What does amen mean? Meaning of word explained and origin as Queen Elizabeth II funeral gets underway

As Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral gets underway today, Monday 19 September, those watching coverage of the historic event will undoubtedly hear the word “amen” at various points throughout the day.

But what does amen actually mean, why do people say it at the end of prayers, and where does it come from?

This is everything you need to know.

What does amen mean?

According to Christian magazine Crosswalk, amen is essentially an affirmation of truth or agreement, and generally translates to something along the lines of “so be it”, “it is so” or “it is true”.

Other translations also include “truly”, “verily”, “to be reliable” and “to be trusted”.

Christian site Olive Tree says that scripture uses amen in “three primary ways”:

• At the beginning of a discourse/statement/sermon. In these cases, amen often mean, and was translated, as “verily” or “truly”
• A descriptor of the character of God being true and/or faithful
• At the end of a prayer, sermon or statement as an agreement

Using the word amen in response to something means that you agree with whatever you are saying it in reply to, with modern uses of the word often used in non-religious settings.

Some examples of the use of the word amen in the bible include:

• “To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:21
• “May the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen.” Psalm 72:19
• “For as many as may be the promises of God, in him they are “yes” and in him “Amen”.” Corinthians 1:20
• “Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen, Amen!”” Nehemiah 8:6 

What is the origin of the word?

Amen is a Hebrew word which appears to have been derived from “aman”, which means “he confirmed, supported or upheld”. It is also closely associated with the Hebrew word “emet” which means truth.

Amen was first found in the Hebrew bible, with the verb form appearing more than 100 times in the Old Testament.

Amen has subsequently been found across a variety of religions, including Jewish, Christian and Muslim faith.

When words are used across different cultures and languages, those words are usually translated into said languages - however, amen is one of the few words that is a transliteration.

A transliteration is when a word is pronounced the same way as it was in its original language. With a few exceptions, amen is pronounced almost exactly the same way in every language in the world.

Why do people say amen at the end of prayers?

Crosswalk explains that when you end a prayer with amen, it means that you are “acknowledging that we believe God actively hears our prayers, and that our prayers will be answered by him in his time”.

It adds: “Amen is an expression that all those things we just asked for in prayer, all the things we praised God for, all the questions, all the pain and the joy we express in prayer are founded in the truth of God.”

Philadelphia Church of God also says: “If you listen to a prayer and agree that what has been said is true, trustworthy and reliable, that’s the reason why you should say amen and make the prayer even more effective and powerful in God’s eyes.”