"Right On!"

The word “amen” is a Hebrew word which was transliterated into the Greek language and by the time of Jesus was so well used in synagogues and churches by Hebrew speaking and Greek speaking Jews and non-Jews, that there was no need to translate it into another language.

Robert Lindsey, a Jerusalem scholar discovered that Jesus used this word in its typical Hebraic way as a response, rather than an opening.

“Amen” means "Let it be" as in “That, which was just said is true!” rather than "Let what I'm 'about to say' be." The NIV has omitted every “amen” from the mouth of Jesus, which is typically translated in the KJV as “verily” followed by “I say unto you.” “Verily, I say unto you” in Hebrew would be a common rabbinic response, when a rabbi strongly agrees with or believes in the previous statement or response of a question given by the rabbi, including a statement made by the rabbi himself. For example, “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward” (Matthew 6:5 KJV).

The actual use of the word “amen,” translated as “verily” in the KJV, and “truly” in the NKJV is a response to the preceding statement as a way of saying, “I strongly support that statement,” followed by the phrase “I say unto you,” which means “and I will add to that.”

So, when you read the words of Jesus saying, “verily, I say unto you” remember that what he is actually saying is “Right on!" Then the translators should have begun a new paragraph with, "And…”

For an Old Testament example of this, see Jeremiah 28:6-7.

Forever learning,
Johnny