אָמַן
𐤀𐤌𐤍
ʼâman
H539 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To support, uphold, or nurture; in extended senses, to be firm, trustworthy, or faithful; to trust or place confidence; to be lasting or enduring. In the context of relationships, can refer to acting faithfully, maintaining a dependable stance, or serving as a guardian or supporter. In derived forms, expresses notions of certainty, reliability, or belief.
Semantic Range
to support or sustain (as a guardian or nurse); to be firm, steady, reliable; to be true, faithful, trustworthy; to place confidence, to trust, to believe; to last, endure, be permanent; to establish, to confirm, to be verified
Root / Etymology
From the root אמן, which in its core verbal sense means 'to support, to confirm, to be firm.' The verb אָמַן derives directly from this root, with a semantic extension from the idea of physically supporting (as a guardian, nurse, or foster parent) to spiritual or moral support (faithfulness, trustworthiness, reliability).
Historical & Contextual Notes
In early Israelite usage, אָמַן often describes the concrete act of nurturing or sustaining, as in a foster parent or nurse (e.g. Numbers 11:12; Isaiah 49:23), indicating a relationship of care, guardianship, and responsibility. By extension, it came to signify qualities of dependability, trustworthiness, and faith, both between individuals and in relation to the divine (e.g. used of steadiness in hands, Exodus 17:12; or faithfulness in relationships, Deuteronomy 7:9). In theological contexts, the verb refers to trusting the deity, yet its core sense does not inherently imply religious or doctrinal faith but rather the act of placing one’s confidence or being reliable. The derivation of the noun 'amen' from this root reflects the affirmation of truth and firm agreement. The semantic extension to certainty and reliability versus mere belief is important—context reveals if the sense is about acting faithfully, being reliable, or giving trust. Later English translations, influenced by ecclesiastical tradition, often render the term as 'believe' or 'faith,' but in earlier Hebrew, the emphasis is often on dependability or firmness, not abstract belief.
Translation Consistency
Trust captures the central idea of אָמַן — placing confidence or reliance and being reliable/faithful. It naturally covers the common senses translated as ‘believe,’ ‘trust,’ and ‘be trusted/faithful’ and can be inflected to render related senses (trusted, trusting, trusted). While some rare contexts emphasize physical support or nurturing, the dominant and most natural core sense across occurrences is trust/rely, so using ‘trust’ keeps the translation consistent and readable.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; (Isaiah 30:21; interchangeable with אָמַן, to go to the right hand); properly, to build up or support; to foster as a parent or nurse; figuratively to render (or be) firm or faithful, to trust or believe, to be permanent or quiet; morally to be true or certain; hence, assurance, believe, bring up, establish, [phrase] fail, be faithful (of long continuance, stedfast, sure, surely, trusty, verified), nurse, (-ing father), (put), trust, turn to the right.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
אמן (ʾ-m-n) — firmness, stability, support, confirmation
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1968 | הֵימָן | Heman |
| H4191 | מוּת | your reliability |
| H529 | אֵמוּן | steadfast trustworthiness |
| H530 | אֱמוּנָה | in steadfastness |
| H540 | אֲמַן | he made firm |
Word Forms
50 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H539-20 |
נֶאֱמָ֥ן | neeman | HVNrmsa |
faithful | the upheld one | the trusted one | 14 |
H539-49 |
יַאֲמִ֣ינוּ | yaaminu | HVhi3mp |
they will believe | they will place firm trust | they will trust | 7 |
H539-48 |
יַאֲמִ֣ין | yaamin | HVhi3ms |
he believes | he will place firm trust | he will trust | 6 |
H539-14 |
הֶאֱמַ֣נְתִּי | heemaneti | HVhp1cs |
I believed | I confirmed | I trusted | 5 |
H539-16 |
הֶאֱמִ֔ינוּ | heeminu | HVhp3cp |
they believed | they placed firm trust | they believed | 5 |
H539-22 |
נֶאֱמָנִ֑ים | neemanim | HVNrmpa |
faithful | faithful ones | trusted ones | 5 |
H539-32 |
תַאֲמִ֔ינוּ | taaminu | HVhi2mp |
believe | you will place firm trust | you (pl.) will trust | 4 |
H539-50 |
יֵאָ֤מֶן | yeamen | HVNj3ms |
be established | let him be confirmed | let him be confirmed | 4 |
H539-21 |
נֶאֱמָנָ֑ה | neemanah | HVNrfsa |
faithful | the steadfast one | the one who is being trusted | 4 |
H539-15 |
הֶאֱמִ֖ין | heemin | HVhp3ms |
he believed | he placed firm trust | he caused someone to trust | 4 |
Occurrences in Scripture
108 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H539-38 |
Genesis 15:6 | וְ/הֶאֱמִ֖ן | veheemin | HC/Vhp3ms |
and he believed | and he gave firm trust | and he believed |
H539-46 |
Genesis 42:20 | וְ/יֵאָמְנ֥וּ | veyeamenu | HC/VNi3mp |
so shall be verified | they will be confirmed | so they will be verified |
H539-15 |
Genesis 45:26 | הֶאֱמִ֖ין | heemin | HVhp3ms |
he believed | he placed firm trust | he placed firm trust |
H539-49 |
Exodus 4:1 | יַאֲמִ֣ינוּ | yaaminu | HVhi3mp |
they will believe | they will place firm trust | they will trust |
H539-49 |
Exodus 4:5 | יַאֲמִ֔ינוּ | yaaminu | HVhi3mp |
they may believe | they will place firm trust | they will trust |
H539-49 |
Exodus 4:8 | יַאֲמִ֣ינוּ | yaaminu | HVhi3mp |
they will believe | they will place firm trust | they will trust |
H539-39 |
Exodus 4:8 | וְ/הֶֽאֱמִ֔ינוּ | veheeminu | HC/Vhq3cp |
then they will believe | and they placed confidence | and they will believe |
H539-49 |
Exodus 4:9 | יַאֲמִ֡ינוּ | yaaminu | HVhi3mp |
they will believe | they will place firm trust | they will trust |
H539-35 |
Exodus 4:31 | וַֽ/יַּאֲמֵ֖ן | vayaamen | HC/Vhw3ms |
and believed | and he placed trust | and they believed |
H539-36 |
Exodus 14:31 | וַ/יַּֽאֲמִ֨ינוּ֙ | vayaaminu | HC/Vhw3mp |
and they believed | and they placed trust | and they placed trust |