Why do we (Christians) say Amen at the end of a prayer?

Question

When looking the word "Amen" up in the dictionary it states that it was a diety worshiped in Egyptian Mythology that was represented by a Ram!!!!

Answer 1

Top Web Results for "amen"


9 results for: amen
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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source
a·men /ˈeɪˈmɛn, ˈɑˈmɛn/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ey-men, ah-men] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–interjection 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: The committee gave its amen to the proposal.


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[Origin: bef. 1000; ME, OE < LL < Gk < Heb āmén certainty, certainly]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source
A·men /ˈɑmən/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ah-muhn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun Egyptian Mythology. a primeval deity worshiped esp. at Thebes, the personification of air or breath represented as either a ram or a goose (later identified with Amen-Ra).

Also, Amon.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source a·men (ā-měn', ä-měn') Pronunciation Key
interj. Used at the end of a prayer or a statement to express assent or approval.


[Middle English, from Old English, from Late Latin āmēn, from Greek, from Hebrew 'āmēn, certainly, verily, from 'āman, to be firm; see mn in Semitic roots.]


(Download Now or Buy the Book) The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
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Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source A·men also A·mon or Am·mon (ä'mən) Pronunciation Key
n. Mythology
The Egyptian god of life and reproduction, represented as a man with a ram's head.


(Download Now or Buy the Book) The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
WordNet - Cite This Source amen

noun
a primeval Egyptian personification of air and breath; worshipped especially at Thebes

WordNet® 2.1, © 2005 Princeton University
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary - Cite This Source
Amen

This Hebrew word means firm, and hence also faithful (Rev. 3:14). In Isa. 65:16, the Authorized Version has "the God of truth," which in Hebrew is "the God of Amen." It is frequently used by our Saviour to give emphasis to his words, where it is translated "verily." Sometimes, only, however, in John's Gospel, it is repeated, "Verily, verily." It is used as an epithet of the Lord Jesus Christ (Rev. 3:14). It is found singly and sometimes doubly at the end of prayers (Ps. 41:13; 72:19; 89:52), to confirm the words and invoke the fulfilment of them. It is used in token of being bound by an oath (Num. 5:22; Deut. 27:15-26; Neh. 5:13; 8:6; 1 Chr. 16:36). In the primitive churches it was common for the general audience to say "Amen" at the close of the prayer (1 Cor. 14:16). The promises of God are Amen; i.e., they are all true and sure (2 Cor. 1:20).

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
On-line Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source
amen

amen: in CancerWEB's On-line Medical Dictionary

On-line Medical Dictionary, © 1997-98 Academic Medical Publishing & CancerWEB
Acronym Finder - Cite This Source
AMEN

AMEN: in Acronym Finder

Acronym Finder, © 1988-2004 Mountain Data Systems
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary (Beta Version) - Cite This Source
amen [ˌaːgmen, ˌeiˈmen] interjection, noun

(usually Amen) said or sung by Jews or Christians to express a wish that the prayer should be fulfilled
Arabic: آمين
Chinese (Simplified): 阿门(犹太教或基督教祈祷或圣歌的结束祝福语)
Chinese (Traditional): 阿門(猶太教或基督教祈禱或圣歌的結束祝福語)
Estonian: aamen
French: amen
Greek: αμήν
Hungarian: ámen
Italian: amen
Korean: 아멘, 그렇게 되어 주소서; 아멘을 부르기

Answer 2

Amen is a Hebrew word that means "so be it". Jews and Christians use it to end prayers. Sunni Muslims say the Arabic equivilent, Ameen, after reciting Al-Fatihah during prayers.

On the topic of the Egyptian god, I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't just a coincidence. The deity you are referring to is the Egyptian god of reproduction and life. It is more commonly spelled Amun or Amon. Egyptian writing has no vowels, so there is no way to tell which is correct. It is sometimes seen in combination with Ra (Amun-Ra).

This is only a coincidence. There is no relationship between the Hebrew and the Egyptian deity.

Answer 3

Amen is a Hebraism, meaning it was originally in the Hebrew language and the Greeks adapted it into their own language (Аμεν) so it appears in both the Old and New Testament. According to Jewish tradition, two witnesses would be required to testify to any event, and they would say "Amen" to stamp their approval. Amen means "truly", "verily", or "so be it". Significantly, Jesus would start his sermons, "Amen, amen I say to you" meaning he was essentially verifying his own message. He was telling them, by saying Amen twice, and before he even spoke, that since he was the one saying it, he did not need any witnesses to verify it - his testimony was sufficient enough to establish truth.

We say Amen at the end of prayer mainly to show that we are praying from the heart and truly are seeking God's will. The word Amen though, however, is best used to mean 'truly", not "the end"

Answer 4

http://www.searchgodsword.org/lex/grk/view.cgi?number=281

It's a Hebrew word, not an Egyptian word, when used in Jewish and later Christian worship. If it is at the start of a sentence, it means "Surely" or "Truly," and if at the end, "so be it" or "let it be."

The Egyptian god's name would have been in hieroglyphics, not Hebrew letters, so any spelling of it is transliterated into our language and subject to interpretation and spelling differences. The Egyptian god's name in English letters can be spelled Amun, Amon, Amoun, Amen, and rarely Imen and survives into Coptic as Amoun, and means "The hidden one."

This is a case of a two syllable word having a different meaning in a two different languages.

Answer 5

when you finish a letter you sign you name. Right? well us christain start out the prayer father god that is addressing it to god the lord wrote out the ten commandment with his finger when moses came down from mount sioni he found the hebews worshiping a golden calf he then threw it on the ground and it shatered moses went back up the hill and god help him rewrite the ten commandments he didnt steal them from the egyptains amen is the signature at the end of a prayer is closing and saying i agree or it means thy will be done as far you saying that it is saing the lords name in vain and it is bad! anyway it is not that you believe in god it is that you are breaking one of the ten commandments exodus 20:7 the ten commandments didnt come from egypt the egyptians couldnt have written the ten commandments because they would be contridicting themsleves in exodus 20:3-5 (commandments one and two) goes into great detail about not having more than one god. the egyptains were polytheistic meaning they believed in more than one god why would they write something that would just be condeming themsleves and the thought that they did is just a ploy to lead people away from christ

Answer 6

Amen simply means "I Agree", but really it should only be said at the end of a group prayer

Answer 7

Amen is Latin and indicates assent. The translation I was taught was, "So may it be". Liturgically, its there so other people can join themselves to the prayer being said by somebody else. In secular situations the same meaning comes across when somebody says; "Amen to that brother/sister!"

Answer 8

When someone else prays, and we say "Amen", we are assenting to it, agreeing with it, saying "may it be so".


Amon, Egyptian deity

Egyptian -- Amon
Hebrew -- Amen
Two different languages, two different meanings

Bring them into English, amen ... and to find the meaning of "amen" one needs to consider the origin of the name as you are using it in English.

Answer 9

The word "Amen" in the original Hebrew means along the lines of "Let it be" or "Verily". So by saying it at the end of prayers, where we often make requests..."Let it be" to solidify the prayer.

Answer 10

Yes, that was Amen Hotep, and people would say his name at the end of prayer. Anthropologically it's how Christians picked it up.