A Hebrew Word Study

ןמא

Familiar as it may be to today’s English-speaking world, few people know the word ןמא (amen) to be anything more than a conclusion to prayers.  However, as a person dives deeper into the ancient Hebrew meaning and usage of ןמא, this often-overlooked word begins to shed light on everything — from how we pray to the divine attributes of God.

Etymology.  Both the Syriac and Arabic have this root in their language, with its meaning centering on time, security, rest, peace, or reliability, faithfulness.  But while the Arabic meaning of the word is “faithful” or “secure,” Syriac uses the word to mean “endurance.”  It is difficult to know where ןמא came from in the Semitic languages because the earliest forms of the word appear in Hebrew, not in other languages.  As a result, it is best to define this word directly out of the Hebrew text.

Lexical Meaning. As an adverb, ןמא usually means “verily” or “truly” or as most people say at the end of their prayers, amen. When used as a masculine noun, ןמא means master-workman, artist, trusting, and faithfulness. As a feminine noun, ןמא describes human conduct or a divine attribute as firmness, steadfastness, fidelity, bringing up, and nourishment. All meanings — whether masculine, feminine, or as an adverb — center on truth and being faithful. 

Concordance and Binyan Study.  When ןמא is found in the Qal, it always functions as a participle that expresses the continuance of the action.  What is interesting in the Qal is it is used in conjunction with men and women who are usually in charge of dependent children or in instances where someone or something is a pillar of support to those underneath him or her, i.e., a king who takes care of those under his rule (2 Kings 18:16).  This is seen in the book of Esther as Mordecai, her guardian, has “brought up” Esther to be the woman who she was.

In the Niphal form, it appears in the perfect and imperfect, but its most common usage is the participle (32 times) as with the Qal form.  In all of its uses in the Niphal form, however, ןמא describes an individual, a people, or God as being reliable. (Proverbs 25:13, “As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him.”) When ןמא occurs in this form, it marks a relationship of trust, dependability, and promise.  Probably one of the best ways to translate this form into English is “constant,” which is especially appropriate given the attributes of God.

The Hiphil form of ןמא tends to display a larger discrepancy in meaning, varying from critic to critic.  Botterweck notes a wide variety of definitions from other authors: It means “to rely,” “to consider firm,” “to declare it so,” “to make one secure in Yahweh,” and “to become trustworthy,” to name just a few.  Context is always the most important factor in defining ןמא when it appears in the Hiphil form, as well as in all of the Old Testament.  Looking at the different options, ןמא in the Hiphil form is not just a word meaning reliance, it is also an action of a God who actively pursues his people and of a people who should be actively pursuing and relying on their God in faith and trust. 

In addition to the forms already noted, ןמא varies according to whom it describes.  When used to describe humans, especially those not following after God, it has a largely negative stress.  “The simple believeth (ןמא) every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going” (Proverbs 14:15).  On the other hand, when describing God, ןמא refers to God’s attributes extending to the ultimate degree.  For example, as the Israelites are wandering in desert, Moses describes the Lord as, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness (ןמא),” in Exodus 35:6.  VanGemeren writes that the most important thing about ןמא and God is “[this] very heart of God’s self-revelation within Israel among the qualities of Yahweh.”

Comparison to other Authors and Dictionaries.  For the most part, each dictionary and author have fairly similar views on the word ןמא.  Though there are a number of different definitions for the word, faithfulness is the underlying concept that each touches upon.  If God makes a promise, he will always carry through on his words, which is considered ןמא.  VanGemeren says, “Yahweh is the faithful God.”  Botterweck focuses on Israel’s lack of faithfulness toward God.  In both instances, however, the meaning of the word is very similar.

Application.  In summary, it is fairly easy to predict how ןמא will be used in the Hebrew Bible.  This does not diminish the significance of the word, however; rather, it adds to it.  The most important thing to note is what ןמא says about an individual’s relationship to God.  ןמא plainly illustrates the difference between God and humanity.  In our world of self-pride and self-confidence, people need to look back on Isaiah 7:9 and the story of Ahaz.  Ahaz is told that unless he ןמא (believes/Hiphil), he will not be ןמא (established/Niphal). If we do not have faith, we have no foundation in God.

FYI:  I thought this paper of mine was pretty good, I did get a D on it from my prof, my lowest paper grade of seminary.  The grade wasn't the result of bad content only my prof wished I would have gone significantly deeper into the word amen.

Bibliography

Botterweck, G. Johannes, and Helmer Ringgren. Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament. Trans. John T. Willis. Vol. 1. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974.

Harris, R. Laird, Gleason L. Archer. Theological Workbook of the Old Testament, Vol. 1. Chicago: Moody, 1980.

VanGemeren, Willem A. New International Dictionary of Old Testiment Theology and Exegesis, Vol. 1. Grand Rapids: Michigan, 1997.

Whitaker, R. (1997, c1906). The Abridged Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew-English Lexicon of the Old Testament: From A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament by Francis Brown, S.R. Driver and Charles Briggs, based on the lexicon of Wilhelm Gesenius. Ed. by Richard Whitaker. Text provided by Princeton Theological Seminary. (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.