Why do we say amen at the end of a prayer?

To agree and confirm: it means “so be it” to what was asked. In church, everyone's amen turns one person's prayer into the prayer of all.

What does “verily I say unto you” mean?

It is Jesus' amen placed at the start of a sentence. He is not confirming what someone else said: he guarantees on his own authority what he is about to teach.

Hebrew word · Strong H543

What does Amen mean?

Amen means “so be it”, “truly”, “it is certain”. It comes from a Hebrew root (aman, H539) that speaks of firmness and trust — the same root as emunah, faithfulness. To say amen is to confirm what has been said and to commit oneself to it.

אָמֵן

ʼâmên · transliteration · aw-mane' · pronunciation

In Strong’s lexicon: sure; abstract, faithfulness; adverb, truly
In the King James: Amen22
Appears in: 24 verses

See the full H543 entry →Also in the lexicon: G281 ἀμήν

The meaning of Amen in the Bible

In the Old Testament the people answer amen to the words of the law (Deuteronomy 27:15-26) and to praise: “all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands” (Nehemiah 8:6). The word passed untranslated into the Greek of the New Testament (amen, G281) and from there into almost every language.

Jesus uses it in a way no one else does: at the start of a sentence, to guarantee what he is about to say. That is the “verily, verily, I say unto you” of the King James. And Revelation calls Christ himself “the Amen, the faithful and true witness” (Revelation 3:14): in him all the promises of God are yea (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Where Amen appears

Deuteronomy 27:15

Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.

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Nehemiah 8:6

And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

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2 Corinthians 1:20

For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

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Revelation 3:14

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;

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Frequently asked questions

Why do we say amen at the end of a prayer?: To agree and confirm: it means “so be it” to what was asked. In church, everyone's amen turns one person's prayer into the prayer of all.
What does “verily I say unto you” mean?: It is Jesus' amen placed at the start of a sentence. He is not confirming what someone else said: he guarantees on his own authority what he is about to teach.

The meaning of Amen in the Bible

Where Amen appears

Deuteronomy 27:15

Nehemiah 8:6

2 Corinthians 1:20

Revelation 3:14

Frequently asked questions

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