Amen

[bananaman]

My question is in regards to the term Amen. I have been told it is an acronymn of three hebrew words. The meaning roughly G-d the king is faithful. The three words being Ale Melech Ne'eman. (I assume three words instead of the four in english amen being because of vowels in hebrew?)This was told me by a non messianic orthodox Jew.

    Can anyone verify or dispute this and also does anyone have any additional info on the term amen?

 

[Ruhama]

Good question. I'm not sure, but this is what I found regarding it:

From Hebrew word aman (to strengthen, confirm, be firm). In the Greek OT it's translated as genoito (may it come to be).

From the Jewish Encyclopedia: Amen

[quote here awfully mangled, see below]

 

[Didymus]

I thinnk it means :so be it. It has something to do with God s will being done on earth.

 

[Ruhama]

I forgot to add:
Orthodox Jews have a story to explain virtually everything, and often it's simply made up to illustrate a theological point. Nothing wrong with that, just a different purpose. So I'd probably take your friend's answer with a grain of salt if you're looking for the actual etymological roots.

 

[Ruhama]

Trying again on that quote 

It occurs thirteen times in the Masoretic text of the Old Testament, and in the Septuagint in three additional passages (Jer. iii. 19, xv. 11, Isa. xxv. 1). From these passages it is possible to trace in part the gradual development of Amen from an adjective (or, according to Barth, "Die Nominalbildung in den Semitischen Sprachen," 5c, 7b, a noun, meaning "firmness," "certainty") into an indeclinable interjection.

The primitive use of Amen is in I Kings, i. 36, where also it serves to introduce an affirmative answer. This introductory Amen occurs also in Jer. xxviii. 6; but in another passage (xi. 5) Jeremiah shows familiarity with the detached Amen. The detached Amen is that use of the Amen in which the expected answer is omitted and left to be inferred from the context. Num. v. 22 (in which Amen is repeated twice), Deut. xxvii. 15 et seq., and Neh. v. 13, show that the detached Amen was employed in solemn oaths for which the brief Amen was more effective than a whole sentence.

p.s. and yes, it means "so be it."

 

[MissytheButterfly]

Yeah..that's what I heard that it means "so be it" or that one is in agreement with something being stated or done.

Missy

 

[edward]

Right On!

Edward