aman · believe, be firm

What it means

aman (אָמַן) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “believe, be firm”.

Be firm, trustworthy; in another form, "believe": lean on someone and trust what he says. It is also said of one who brings up a child. "Amen" comes from this root.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. To care for, raise a child.
2. To be dependable, steady, never failing.
3. To rely on someone and on what they say: Abram with YHWH.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

To be firm, trustworthy; in the causative form, to believe: to lean on someone and rely on what he says. BDB: to build up or support; to foster as a parent or nurse; figuratively, to be firm or faithful, to trust, believe. From this root come אֱמֶת, “truth” (H571), אֱמוּנָה, “faithfulness” (H530), and אָמֵן, “amen”.

• Believing YHWH: “And he believed in YHWH” Genesis 15:6Exodus 14:31
• Being faithful: Moses, the faithful El Numbers 12:7Deuteronomy 7:9
• Being firm, lasting 2 Samuel 7:16
• “If you do not believe, surely you will not stand firm” Isaiah 7:9
• Bringing up a child Numbers 11:12Ruth 4:16

Historical and cultural background

Isaiah 7:9 plays on two forms of the same verb: “If you do not believe, surely you will not stand firm.”

How we translate it

“Believe” 31 times, “faithful” 24, “firm” 12, “believed” 10, “sure” 6, “trust” 5… This edition sets הֶאֱמִין בְּ = “believe in”, and נֶאֱמָן = “faithful” of a person or “sure” of a house (1 Samuel 2:35), with a note that it is the same word. When it is bringing up a child, “the nurse” or “the one who reared him” (Numbers 11:12; Ruth 4:16).

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• believe ×31
• faithful ×24
• firm ×12
• believed ×10
• sure ×6
• trust ×5
• believes ×2
• guardians ×2
• lasting ×2
• nurse ×2
• others ×12

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Genesis×3
• Exodus×8
• Numbers×4
• Deuteronomy×6
• Judges×1
• Ruth×1
• 1 Samuel×6
• 2 Samuel×3
• 1 Kings×3
• 2 Kings×3
• 1 Chronicles×2
• 2 Chronicles×7
• Nehemiah×2
• Esther×1
• Job×10
• Psalms×17
• Proverbs×5
• Isaiah×15
• Jeremiah×4
• Lamentations×2
• Hosea×2
• Jonah×1
• Micah×1
• Habakkuk×1

• Genesis 15:6

  And he believed in YHWH, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

• Genesis 42:20

  And bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words will be confirmed and you will not die.” And they did so.

• Genesis 45:26

  They told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is indeed ruler over all the land of Egypt.” His heart went numb, for he did not believe them.

• Exodus 4:1

  Moses answered and said, “Look, they will not believe me and will not listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘YHWH did not appear to you.’”

• Exodus 4:5

  “so that they may believe that YHWH, the Elohim of their fathers, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

• Exodus 4:8

  “And it will be that if they do not believe you or listen to the voice of the first sign, they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

• Exodus 4:9

  And it will be that if they do not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some of the water of the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”

• Exodus 4:31

  And the people believed; and when they heard that YHWH had attended to the sons of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed and worshiped.

• Exodus 14:31

  Israel saw the great hand that YHWH had shown against Egypt; and the people feared YHWH, and they believed in YHWH and in Moses his servant.

• Exodus 19:9

  YHWH said to Moses, “Look, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe in you forever.” Then Moses told the words of the people to YHWH.

• Numbers 11:12

  Did I conceive all this people? Did I give birth to them, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as the nurse carries the nursing child, to the ground that you swore to their fathers’?

• Numbers 12:7

  Not so my servant Moses; in all my house he is faithful.

• Numbers 14:11

  And YHWH said to Moses, “How long will this people spurn me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?

• Numbers 20:12

  And YHWH said to Moses and to Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to treat me as holy in the eyes of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”

• Deuteronomy 1:32

  Yet in this matter you did not believe in YHWH your Elohim,

• Deuteronomy 7:9

  Know that YHWH your Elohim, he is Elohim, the faithful El, who keeps the covenant and the loyal love for those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,

• Deuteronomy 9:23

  And when YHWH sent you from Kadesh-barnea, saying, “Go up and take possession of the land that I have given you,” you rebelled against the command of YHWH your Elohim; you did not believe him or listen to his voice.

• Deuteronomy 28:59

  then YHWH will make extraordinary your blows and the blows of your offspring, blows great and lasting, and sicknesses severe and lasting.

• Deuteronomy 28:66

  And your life will hang in doubt before you, and you will be in dread night and day, and you will not be sure of your life.

• Judges 11:20

  But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory; Sihon gathered all his people, and they camped at Jahaz, and he fought against Israel.

• Ruth 4:16

  Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom and was the one who reared him.

• 1 Samuel 2:35

  And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest; he will act according to what is in my heart and in my soul; and I will build him a sure house, and he will walk before my anointed all the days.

• 1 Samuel 3:20

  And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of YHWH.

• 1 Samuel 22:14

  Ahimelech answered the king and said, “And who among all your servants is like David, faithful, and the king’s son-in-law, who comes at your orders, and honored in your house?

• 1 Samuel 25:28

  Please forgive the transgression of your servant; for YHWH will certainly make for my lord a firm house, because my lord is fighting the wars of YHWH, and evil shall not be found in you all your days.

• 1 Samuel 27:12

  Achish believed David, saying, “He has made himself utterly odious among his people, among Israel; so he will be my servant forever.”

• 2 Samuel 4:4

  Now Jonathan son of Saul had a son injured in the feet. He was five years old when the news of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse picked him up and fled; and it happened, as she hurried to flee, that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.

• 2 Samuel 7:16

  And your house and your kingdom will be firm forever before you; your throne will be established forever.’”

• 2 Samuel 20:19

  I am among the peaceful and faithful of Israel. You are seeking to put to death a city and a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow up the inheritance of YHWH?”

• 1 Kings 8:26

  And now, Elohim of Israel, please let your word be firm that you spoke to your servant David my father.

• 1 Kings 10:7

  But I did not believe the words until I came and my eyes saw; and look, not even the half was told me; you have added wisdom and good to the report that I heard.

• 1 Kings 11:38

  And it shall be, if you listen to all that I command you, and walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, then I will be with you and build you a firm house, as I built for David, and I will give you Israel.

• 2 Kings 10:1

  Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the commanders of Jezreel, the elders, and to the guardians of Ahab’s sons, saying,

• 2 Kings 10:5

  The one who was over the household, and the one who was over the city, and the elders and the guardians sent to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants, and all that you tell us we will do; we will not make anyone king; do what is good in your eyes.”

• 2 Kings 17:14

  But they did not listen, and they stiffened their neck like the neck of their fathers, who did not believe in YHWH their Elohim.

• 1 Chronicles 17:23

  And now, YHWH, the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, let it stand firm forever, and do as you have spoken.

• 1 Chronicles 17:24

  Let it stand firm, and let your name be great forever, so that it is said, ‘YHWH Tsevaot, the Elohim of Israel, is Elohim for Israel’; and may the house of David your servant be established before you.

• 2 Chronicles 1:9

  Now, YHWH Elohim, let your word to David my father be firm, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.

• 2 Chronicles 6:17

  And now, YHWH, Elohim of Israel, let your word that you spoke to your servant David be firm.

• 2 Chronicles 9:6

  But I did not believe their words until I came and my eyes saw; and look, not half of the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you have added to the report that I heard.

And 68 more times.