Amen

Occurrences in Scripture

In the Old Testament, amen appears mainly as a response to words spoken by someone else. In Numbers 5:22, the wife suspected of unfaithfulness answers the oath pronounced by the priest with "Amen, amen." In Deuteronomy 27:15-26, the people respond "Amen" each time the Levites proclaim one of the twelve curses. In 1 Chronicles 16:36 and Nehemiah 8:6, the congregation responds with amen to praise and to the reading of the Law. Of the five books of the Psalms, the first four end with a doxology (a brief hymn ascribing glory to God) and amen (Psalm 41:13; 72:19; 89:52; 106:48). Scripture also records individuals answering another person's words with amen, as Benaiah does in 1 Kings 1:36 and Jeremiah does in Jeremiah 28:6.

In the New Testament Gospels, Jesus places amen at the beginning of his sayings: "Verily I say unto you." In the Gospel of John, the word is doubled: "Verily, verily." In the Pauline epistles, amen concludes doxologies (Romans 11:36; Galatians 1:5). 1 Corinthians 14:16 shows that when one person gave thanks in the assembly, the congregation responded with amen. 2 Corinthians 1:20 states that the promises of God are "yea" in Christ, and that therefore through him the amen is spoken. In Revelation, worshipers in heaven offer praise with amen (5:14; 7:12; 19:4). Revelation 3:14 calls Christ "the Amen, the faithful and true witness," and the last prayer in the Bible, Revelation 22:20, reads, "Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus."

Meaning of the Word

The Hebrew word amen derives from a root meaning "to be firm, certain, trustworthy." It shares this root with emunah, meaning "faith, faithfulness," and is thus related to the word for faith. New Testament Greek did not translate the word but transliterated it, and Latin and Korean Bibles likewise generally transliterate it as "amen." The Septuagint transliterates it in some places and elsewhere renders it with a Greek word meaning "so be it." The New Korean Revised Version translates the amen that opens Jesus' sayings as "truly." Likewise, "the God of truth" in Isaiah 65:16 is in Hebrew an expression meaning "the God of amen."

Significance Across Scripture

In the Old Testament, amen was the congregation's response by which it embraced God's word and praise as its own. The worship of the New Testament church carried this usage forward directly. Jesus' manner of speech, placing amen before his own words rather than using it to answer another's, is said to be rare in Jewish literature of the period. For this reason, many scholars regard it as an expression distinctive to Jesus that conveys the certainty and authority of his words. Revelation calls Christ the Amen, portraying him as the one who guarantees the truthfulness of God's promises.

Interpretation and Issues

• The doxology and amen at the end of the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:13) are absent from some early manuscripts. For this reason, the New Korean Revised Version places this portion in brackets. Nevertheless, most churches include it when praying the Lord's Prayer together in worship.
• A claim has circulated on the internet and elsewhere that amen derives from the name of the Egyptian god Amun (Amen). Scholars generally reject this claim on the grounds that the Egyptian name is etymologically unrelated to the Hebrew root.
• Amen is a confession of agreement with what has been said and of the desire that it come to pass. Some point out that the notion of amen as a word with inherent efficacy, like an incantation, is difficult to find in the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, prayer usually concludes with "I have prayed in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen." When the representative prayer is finished, the congregation responds with amen. The Apostles' Creed and the Lord's Prayer also end with amen. Many churches include a sung amen by the choir following the benediction.

It is also common for the preacher to invite an amen from the congregation during the sermon, especially at revival meetings and in Pentecostal churches. Some view this as an expression of empathy and participation. Others criticize it as liable to become a habitual or coerced response unrelated to the content. In churches that follow a set liturgy, such as the Anglican Church of Korea and the Lutheran Church in Korea, the congregation responds with amen at appointed places.