What Does "Amen" Mean?
“Amen” is related to the Hebrew aman, a word difficult to translate. In the Old Testament, it’s rendered various ways ― sometimes as “to believe,” other times as “to stand still.” But there’s a clever Jewish story about this word’s history.
The Israelites spent 40 years in the Sinai desert. After each day, tent pegs were driven into the ground for their shelters. Lest they crumble, they needed firm ground ― not soft sand ― into which to drive the pegs.
An association developed between the word aman and this desert-tent phenomenon. It could be thought of as an affirmation, meaning something like: “I would drive my tent peg into that.” It affirms an assertion is on firm ground, that it will keep one’s basic foundation secure.
It’s the same with prayer. We make assertions about God ― the Creed, for instance. We offer petitions and trust God is merciful and generous. We conclude by affirming the sureness of it all — Amen! We affirm that, in so praying, we’re on firm ground, that we can drive our tent peg into that.
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