Amen is a word that we\u2019re all familiar with and it\u2019s usually used at the end of a prayer, especially in church. But a few days ago, we had a discussion about what amen really meant. I thought it came from Hebrew and meant \u201cso be it.\u201d My friend thought it meant \u201cin agreement.\u201d I suppose we both were pretty much in agreement as to its meaning, but I thought this would be a good occasion to practice my extensive research.<\/p>\n
From what I gather, amen is a word that came to English from Latin, which got it from Greek, which got it from Aramaic, which got it from Hebrew. It turns out that the word is difficult to translate directly, so, like some other words, rather than translate it, we just borrowed it.
\nIf you check the dictionary, it says something like \u2026.uttered at the end of a prayer or hymn. It\u2019s interesting to note that \u201camen\u201d is not used to conclude any prayers in the Bible. The word is usually used to begin certain passages or sayings, e.g., \u201cAmen, amen, I say to you\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Amen was used in the Old Testament only thirty times, and five of those it was used as a double word (amen, amen) so it\u2019s only found in 25 passages.
\nThe word is used 129 times in the New Testament and 99 of those are spoken by Jesus, Himself. He often began a sentence with amen or used it to give emphasis to what He said.<\/p>\n
Exactly when amen began to be used to conclude a prayer isn\u2019t clear. One theory is that today many people pray with their eyes closed and amen signals that the prayer has ended. In Bible times people prayed by lifting their eyes toward heaven with outstretched arms, so everyone could easily see when the prayer had ended.<\/p>\n
Even though the meaning of amen can be translated different ways depending on content, it basically conveys the idea of agreement. So when someone says \u201camen\u201d after a statement such as, \u201cThis is a really great blog,\u201d it means they agree\u2026..
\n\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n
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Amen is a word that we\u2019re all familiar with and it\u2019s usually used at the end of a prayer, especially in church. But a few days ago, we had a discussion about what amen really meant. I thought it came … Continue reading