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Amen
AMEN ā mĕn’ (in ritual speech, prayer, and song, ä-men, ä'-men) (אָמֵן, H589).
Meaning.
“Amen” in both Gr. and Eng. is a transliteration from the Heb., while the same spelling is also retained in Lat. and Ger. In fact, it is probably the most universal of all words, with only “ma” for mother a close second. The Heb. means “to make firm,” to “found, to prop up, to build”; hence, “support,” “confirm, so be it.” In addition, the Gr. usage may more clearly be defined as truly, verily, indeed, “so is it, so be it,” or “may it be fulfilled.” Therefore “Amen” is far more meaningful than a period, a stop, or a signing-off word by which a prayer, song, or declaration is terminated. It carries the weight of approval, confirmation, and support of what is said or sung. Its significance is seen in Moses’ instructions to Joshua. When the curses were to be read by the priests at Shechem, “all the people shall say, ‘Amen’” (
In the OT.
In the NT.
Bibliography
J. H. Thayer, Greek-English Lexicon of the NT (1889), 32; Davies-Mitchell, Student’s Hebrew Lexicon (1960), 46; Zondervan’s The Interlinear Greek-English NT, Lexicon Division (1965), 6; H. M. Buck, People of the Lord (1966), 477.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)
(in ritual speech and in singing a-men’, a’men) (’amen; amen, = "truly," "verily"): Is derived from the reflexive form of a verb meaning "to be firm," or "to prop." It occurs twice as a noun in
That "Amen" was appended to the doxology in the early church is evident both from Paul and Rev, and here again it took the form of a response by the hearers. The ritual of the installation of the Lamb (