Amen

Amen (Hebrew: ‫אָמן‬

ֵ , ʾāmēn; Ancient Greek:
ἀμήν, amín; Arabic: ‫آﻣﯿﻦ‬,
āmīna/amin/ameen; Aramaic/Classical
Syriac: ‫ܐ‬, 'amīn)[1] is an Abrahamic
declaration of affirmation[2] first found in
the Hebrew Bible, and subsequently in the
New Testament.[3] It is used in Jewish,
Christian and Islamic worship, as a
concluding word, or as a response to a
prayer.[2] Common English translations of
the word amen include "verily", "truly", "it is
true", and "let it be so".[4][5] It is also used
colloquially, to express strong
agreement.[2]

Pronunciations
In English, the word amen has two primary
pronunciations, ah-MEN (/ɑːˈmɛn/) or ay-
MEN (/eɪˈmɛn/),[6] with minor additional
variation in emphasis (e.g., the two
syllables may be equally stressed instead
of placing primary stress on the second).
With Anglophone North American usage
the ah-men pronunciation is used in
performances of classical music and in
churches with more formalized rituals and
liturgy.

The ay-men pronunciation is a product of

the Great Vowel Shift (i.e., it dates from
the 15th century); it is associated with
Irish Protestantism and with conservative
evangelical denominations generally. It
also is the pronunciation typically used in
gospel music.[7]

Muslims pronounce "ah-meen" when

concluding recitation of Al-Fatiha, the first
surah, in prayer.

Etymology
Amen is a word of Biblical Hebrew
origin.[8] The word originated in the
Hebrew Scriptures, as a confirmatory
response; it is found in Deuteronomy as a
confirmatory response made by the
people.[9] Moreover, in the Books of
Chronicles (16:36), it is indicated that
around 1000 BC, the word was used in its
religious sense, with the people
responding "Amen" upon hearing the
blessing, "Blessed be the Lord God of
Israel from now and unto all eternity".[9]
The basic triconsonantal root from which
the word is derived, is common to a
number of languages in the Semitic
branch of the Afroasiatic languages,
including biblical Aramaic. The word was
imported into the Greek from the Judaism
of the early Church.[3][10] From Greek,
amen entered the other Western
languages. According to a standard
dictionary etymology, amen passed from
Greek into Late Latin, and thence into
English.[11] Rabbinic scholars from
medieval France believed the standard
Hebrew word for faith emuna comes from
the root amen. Although in English
transliteration they look different, they are
both from the root aleph-mem-nun. That is,
the Hebrew word amen derives from the
same ancient triliteral Hebrew root as
does the verb ʾāmán.[12]

Grammarians frequently list ʾāmán under

its three consonants (aleph-mem-nun),
which are identical to those of ʾāmēn (note
that the Hebrew letter ‫ א‬aleph represents a
glottal stop sound, which functions as a
consonant in the morphology of
Hebrew).[11] This triliteral root means to be
firm, confirmed, reliable, faithful, have faith,
believe.

In Arabic, the word is derived from its

triliteral common root word ʾĀmen (Arabic:
‫)آﻣﻦ‬, which has the same meanings as the
Hebrew root word.

Popular among some theosophists,[13]

proponents of Afrocentric theories of
history,[14] and adherents of esoteric
Christianity[15] is the conjecture that amen
is a derivative of the name of the Egyptian
god Amun (which is sometimes also
spelled Amen). Some adherents of Eastern
religions believe that amen shares roots
with the Hindu Sanskrit word
Aum.[16][17][18][19] Such external
etymologies are not included in standard
etymological reference works. The Hebrew
word, as noted above, starts with aleph,
while the Egyptian name begins with a
yodh.[20]

In French, the Hebrew word amen is

sometimes translated as Ainsi soit-il,
which means "So be it."[21]
The linguist Ghil'ad Zuckermann argues
that, as in the case of Hallelujah, the word
amen is usually not replaced by a
translation due to the speakers’ belief in
iconicity, their perception that there is
something intrinsic about the relationship
between the sound of the signifier (the
word) and what it signifies (its
meaning).[22]:62

Hebrew Bible E…

The word occurs in the Hebrew Bible 30

times; in Deuteronomy alone 12 times
beginning at 27:15. The fixed phrase
'Amen, Amen' is seen five times – Psalm
41:13; 72:19; 89:52; Numbers 5:22;
Nehemiah 8:6. It is translated as 'of truth'
two times in Isaiah 65:16. Three distinct
Biblical usages of amen may be noted:[3]

1. Initial amen, referring back to words

of another speaker and introducing
an affirmative sentence, e.g. 1 Kings
1:36.[3]
2. Detached amen, again referring to the
words of another speaker but without
 a complementary affirmative
sentence, e.g. Nehemiah 5:13.[3]
3. Final amen, with no change of
speaker, as in the subscription to the
first three divisions of Psalms.[3]

New Testament E…

In the New Testament, the Greek word

ἀμήν is used as an expression of faith or
as a part of a liturgical formula.[5] It also
may appear as an introductory word,
especially in sayings of Jesus. Unlike the
initial amen in Hebrew, which refers back
to something already said, it is used by
Jesus to emphasize what he is about to
say (ἀμὴν λέγω, "truly I say to you"),[23] a
rhetorical device that has no parallel in
contemporary Jewish practice.[24]
Raymond Brown says that Jesus's peculiar
and authentic reminiscent use of amen in
the Fourth Gospel is an affirmation that
what he is about to say is an echo from
the Father.[25] The word occurs 52 times in
the Synoptic Gospels; the Gospel of John
has 25.[26]

In the King James Bible, the word amen is

seen in a number of contexts. Notable
ones include:

The catechism of curses of the Law

found in Deuteronomy 27.[3]
A double amen ("amen and amen")
occurs in Psalm 89 (Psalm 41:13; 72:19;
89:52), to confirm the words and invoke
the fulfillment of them.[27]
Amen occurs in several doxology
formulas in Romans 1:25, 9:5, 11:36,
15:33, and several times in Chapter 16.[3]
It also appears in doxologies in the
Psalms (41:14; 72:19; 89:53; 106:48).
This liturgical form from Judaism.[28]
 It concludes all of Paul's general
epistles.
In Revelation 3:14, Jesus is referred to
as, "the Amen, the faithful and true
witness, the beginning of God's
creation." The whole passage reads as
"And unto the angel of the church of the
Laodiceans write; These things saith the
Amen, the faithful and true witness, the
beginning of the creation of God".
Amen concludes last book of the New
Testament, at Rev. 22:21.

Congregational use
Judaism E…

Although amen, in Judaism, is commonly

used as a response to a blessing, it also is
often used by Hebrew speakers as an
affirmation of other forms of declaration
(including outside of religious context).

Jewish rabbinical law requires an

individual to say amen in a variety of
contexts. [29][30][31] With the rise of the
synagogue during the Second Temple
period, amen became a common
response, especially to benedictions. It is
recited communally to affirm a blessing
made by the prayer reader. It is also
mandated as a response during the
kaddish doxology. The congregation is
sometimes prompted to answer "amen" by
the terms ve-'imru (Hebrew: ‫" = )ואמרו‬and
[now] say (pl.)," or, ve-nomar (‫" = )ונאמר‬and
we will say." Contemporary usage reflects
ancient practice: As early as the 4th
century BCE, Jews assembled in the
Temple responded "amen" at the close of a
doxology or other prayer uttered by a
priest. This Jewish liturgical use of amen
was adopted by the Christians.[24] But
Jewish law also requires individuals to
answer amen whenever they hear a
blessing recited, even in a non-liturgical
setting.

The Talmud teaches homiletically that the

word amen is an acronym for ‫אל מלך נאמן‬
(ʾEl melekh neʾeman, "God, trustworthy
King"),[32] the phrase recited silently by an
individual before reciting the Shma.

Jews usually approximate the Hebrew

pronunciation of the word: /ɑːˈmɛn/ ah-
MEN (Israeli-Ashkenazi and Sephardi) or
/ɔːˈmeɪn/ aw-MAYN (non-Israeli
Ashkenazi).[33]
Christianity E…

The use of "amen" has been generally

adopted in Christian worship as a
concluding word[34] for prayers and hymns
and an expression of strong agreement.[24]
The liturgical use of the word in apostolic
times is attested by the passage from 1
Corinthians cited above, and Justin Martyr
(c. 150) describes the congregation as
responding "amen" to the benediction after
the celebration of the Eucharist.[3][34] Its
introduction into the baptismal formula (in
the Eastern Orthodox Church it is
pronounced after the name of each person
of the Trinity) was probably later.[35][34]

In Isaiah 65:16, the authorized version has

"the God of truth" ("the God of amen" in
Hebrew). Jesus often used amen to put
emphasis to his own words (translated:
"verily" or "truly"). In John's Gospel, it is
repeated, "Verily, verily" (or "Truly, truly").
Amen is also used in oaths (Numbers
5:22; Deuteronomy 27:15–26; Nehemiah
5:13; 8:6; 1 Chronicles 16:36) and is further
found at the end of the prayer of primitive
churches (1 Corinthians 14:16).[27]
In some Christian churches, the "amen
corner" or "amen section" is any subset of
the congregation likely to call out "Amen!"
in response to points in a preacher's
sermon.[36] Metaphorically, the term can
refer to any group of heartfelt
traditionalists or supporters of an
authority figure.

Amen is also used in standard,

international French, but in Cajun French
Ainsi soit-il ("so be it") is used instead.

Amen is used at the end of the Lord's

Prayer,[37] which is also called the Our
Father or the Pater Noster.

Islam E…

ʾĀmīn in Arabic.

ʾĀmīn (Arabic: ‫ )آﻣﻴﻦ‬is the Arabic form of

Amen. In Islam, it is used with the same
meaning as in Judaism and Christianity;
when concluding a prayer, especially after
a supplication (du'a) or reciting the first
surah Al Fatiha of the Qur'an (salat), and
as an assent to the prayers of others.[38][39]

See also
Selah
So mote it be

References
1. Payne Smith, Robert (1879). Thesaurus
Syriacus . Oxford: The Calerndon Press.
p. 118.
2. Harper, Douglas. "amen" . Online
Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 20 August
2007.
3. Thurston, Herbert (1907). "Amen"  . In
Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic
Encyclopedia. 1. New York: Robert
Appleton Company.
4. "Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, An
Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon,
ἀμήν" . www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved
6 January 2021.
5. Danker, Frederick W.; Bauer, Walter; Arndt,
William F. (2000). "ἀμήν". A Greek-English
lexicon of the New Testament and other
early Christian literature (Third ed.).
Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
ISBN 0-226-03933-1. OCLC 43615529 .
 . "amen - definition of amen in English by
Oxford Dictionaries" .
oxforddictionaries.com. Retrieved
2 September 2015.
7. "Two Ways of Pronouncing 'Amen' " .
. Paul Joüon, SJ, A Grammar of Biblical
Hebrew, trans. and revised by T. Muraoka,
vol. I, Rome: Editrice Pontificio Instituto
Biblico, 2000.
9. Understanding Your Neighbor's Faith,
Philip Lazowski, (KTAV), 2004, p. 43
10. "Amen" . Jewish Encyclopedia. Archived
from the original on 16 February 2008.
Retrieved 19 February 2008.
11. "Amen" . American Heritage Dictionary.
Archived from the original on 21 April
2008. Retrieved 2008-02-26.
12. "King James Bible Strong's Hebrew
Dictionary" . Archived from the original
on 13 February 2008. Retrieved
26 February 2008.
13. "Collation of Theosophical Glossaries –
Amen" . Archived from the original on 15
March 2008. Retrieved 12 March 2008.
14. "Origin of Amen" . 14 July 2017. Retrieved
28 June 2019.
15. "Amen" . The Assembly of IaHUShUA
MaShIaChaH. 15 December 2005.
Archived from the original on 6 February
2008. Retrieved 13 March 2008.
1 . Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiography
of a Yoga, 1946, chapter 26.
17. Sri H.W.L Poonja, 'The Truth is', Published
by Samuel Weiser, 2000, ISBN 1-57863-
175-0
1 . Mandala Yoga Archived 22 December
2015 at the Wayback Machine
19. "Hindu Culture – Omkar and Swastika" .
hindubooks.org. Archived from the
original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved
2 September 2015.
20. Erman, Adolf & Grapow, Hermann:
Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache, Im
Auftrage der Deutschen Akademien,
Berlin: Akademie Verlag (1971), p. 85
21. "Amen: Behind the word and meaning" .
ASH. 12 August 2018. Retrieved
27 February 2019.
22. Zuckermann, Ghil'ad (2003), Language
Contact and Lexical Enrichment in Israeli
Hebrew. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-
1403917232, 978-1403938695 [1]
23. "Strong's Greek: 281. ἀμήν (amén) --
truly" . biblehub.com. Retrieved 6 January
2021.
24. Amen . Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008.
Retrieved 17 March 2008.
25. Raymond Brown, The Gospel According to
John Vol 1, Anchor Bible Dictionary, page
84
2 . "Amen", Encyclopedia Biblica
27. "Bible Dictionary: Amen" .
eastonsbibledictionary.com. Retrieved
2 September 2015.
2 . cf. John L. McKenzie, SJ, "Dictionary of
the Bible", New York: MacMillan Publ. Co.,
Inc., 1965. Entry: "Amen," (p. 25)
29. Orach Chaim 56 (amen in kaddish)
30. O.C. 124 (amen in response to blessings
recited by the prayer reader)
31. O.C. 215 (amen in response to blessings
made by any individual outside of the
liturgy)
32. Tractate Shabbat 119b and Tractate
Sanhedrin 111a
33. To Pray as a Jew: A Guide to the Prayer
Book and the Synagogue Service, Hayim
Halevy Donin
34. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Amen"  .
Encyclopædia Britannica. 1 (11th ed.).
Cambridge University Press. p. 804.
35. Among certain Gnostic sects, Amen
became the name of an angel.
3 . Hovda, Robert W. (1983). "The amen
corner". Worship. 57 (2): 150–156.
37. Wycliffe. "Matthew 6:9–15" . Wycliffe
Bible.
3 . Hastings, James (2004) [1901]. A
Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels:
Volume I. The Minerva Group, Inc. p. 52.
39. Glassé, Cyril (2003). The New
Encyclopedia of Islam . Stacey
International. p. 48. ISBN 978-
0759101906.

Further reading
Schnitker, Thaddeus A. "Amen." In The
Encyclopedia of Christianity, edited by
Erwin Fahlbusch and Geoffrey William
 Bromiley, 43–44. Vol. 1. Grand Rapids:
Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1999.
ISBN 0802824137

External links

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Amen

"Amen " from the Catechism of the

Catholic Church
Strong's Concordance H543
 Strong's Concordance G281

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