Amen: Meaning and Usage in the Old and New Testaments

Amen: Meaning and Usage in the Old and New Testaments AMEN (‫אָ מֵ ן‬, amen): A Hebrew word that has served as a declaration of affirmation and as the closing exclamation of agreement to a doxology or prayer in Jewish and Christian liturgy. Etymology The common understanding of the Hebrew term “amen” (‫אָ מֵ ן‬, amen) is “truly, surely, let it be so.” It carries a basic meaning of “reliable,” “trustworthy,” or “firm” (HALOT, 63– 64). Etymologically, “amen” is related to the nouns “steadiness,” “trustworthiness” (‫אֱ מוּנָה‬, emunah), and “truth” (‫אֱ מֶ ת‬, emeth). The Septuagint includes seven untranslated instances of the term “amen” (ἀµήν, amēn; Num 5:22; Neh 5:13; 8:6; 1 Chr 16:36; Jer 11:5). It translates the other instances into Greek using various terms, including (Moberly, NIDOTTE, 428): • the verb “may it be” (γένοιτο, genoito) • the adjective “true, faithful” (ἀληθινόζ, alēthinoz; Isa 65:16) • the adverb “truly” (ἀληθῶς, alēthōs; Jer 28:6) The term amen is used in various ways in the New and Old Testaments. The development of its liturgical use can be traced from the Old Testament, through the intertestamental period, and into the New Testament and early rabbinic and Christian traditions. Old Testament Usage The Hebrew term amen (‫אָ מֵ ן‬, amen) occurs 30 times in the Hebrew Old Testament. It primarily serves as a solemn affirmation by a person or an assembly at the end of an oath, curse, blessing, declaration, prophecy, or doxology. The term appears in three main ways: 1. As an affirmation to an oath or curse by an individual or assembly. For example: • Numbers 5:22 states that a woman who has been brought before a priest on suspicion of adultery must respond to the priest’s oath with a double “amen.” In doing so she acknowledges that her innocence or guilt will be determined by her body’s response to the “waters of bitterness” (Neusner, Sotah 2:3, 5; Samely, Rabbinic Interpretation, 48). • In Deuteronomy 27:15–26, Moses calls the assembly to respond “amen” to each of the 12 curses for transgression declared by the Levites. • Nehemiah 5:13 records that the priests said “amen” in response to Nehemiah’s call that they take an oath not to extort the people. 1. As an affirmation of a blessing, prayer, song, or praise to God by the assembly. For example: • In 1 Chronicles 16:36, after the ark of the covenant is moved to Jerusalem, the people respond to David’s psalm of thanksgiving by saying “amen” and praising the Lord. • In Nehemiah 8:6, after Ezra reads the entire book of law to the people and blesses the HALOT The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament NIDOTTE New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis “Lord, the great God,” the assembly responds “amen, amen” and worships the Lord (see also 1 Esdras 9:47). 1. As an affirmation by an individual. For example: • In 1 Kings 1:36, Benaiah says “amen” in response to the king’s command to appoint Solomon as the new king. • In Jeremiah 11:5, Jeremiah says “amen” in response to God’s curse upon the people if they disregard His covenant, or confirmation of His oath to give them the land of promise if they obey Him. • In Jeremiah 28:6, Jeremiah gives a sardonic “amen” to Hananiah’s false prophecy before correcting him with God’s true prophetic word. The progression of “amen” becoming a formal liturgical ending is evident in the structuring of the book of Psalms. The last psalms in books one through four conclude with the doxology “bless Yahweh” or “bless His Name” followed by “Amen, and Amen” (Pss 41:13; 72:19, 89:52) or “Amen, Praise Yah” (Psa 106:48). Isaiah 65:16 contains a unique usage of the term “amen” as an appellation of God. In this verse, the “God of Amen” declares a blessing before declaring that He will create a new heavens and a new earth. Alternative translations for the phrase “God of Amen” include “the true God” (NJPS), “the God of truth” (KJV, NASB, NIV, ESV), and “faithful God” (NET). Because God is completely trustworthy, His name assures the accomplishment of His word (Smith, Isaiah, 714; Paul, Isaiah, 602) Usage in the Second Temple Period Literature from the intertestamental period attests to the ongoing development of the liturgical use of “amen” in the Second Temple period. At this time, the concluding “amen” became a verbal commitment of agreement by the listener in response to the prayer, blessing, song, or doxology in both public and private settings (Ross, “Amen,” 167–68; Zahavy, Mishnaic Law, 88; Tosefta 4.12; m. Berakhot 5.4). The use of “amen” in this way is already evident in the Old Testament books of Nehemiah and Psalms (see also 1 Chr 16:36). Examples of “amen” being used in a liturgical manner in literature from the Second Temple period include: • Third Maccabees 7:23 concludes a blessing to God with the term “amen.” • Fourth Maccabees 18:24 ends with a word of hope giving glory to God, followed by a final “amen.” • The penitential Prayer of Manasseh ends its praise to God with “amen.” • The Dead Sea Scrolls include 35 uses of the term “amen” in an affirmative sense. Zahavy explains that in the Jewish tradition and synagogues, prayers or blessings are frequently spoken corporately. When everyone speaks the words of a prayer or blessing, no affirmatory “amen” is needed. However, when an individual speaker offers a prayer or blessing, listeners can respond “amen” only if they fully agree with the speaker’s words and are certain that the speaker has not said anything unacceptable (Zahavy, Mishnaic Law, 77, 106, 117). The Mishnah warns against replying “amen” to a prayer or blessing recited by a non-Jew or a Samaritan (Lachs, “Why Was,” 240; m. Berakhot 8.8). During the Second Temple period (352 BC–AD 70), the “amen” response was discontinued in the temple liturgy—possibly because of the seriousness of this response (Lachs, “Why Was,” 239; Zahavy, Mishnaic Law, 130–31; m. Berakhot 6.22). The decision to discontinue the “Amen” in the temple likely arose after the death of Alexander Jannaeus in 76 BC, when the Pharisees gained judicial power over the Sadducees in temple proceedings. Eliminating the response “amen” could prevent the assembly from affirming what the Pharisees would consider Sadducean error (Lachs, “Why Was,” 230–40). New Testament Usage By the time of Jesus’ life and ministry, “amen” had become a sacred word that was well established in Jewish liturgy. The New Testament transliterates the Hebrew term ‫אָ מֵ ן‬ (amen) into Greek as ἀµήν (amēn). The term appears 129 times in the New Testament. More than half of these occurrences are in the Gospels, with 99 occurrences being spoken by Jesus. Jesus’ Use of “Amen” “Amen” is most commonly used in the New Testament as Jesus’ acknowledgment of the truth and authority of His teachings, statements, or corrections of religious law (Moberly, “‫אמן‬, 'mn“; Osborne, Gospel of John, 40). The term appears either at the beginning or end of Jesus’ theological statements and holds the sense of “truly I say to you” or “in truth I tell you” (Bauer, “ἀµήν, amēn,” 53–54). This “amen” formula occurs 49 times in the Synoptic Gospels (30 times in Matthew, 13 in Mark, and 6 in Luke), and 50 times in John’s Gospel, always appearing in John as a doublet (“Amen, amen,” with the doubling implying emphasis). According to Carson, “The term is so characteristic of Jesus that it appears in transliteration even for the Greek-speaking readers of the Gospels” so that some take it as a “mark of authenticity” (Carson, Gospel According to John, 162–63). Clark notes that the presence of this term at the beginning of the declaration provides an element of “surprise and/or reversal of expectation”—especially in the Gospel of John (Clark, “Discourse Marker,” 124). This usage is unique to the New Testament Gospels. It is debated whether Jesus’ use of “amen” was completely unique or whether it was rooted in Jewish practice: • Doriani asserts that Jesus’ use of “amen” is a “striking innovation” in Hebrew that affirms His claim to deity (Doriani, “Jesus’ Use of Amen,” 126). • Ross equates Jesus’ use of “amen” with the Old Testament prophetic use of the phrase “thus says the Lord” (Ross, “Amen,” 167). • Strugnell argues that a Hebrew inscription on an ostracon dating to the seventh century BC provides a possible parallel to Jesus’ usage (Strugnell, “Notes and Observations,” 170–81). In the inscription, a worker states that his boss illegally took his cloak as collateral for a debt but did not return it. After stating his case, the worker states, “And all my companions can bear witness for me—they who reaped with me in the heat of the [harvest]—yes, my companions can bear witness for me. Amen. I am innocent of any gu[ilt]” (Smelik, Writings, 93–100). Other Uses of “Amen” The other three main uses of “amen” in the New Testament find parallels in the Old Testament (Clark, “Discourse Marker,” 124, 128; Ross, “Amen,” 167; Doriani, “Jesus’ use of Amen,” 125): 1. As an affirmation of a blessing, prayer, song, or praise to God by the assembly 2. As an instruction or affirmation by an individual to words spoken 3. As an appellation for God or Jesus Affirmation by an Assembly. The New Testament use of “amen” as an affirmation spoken by an assembly reflects the Old Testament usage but appears more formalized. Paul in particular uses the term “amen” to close a prayer or benediction; in such cases, the term usually accompanies a statement like “God, who is blessed forever” or “to Him be the glory forever” (Rom 1:25; 9:5; 11:36; 15:33; 16:27; Gal 1:5; 6:18; Eph 3:21; Phil 4:20; 1 Tim 1:17; 6:16; 2 Tim 4:18; see also Heb 13:21; 1 Pet 4:11; 5:11; Jude 1:25; Rev 1:6; 5:14; 7:12; 19:4). Unlike the prayers in the Gospels and Acts, the prayers in the New Testament letters—which were to be read aloud—and Revelation typically end with “amen.” The “amen” that appears in some versions is missing in the most ancient manuscripts, indicating it was a later addition to the text (e.g., see Matt 6:13; Mark 16:8; 1 Thess 3:13; 2 Pet 3:18; Rev 22:21 NET). This attests to the early establishment of the liturgical “amen” as the closing of formal prayer, benediction, or doxology in the Christian church. Affirmation by an Individual. The New Testament contains three examples of “amen” as an instruction or affirmation by an individual to words spoken: 1. In 1 Corinthians 14:16, Paul instructs the congregation not to say “amen” unless they fully understand and can agree with the blessing given by a speaker—similar to Second Temple Jewish teachings. 2. In 2 Corinthians 1:20 Paul teaches that all the words and promises that God speaks are true, reliable, and trustworthy. Therefore, our resounding response to God of “Yes.… Amen” (ναί, nai; … ἀµὴν, amēn) brings glory to God. 3. In Revelation 1:7, John responds to the prophetic reliability of the certain return of Jesus Christ with “Yes. Amen” (ναί, nai, ἀµήν, amēn). Appellation of Jesus. Similar to Isaiah 65:16, the New Testament contains one example of “amen” being used as an appellation for Jesus Christ. In Revelation 3:14, John calls Jesus “the Amen, the faithful and true witness.” Both Isaiah 65:16 and Revelation 3:14 are prophetic passages to which the Lord Himself bears witness that He and His words are trustworthy and reliable. Bibliography Bauer, Walter. “ἀµήν (amēn).” Pages 53–54 in A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 6th ed. Translated by William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, and F. W. Gingrich. Edited by Kurt Aland and Barbara Aland. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. Carlebach, Elisheva. “Two Amens that Delayed the Redemption: Jewish Messianism and Popular Spirituality in the Post-Sabbatian Century.” Jewish Quarterly Review 82, no. 3–4 (1992): 241–61. Carson, D. A. The Gospel According to John. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991. Clark, David J. “A Discourse Marker in the Synoptic Gospels: ἀµη (amē)̀ν ἀµη (n amē)̀ν λέγω ὑµ (n legō hym)îνσοι (nsoi).” Bible Translator 55, no. 3 (2004): 318–28. Chilton, Bruce D. “ ‘Amen’: An Approach Through Syriac Gospels.” Zeitschrift fϋ (y)r die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der älteren Kirche 69, no. 3–4 (1978): 203–11. Clines, David J.A. “‫( אָ מֵ ן‬amen).” Pages 317–18 in vol. 1 of The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic, 1993. Doriani, Daniel. “Jesus’ Use of Amen.” Presbyterion 17, no. 2 (1991): 125–27. Kline, J. Bergman. “Abram’s Amen.” Pages 364–66 in vol. 2 of Basics of Biblical Hebrew: Grammar. Edited by Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001. Kline, Meredith G. “Abram’s Amen.” Westminster Theological Journal 31, no. 1 (1968): 1–11. Koehler, Ludwig, and Walter Baumgartner. The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament [HALOT]. Vol. 1. Study ed. Leiden: Brill, 2001. Lachs, S. T. “Why Was the ‘Amen’ Response Interdicted in the Temple?” Journal for the Study of Judaism 19, no. 2 (1988): 230–40. Maxwell, Jack Martin. “Little Word ‘Amen.’ ” Princeton Seminary Bulletin 62, no. 1 (1969): 58–63. Moberly, R. W. “‫'( אמן‬mn).” Pages 472–433 in vol. 1 of New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis [NIDOTTE]. Edited by Willem A. VanGemeren. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997. Morley, R. Wragge. “Amen.” Expository Times 66, no. 12 (1955): 373–75. Naveh, J. “A Hebrew Letter from the Seventh Century BC.” Israel Exploration Journal 10, no. 3 (1960): 129–39. Neusner, Jacob. The Tosefta: Translated from the Hebrew with a New Introduction. Vol. 1. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 2002. ———. Tractate Sotah. Translated by Jacob Neusner. Brown Judaic Studies 72. Chico, Calif.: Scholars Press, 1984. Osborne, Grant. The Gospel of John. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary. Edited by Philip W. Comfort. Carol Stream, Ill.: Tyndale, 2007. Paul, Shalom M. Isaiah 40–66: Translation and Commentary. Eerdmans Critical Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012. Ross, J. M. “Amen.” Expository Times 102, no. 6 (1991): 166–71. Samely, Alexander. Rabbinic Interpretation of Scripture in the Mishnah. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. Smelik, Klaas A. D. Writings from Ancient Israel: A Handbook of Historical and Religious Documents. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1991. Smith, Gary V. Isaiah 40–66. The New American Commentary 15B. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2009. Strugnell, John. “Notes and Observations: ‘Amen, I Say to You’ in the Sayings of Jesus and in Early Christian Literature.” Harvard Theological Review 67 (1974): 177–81. Zahavy, Tzvee. The Mishnaic Law of Blessings and Prayers: Tractate Berakhot. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1987. INGRID SPELLNES FARO1 1 Ingrid Spellnes Faro, “Amen,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).