatically, "Here I am" refers to a location or situation.  As mentioned above, it is the typical response to the question, "Where are you?"  We could also answer that very same question by saying "I am here."  Both responses emphasize the words "I" and "here".  Conversely, "Here am I" is how someone would introduce themselves and indicate that he or she is ready to do whatever is required.  By answering with, "Here am I", we are telling someone that not only are we here, but we are also ready and willing.  We are declaring our willingness to pursue some action.

It's a subtle difference for sure.  And I will be honest that when I looked it up, some authorities stated that the phrase "Here am I" is just an old-fashioned way of saying, "Here I am."  But I strongly believe it is much more than that.  "Here am I" is a selfless way of saying that "I am ready and willing" to do whatever it takes.  It's more than just saying that we are "standing by, ready to assist".  It's active rather than passive.  "We are here, we are going to help."  By saying "Here am I", we are saying that we volunteer eagerly, enthusiastically, passionately.  "Tell us what to do and we will do it!"