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I have done research on the word know to many, amen. http://www.todayifoundout.com says that it originated from the Egyptian god Amun, being misspelled as "amen."

I have a hypothesis that this is not correct and there is a deeper origin and understanding of where and when it started. I have done research of when it originated so I could back track it to how and where it originated.

A friend of mine stated, "I believe it came from a Hebrew word or phrase with a similar meaning."

I wasn't sure about this since he didn't have any evidence of his theory so I did some more research. I found that he was partially correct. There is also a theory that comes and is based off of the Hebrew Language. There is no specific word or phrase that states a relationship but there is still the theory.

In the dictionary the definition of "amen" is:

amen

[ey-men, ah-men]

1. it is so; so be it (used after a prayer, creed, or other formal statement to express solemn ratification or agreement).

adverb

2. verily; truly.

noun

3. an utterance of the interjection “amen.”.

4. a musical setting for such an utterance.

5. an expression of concurrence or assent.

If you could give me advise and an accurate answer that would be very helpful for my situation.

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  • What situation are you in? I am curious.
    – user140086
    Commented Sep 30, 2015 at 17:08
  • The situation of confusion and answering the correct answers to my friends and family. Curiosity
    – anonymous
    Commented Sep 30, 2015 at 17:09
  • terdon-then where does the Egyptian part come from. There are also other theories of it being greek
    – anonymous
    Commented Sep 30, 2015 at 17:10
  • Wikipedia has decent information on this. What do you think it is missing?
    – Nathaniel is protesting
    Commented Sep 30, 2015 at 17:13
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    @anonymous There is no specific word or phrase that states a relationship but there is still the theory yes there is. אַמֶן pronounced ah-mehn and means "I agree" or "so be it".
    – AAM111
    Commented Jan 5, 2016 at 2:30

3 Answers 3

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The Online Etymological Dictionary has this to say on the matter:

amen

Old English, from Late Latin amen, from Ecclesiastical Greek amen, from Hebrew amen "truth," used adverbially as an expression of agreement (as in Deut. xxvii:26, I Kings i:36; compare Modern English verily, surely, absolutely in the same sense), from Semitic root a-m-n "to be trustworthy, confirm, support." Used in Old English only at the end of Gospels, otherwise translated as Soðlic! or Swa hit ys, or Sy! As an expression of concurrence after prayers, it is recorded from early 13c.

So yes, it does indeed seem to come from a Hebrew word.

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    Amen is used at the end of Hebrew Jewish prayers. It's from Hebrew.
    – Jason
    Commented Jun 10, 2017 at 17:59
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Amen appears several times in the Hebrew Bible. This includes:

  • Join in a praise to God in 1 Chronicles 16:36, Nehemiah 8:6 and four passages in the Psalms (41:13 ; 72:19 ; 89:52 ; 106:48).
  • Confirmation of God's statements in Jeremiah 11:5
  • Confirmation of a statement made by people in Numbers 5:22, 1 Kings 1:36, Nehemiah 5:13
  • Mockingly confirming the words made by a false prophet in Jeremiah 28:6.

Therefore there is some ground in stating that amen originated in the Hebrew Bible. Of these books, Numbers is the oldest, dating form 1200 BC.

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The word "amen" could be of Berber origin as well. "Amen" is closer to the Berber expression "am in" which means "so be it". Why Berber ? Because this language is the oldest language that still alive today.

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  • As a child in the 1950s I was told it meant "let it be". I have no etymological evidence for this and don't claim that it is the true origin but believe that the belief that it meant "let it be" was widespread in the UK at the time. Paul McCartney is just a bit older than me and I always thought that the song Let It Be was based on this meaning.
    – BoldBen
    Commented Jun 10, 2017 at 18:34

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