# H0539 - aman **Strong's:** [H0539](https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h539/) · BLB lookup **Pronunciation:** aw-man' **Part of speech:** verb (Niphal, Hiphil, Qal) **OT occurrences:** ~108 **Greek equivalent (LXX):** *pisteuō* (G4100), to believe; *pistos* (G4103), faithful ## Semantic range The root *aman* spans three closely-related senses, distinguished by binyan (verb stem): ### Niphal (passive / reflexive) 1. **To be firm / steady / reliable** 2. **To be faithful / trustworthy** 3. **To be established / verified** ### Hiphil (causative) 4. **To believe / trust**, to *recognize* something as firm / reliable / true 5. **To have faith** ### Qal (basic) 6. **To support / nurse / foster** (rare; [Numbers 11:12](/codex/numbers-11-12/); [Ruth 4:16](/codex/ruth-4-16/); [Esther 2:7](/codex/esther-2-7/)) The semantic core is **firmness / reliability**: - Niphal: God / things are reliable - Hiphil: humans treat-as-reliable / trust / believe ## Theological force ### [Genesis 15:6](/codex/genesis-15-6/), the foundational text > *V'he'emin ba-YHWH va-yachsh'veha lo tzedaqah.*, "And [Abraham] *believed* (Hiphil of *aman*) in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness." This is the **foundational OT text for justification by faith**. Paul cites it in [Romans 4:3](/codex/romans-4-3/), [9](/codex/romans-4-9/), [22](/codex/romans-4-22/); [Galatians 3:6](/codex/galatians-3-6/); [James 2:23](/codex/james-2-23/). The Reformation extracts from this verse the doctrine of *sola fide*, salvation by faith alone. The structure: - Abraham *aman*-ed in YHWH - YHWH credited it as *tzedaqah* (righteousness) - The justification is *imputed*, not *earned* This grounds the entire NT *pistis* / *pisteuō* tradition. See [G4102 - pistis](/codex/g4102-pistis/) / [G4100 - pisteuo](/codex/g4100-pisteuo/) / [G3049 - logizomai](/codex/g3049-logizomai/). ### [Habakkuk 2:4](/codex/habakkuk-2-4/) > *V'tzaddik be'emunato yichyeh*, "the righteous one shall live by his faith / faithfulness" The cognate noun *emunah* (H530, faithfulness; from *aman*) appears here. The verse is the most-cited OT passage in the NT ([Romans 1:17](/codex/romans-1-17/); [Galatians 3:11](/codex/galatians-3-11/); [Hebrews 10:38](/codex/hebrews-10-38/)). Both *aman* / *emunah* and *pistis* / *pisteuō* trace back to this Habakkuk-[Genesis 15](/codex/genesis-15/)-trajectory. ### *Aman* / *Amen*, the affirmation word The English / Hebrew *amen* is from this root, it functions as a confirmation / "let it be so." The original verbal-noun sense: "[may it be] firmly established / reliable." - **[Numbers 5:22](/codex/numbers-5-22/); [Deuteronomy 27:15-26](/codex/deuteronomy-27-15-26/)**, *amen* as covenant-affirmation - **[1 Kings 1:36](/codex/1-kings-1-36/)**, *amen* as agreement - **[1 Chronicles 16:36](/codex/1-chronicles-16-36/); [Nehemiah 8:6](/codex/nehemiah-8-6/)**, congregation's *amen* - **[Psalm 41:13](/codex/psalms-41-13/); 72:19; 89:52; 106:48**, closing-doxology *amen* - **[Jeremiah 11:5](/codex/jeremiah-11-5/); 28:6**, prophetic *amen* In NT: *amēn* (G281) appears 129 times, most famously in Jesus's *amēn legō hymin*, "truly / amen, I say to you." Christ Himself is called *ho Amēn* in [Revelation 3:14](/codex/revelation-3-14/), "the *Amen*, the *faithful and true witness*." ### *Aman* / *emet* / *emunah*, the *aman*-family The *aman* root produces theologically loaded cognates: - **emet** (H571), truth, faithfulness - **emunah** (H530), faithfulness, fidelity - **omen** (H544), faithfulness - **aman** (H548), firmness These cluster with [H2617 - hesed](/codex/h2617-hesed/) (lovingkindness), together forming the OT relational-fidelity vocabulary. The doublet *hesed v'emet*, "lovingkindness and truth", appears throughout ([Exodus 34:6](/codex/exodus-34-6/); [Psalm 25:10](/codex/psalms-25-10/); etc.). ### Theological pattern, *aman*-faith Three-layered *aman*-theology: 1. **God is *aman***, He is faithful, reliable, trustworthy in His character and promises ([Deuteronomy 7:9](/codex/deuteronomy-7-9/), "the *El ne'eman*, faithful God"; 32:4) 2. **God's covenant promises are *aman***, they will be fulfilled ([1 Kings 8:56](/codex/1-kings-8-56/)) 3. **Humans *aman* God**, believing-trusting in His character and promises is the response of faith ([Genesis 15:6](/codex/genesis-15-6/); [Habakkuk 2:4](/codex/habakkuk-2-4/); [Isaiah 7:9](/codex/isaiah-7-9/)) The pattern: God's *aman*-character grounds humans' *aman*-faith. We can trust because He is trustworthy. ### [Isaiah 7:9](/codex/isaiah-7-9/), the rhetorical wordplay > *Im lo ta'aminu ki lo te'amenu*, "if you will not *aman*-trust [Hiphil], you will not *aman*-be-established [Niphal]" A famous Hebrew wordplay: only those who *trust* God will be *firmly-established*. Faith is the precondition of stability. ## Apologetic / theological significance *Aman* anchors: 1. **The OT-NT doctrine of justification by faith**, [Genesis 15:6](/codex/genesis-15-6/) fulfilled in Pauline exposition 2. **Faithfulness as a divine attribute**, God is *aman*; reliable 3. **Christ as *the Amen***, [Revelation 3:14](/codex/revelation-3-14/) 4. **Liturgical / prayer affirmation**, the universal Christian *amen* 5. **Epistemological ground**, what is "firmly established" in God's character grounds Christian truth-claims ## Notable verses ### Faith / believing - **[Genesis 15:6](/codex/genesis-15-6/)**, Abraham believed God - **[Exodus 4:5](/codex/exodus-4-5/), [31](/codex/exodus-4-31/); 14:31**, Israel *aman*-ed Moses - **[Numbers 14:11](/codex/numbers-14-11/); 20:12**, failure to *aman* God - **[Deuteronomy 1:32](/codex/deuteronomy-1-32/); 9:23**, failure to *aman* - **[Isaiah 7:9](/codex/isaiah-7-9/)**, *aman*-trust / *aman*-stability wordplay - **[Isaiah 28:16](/codex/isaiah-28-16/)**, "he who *aman*-believes will not be disturbed" - **[Isaiah 53:1](/codex/isaiah-53-1/)**, "who has *aman*-believed our message?" - **[Habakkuk 2:4](/codex/habakkuk-2-4/)**, *tzaddik be'emunato yichyeh* - **[Psalm 27:13](/codex/psalms-27-13/)**, "I would have despaired unless I had *aman*-believed" ### Faithfulness - **[Deuteronomy 7:9](/codex/deuteronomy-7-9/)**, "the *El ne'eman*" - **[Deuteronomy 32:4](/codex/deuteronomy-32-4/)**, "a God of *emunah*" - **[Psalm 19:7](/codex/psalms-19-7/)**, "the testimony of the LORD is *ne'emanah*" - **[Psalm 33:4](/codex/psalms-33-4/)**, "all His work is in *emunah*" - **[Psalm 89:1](/codex/psalms-89-1/), [2](/codex/psalms-89-2/), [5](/codex/psalms-89-5/), [8](/codex/psalms-89-8/), [24](/codex/psalms-89-24/), [33](/codex/psalms-89-33/), [49](/codex/psalms-89-49/)**, David covenant *emunah* - **[Psalm 92:2](/codex/psalms-92-2/); 100:5; 117:2**, God's *emunah* - **[Psalm 119:75](/codex/psalms-119-75/), [86](/codex/psalms-119-86/), [90](/codex/psalms-119-90/), [138](/codex/psalms-119-138/); 143:1; 145:13**, God's *emunah* - **[Lamentations 3:23](/codex/lamentations-3-23/)**, "great is Your *emunah*" ### *Amen* - **[Numbers 5:22](/codex/numbers-5-22/); [Deuteronomy 27:15-26](/codex/deuteronomy-27-15-26/)**, covenant *amen* - **[Psalm 41:13](/codex/psalms-41-13/); 72:19; 89:52; 106:48**, closing doxology - **[Revelation 3:14](/codex/revelation-3-14/)**, Christ as *the Amen* - **[2 Corinthians 1:20](/codex/2-corinthians-1-20/)**, "as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our *Amen* to the glory of God" ## Patristic / scholarly note The OT *aman* / NT *pisteuō* trajectory is the foundational vocabulary cluster for the doctrine of faith. Reformation engagement: Luther's commentaries on Galatians and Romans; Calvin (*Institutes* III.2, "On Faith"). Modern conservative engagement: - John Owen on faith - Sinclair Ferguson; J. I. Packer; Tim Keller, pastoral-theological treatments - D. A. Carson on biblical-theological faith ## See also - H530 - emunah, faithfulness (cognate noun) - [H0571 - emet](/codex/h0571-emet/), truth (cognate) - [H2617 - hesed](/codex/h2617-hesed/), paired covenant-love - [G4102 - pistis](/codex/g4102-pistis/), Greek faith - [G4100 - pisteuo](/codex/g4100-pisteuo/), Greek to believe - [G3049 - logizomai](/codex/g3049-logizomai/), to credit - G281 - amen, Greek transliteration - [Romans 5.8](/codex/romans-5-8/), Pauline faith application - [Christian God is the Only True God](/codex/christian-god-is-the-only-true-god/), comparative-religion frame ## Notes _Lexical workspace for aman._