You Might Say 'Amen' Without Much Thought, but Here's What the Word Actually Means

We come across the word "amen" throughout the Old and New Testaments. Using Hebrew letters, אמן, or ἀμήν in ancient Greek, it's a word that's actually more than 2,500 years old! In Hebrew, it shares remarkable similarities to the word for "believe" (amam), meaning faithful.

But what is amen's meaning, exactly? This is the linguistic skeleton of what has become a profoundly meaningful word for people of faith, although its religious impact has found its way into secular expressions as well. So, what do we really mean when we say "amen"? Keep reading to find out more.

What Is the Real Meaning of 'Amen'?

"Amen" is defined as "so be it" or "certainly." It's a phrase used in Christianity, Judaism and Muslim religions. For Muslims, it's translated "ameen," and said at the end of daily prayers, even repeated after particular phrases in those prayers. It is not a required ending, but is a common one.

The word "amen" has long been considered part of Jewish liturgy, and carries a good deal of weight, similar to the idea of taking an oath. Jewish people might even draw the word out a bit, giving it greater emphasis.

In Christianity, "amen" has been part of the liturgical makeup of worship services for centuries. It ends formal and spontaneous prayers. Christians use it in corporate and individual prayers. Here is an early prayer from a worship service found in the Didache (or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles), a Greek text compiled in the first or second century: "May grace come and may this world pass away. Hosanna [Hebrew hosha–na, “Save Thou us”] to the God of David! If any man is holy, let him come; if any is not, let him repent. Maranatha. Amen."

How To Pronounce 'Amen'

Depending on who's saying it, we might phonetically hear "ah-men," or in the Ashkenazi dialect, "uh-main." Perhaps you learned it as "a-men." There can also be slight spelling variations in other languages: "amin" and "ameen."

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What Is the Biblical Meaning of 'Amen'?

The first time we read the word "amen" in scripture isn't necessarily a verse we're all that familiar with: "And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen" (Number 5:22, KJV). It's used in plenty of other places, though, including a number of psalms, found in a collection of songs that forms the first prayer book of God's people. "And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen" (Psalm 72:19).

Turning to the New Testament, Jesus often began statements with the word, "amen," translated as "verily, verily." This placement ties in with his claim to be a divine being. Fully God, fully man. In a way he was saying, "I know this to be true firsthand." In the words of Jesus: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life" (John 5:24). In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus's sample prayer for his followers, he ends with, you guessed it, "amen."

"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen" (Matthew 6:13).

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The epistles include a number of creedal statements and prayers of God's people, which end with "amen." Here's an example from Romans: "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen" (Romans 11:36). In the last book of the Christian Bible, Revelation records Jesus himself identifying as "Amen": "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God..." (Revelation 3:14).

Why Do People Say 'Amen'?

The primary reason people say "amen" is to voice agreement with what has been said. It's an expression that signifies you found the words you read or heard to be true. It's the ending to a solemn statement. It's a habitual ending to our prayers.

From the nineteenth-century American evangelist and publisher, Dwight L. Moody, here's a quote that shows a powerful tie to the word "amen" with people of faith: "Faith takes God without any ifs. If God says anything, faith says, 'I believe it,' faith says 'Amen' to it."

Is Amen the Same in Every Language?

Some have called "amen" the best-known word in the world. From its origins in Hebrew, it's been translated into Greek, Latin, English and a number of other languages. Truly, it's a word with an almost universal meaning.

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