Dictionary Article

Hebrew word meaning “so it is” or “let it be,” derived from a verb meaning “to be firm or sure.” Some translations of the Bible always retain the Hebrew word amen in the text. Others translate it by an expression such as “truly” or “I tell you the truth,” or sometimes omit it altogether. Because of its use in the OT, “amen” was also used in Christian worship and religious writings, including the Greek NT.

“Amen” has much more significance than merely being the last word in a prayer. In fact, that practice is not evidenced in the Bible and was not especially frequent in ancient times. In the nearly 30 times it is used in the OT, “amen” almost always occurs as a response to what has preceded. The significance of the response is that with it the people adopted what had just been said as if it were their own. For example, in Deuteronomy 27:15-26 (where “amen” appears 12 times) the people responded with “amen” after each statement of a curse directed toward those who disobey God. Similarly, “amen” is used as a response after statements of promise (Jer 11:5) or of praise and thanksgiving (1 Chr 16:36), and as a conclusion to the first four of the five “books” of Psalms (Pss 41:13; 72:19; 89:52; 106:48). The only exceptions in the OT are two occurrences in Isaiah 65:16. There, the phrase “the God of amen” (or “the God of truth”) stresses that God is the one who is “firm”; that is, he is completely trustworthy and faithfully fulfills his promises.

The use of “amen” as a response to a preceding statement is continued in the NT epistles and book of Revelation. It appears after doxologies (Eph 3:21), benedictions (Gal 6:18), the giving of thanks (1 Cor 14:16), prophecy (Rv 1:7), and statements of praise (Rv 7:12). From 1 Corinthians 14:16 it is clear that a response of “amen” after a statement of thanks was a means for worshipers to participate by showing agreement with what had been said.

Amen and Amen

Two uses of “amen” by the early church focused special attention on Jesus Christ. In 2 Corinthians 1:20 (cf. Rv 1:7) “amen” is used almost as an equivalent to “yes.” Jesus is viewed as God’s means of saying yes to us, fulfilling his promises. Jesus is also viewed as our means of saying yes to God; through Jesus the “amen” response of believers is presented for the glory of God. In Revelation 3:14, “the Amen” is used as a title of Christ to emphasize his reliability and the truth of what he says (cf. Is 65:16).

The use of “amen” in the Gospels, however, is entirely different from its use in the OT, the early church, or anywhere else in Jewish literature. Excluding Matthew 6:13 (KJB) and Mark 16:20 (both passages with textual uncertainty), all of the 100 occurrences of “amen” are spoken by Jesus and always precede what is said rather than coming after as a response. In the synoptic Gospels (Mt, Mk, Lk) the form is always “Amen, I say to you”; in John it is always the doubled form “Amen, amen, I say to you” (Jn 3:3, 5, etc.). That unique use of “amen” stresses both the authority with which he taught and his majesty: Jesus’ words come with absolute certainty and are binding on all.

Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary