the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Bible Dictionaries
Amen
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary
or ‘Amen’ is a transliteration from a Hebrew word meaning ‘surely, truly, certainly, trustworthily’. It was used as a formula expressing agreement to a variety of statements or announcements; for example, an oath (Numbers 5:19-22), a blessing or curse from God (Deuteronomy 27:11-26; Jeremiah 11:5), an announcement (1 Kings 1:36), a prophecy (Jeremiah 28:6), an expression of praise (1 Chronicles 16:36; Psalms 41:13; Judges 1:24-25), a prayer (1 Corinthians 14:16), a statement (Revelation 1:7) or a promise (Revelation 22:20).
Since the promises of God find their true fulfilment (their ‘yes’, their ‘amen’) in Jesus Christ, he may be called ‘the Amen’. He is what the Old Testament calls ‘the God of truth’, ‘the God of the amen’ (2 Corinthians 1:20; Revelation 3:14; cf. Isaiah 65:16). Christians acknowledge this by adding their own ‘amen’ (2 Corinthians 1:20). Jesus, by introducing many of his statements with ‘Amen’ (i.e. ‘Verily’ or ‘Truly’), guaranteed that those statements were true, certain, reliable and authoritative (Matthew 8:10; Matthew 10:15; Matthew 10:23; Matthew 10:42; Matthew 11:11; Matthew 13:17; etc.). (See also TRUTH.)
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Fleming, Don. Entry for 'Amen'. Bridgeway Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/bbd/a/amen.html. 2004.
