Hagah: The Secret To True Biblical Meditation

Biblical meditation is more than being silent. It is like a lion roaring within our spirit.

I was listening to E.W. Kenyon recently, who was talking about the Hebrew word for meditation, which is Hagah (הגה), and it blew my mind! When I think about meditation, I think like probably most of you do, getting quiet and focused and maybe crossing my legs and closing my eyes, and there is value in this type of meditation, but the Hebrew definition of meditation is so much deeper. Hagah is something far beyond what we think of as meditation. It is not a passive meditation. It’s not just sitting there with your legs crossed and meditating. Hagah actually implies something much more engaging. It even implies a growling. Think about a lion that has killed its prey and is eating the prey. He’s standing over his prey and he’s growling. He is protecting his prey and growling the whole time, so no one takes it from him. He is also eating it like he’s just enjoying it, satiating it, eating and enjoying every bite. What if we approached the Word of God this way? What if we got hold of a promise of God and then stood over that promise and claimed it in such a way like we were daring the devil to try to take it from us? Then enjoy that word that we have latched onto and enjoy the taste of it, enjoy the feel of it, and feel the power of it as it flows through our spiritual veins. This word also implies ‘to mutter’. Which means that we should be speaking the word of God throughout the day and keep it before us, keeping it on our lips, muttering it under our breath.

In summary, Hagah is a Hebrew term meaning to meditate, mutter, roar, or growl, signifying an active, audible, and intense engagement with Scripture rather than quiet, passive reading. Often used in Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:2, it implies consuming God’s word like a lion over prey, transforming lives through deep reflection and daily application.

Joshua 1:8: God commands Joshua to hagah (meditate) on the Book of the Law day and night to ensure success and prosperity.
Psalm 1:2: The blessed person delights in and hagah (meditates) on God’s law day and night.
Isaiah 31:4: Describes the intensity of a lion roaring/growling (hagah) over prey.

Joshua 1:8-9

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate [w-hagita. A variation on same word as hagah essentially] on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will achieve success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified nor dismayed, for YHWH your God is with you wherever you go.”

What does growling have to do with meditation?

You may have even seen your dog growling while he was eating. You may have even seen someone enjoying their meal so much that they make sounds of enjoyment. Get that visual in your mind, maybe even look up a Youtube video on lions feeding. The goal of hagah is to move beyond intellectual understanding to life transformation and application. Hagah is ultimately a “noisy” meditation, an ongoing, active, and deep contemplation of God’s Word that acts as a catalyst for living out one’s calling.

David describes this deep meditation well in Psalm 5:1-3 “Listen to my words, YHWH, consider my sighing [my meditation: hagigi. A variation on same word as hagah essentially]. Listen to the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, for to You I pray. In the morning, YHWH, You will hear my voice; in the morning I will present my prayer to You and be on the watch.”

Don’t just quickly read the Bible. Take time to chew it, digest it and enjoy it. Read God’s word slowly, prayerfully, carefully and intentionally. Focusing and meditating on every word is the best way to engage with the Scripture. We’re not meant to read through a passage quickly just so we can get our Bible reading in for the day. What is the point of that? Take it slow: think, meditate, question, learn, and grow. I tell people all the time it is better to read one verse and get something out of it than to read ten chapters and not even remember what you have read. This is the source of the power of the Word of God. The Greek word for this revealing and revelation from the Word is ‘rhema’. It is the God-breathed, God-revealed Word of God. The devil isn’t scared by you carrying the biggest family Bible there is around, but he does fear it when it gets in your spirit and renews your mind. He knows that this level of comprehension of the Word makes you spiritually armed and dangerous. Another benefit is that it increases your faith Romans 10:17 states, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” David said in Psalm 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” But it wasn’t until he hid it in his heart that it had power. Hagah, the Word of God, quoting it throughout your day. This will even help you memorize the scripture. Get it in your spirit, absorb it like a sponge. When a sponge is squeezed, whatever is in is what comes out. When life squeezes you, whatever is in you is what comes out. Feed yourself fear and worry and that is what will come out, feed it victory and power and that is what will come out.

“I shall remember the deeds of YHWH; I will certainly remember Your wonders of old. I will meditate [w-hagiti] on all Your work, and on Your deeds with thanksgiving. Your way, God, is holy; what god is great like our God?” Psalm 77:11-15

Be filled with wonder when it comes to God and his Word. Meditate on his goodness and be filled with hope.

There is great power in speaking God’s Word out loud.

There is power in speaking his Word out loud.

You hear it and it engages you and renews your mind and rewires your brain…God hears it and as you come in agreement and partnership with him, and he empowers you with it…The devil hears it and he has to flee. Joyce Meyer has a very good book on the power of speaking God’s Word out loud called The Battlefield of the Mind. I also like the handy-sized book of hers called The Secret Power of Speaking God’s Word. It is like a Bible promise book, topically arranged, but scripture is in first person so you can confess his Word and let it get deep in your spirit. There is even scientific proof of this. Watch this video. Hebrews 4:12, describes the Word of God as living, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword. You could think of those two edges as: a) When God speaks his word and b) We speak God’s Word. There is power when we come into agreement with God’s Word. We come into agreement when we speak it out loud.

Hagah, latch onto a promise from God’s Word that applies to a situation that you are going through, claim it, proclaim and declare ‘This is mine!’ like that lion standing over its prey, guarding it. Guard your mind. We are told to be sober-minded in 1 Peter 5:8. Sober is the opposite of drunk. We can be drunk on more than alcohol. We can be drunk on fear, worry and stress. We are also given the remedy for this in Romans 12:2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will”. We are told we have weapons to fight fear and worry, not physical weapons but spiritual weapons.

Our weapons are not physical; they are spiritual.

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5. Notice that this scripture implies something WE are supposed to do. God would not tell us to do this if we couldn’t do it. And we don’t just do this on our own, he promises to come alongside us and empower us to accomplish this as we come into agreement with his Word instead of doing what our racing fearful thoughts tell us to do, in spite of what the devil tells us to do.

Unlike eastern meditation, where you close your mind, close your mouth, clear your mind and focus on a solitary thought, Biblical meditation (Hagah) teaches us that sound is an integral part of meditation. Meditation was not meant to be practiced silently; you are supposed to express, moan, and use your voice to reflect your feelings. This type of meditation blocks fears and worries and takes away their power.

“As the lion or the young lion growls [meditates: yeh-h’geh] over his prey, against which a band of shepherds is called out, and he will not be terrified at their voice nor disturbed at their noise, so will YHWH of armies come down to wage war on Mount Zion and on its hill.” Isaiah 31:4

I don’t know about you, but this revelation has greatly enhanced my spiritual walk and I hope it will do the same for you. Try it. Pray about it. Let God empower you and help you overcome every obstacle that is in your path. Let it help you draw closer to God for he promises in James 4:8 “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”

Here is a Strong’s Concordance reference for further study and confirmation:

MEDITATE: hagah (verb), to meditate, groan, moan, growl. (Strong’s 1897); hegeh (masc noun)/hagut (fem noun)/hagig (masc noun), a rumbling, a moaning, a meditation (Strong’s 1899, 1900 & 1901); higgayon (masc noun), meditational music. (Strong’s 1902).

Root: הגה

Sounds like: haw-gaw; heh-geh; ha-goot; ha-geeg; hee-gai-own.