(Please print &
distribute this article freely)
www.SoundingTheAlarm.com
The Day of the Lord is
at hand ~ Joel 2:1
DEFINITION - AMEN
by Trevor Davis
Trevor@SoundingTheAlarm.com
April 22, 2006
|
a·men
Used at the end of a prayer or a statement to express assent or approval. |
n
,
ä-m [Middle English, from Old English, from Late Latin 
m 
n, from Greek, from
Hebrew ’
m n, certainly, verily,
from ’
man, to be firm. See 
mn in Semitic Roots.]
amen
This Hebrew word means firm, and hence also faithful (Rev. 3:14). In Isa.
65:16,
the Authorized Version has "the God of truth," which in Hebrew is
"the God of
Amen." It is frequently used by our Saviour to give emphasis to his words,
where it is translated "verily."
Sometimes, only, however, in John's Gospel, it
is repeated, "Verily, verily." It is used as an epithet of the Lord
Jesus Christ
(Rev. 3:14). It is found singly and sometimes doubly at the end of prayers (Ps.
41:13; 72:19; 89:52), to
confirm the words and invoke the fulfilment of them.
It is used in token of
being bound by an oath (Num. 5:22; Deut. 27:15-26; Neh.
5:13; 8:6; 1 Chr. 16:36). In the primitive churches it was common for the
general audience to say "Amen" at the close of the prayer (1 Cor.
14:16). The
promises of God are Amen; i.e.,
they are all true and sure (2 Cor. 1:20).