Omen

by Brad Scott

Omen is a latin word from an Indo-European root meaning "to believe as true". The source of this word in Hebrew is aman (אמן), which is the root word for faithful, belief and truth. As the original word passed through various languages and translations, the meaning changed and so did the objects or persons connected with it. Aman begins as scriptural belief, faith, and truth as it testifies of YHVH. When this word left its home in Israel, it became amon, an Egyptian god, also known as Amon-Ra, or the sun god. This is where it begins to change and becomes the belief that invisible guardians were all around the faithful, whispering signs of future events. As the word changes, so does the object of the word. Aman, which used to be scriptural faith and truth, becomes omen, a word that loses its context of scriptural truth, and becomes an act of simply believing that something is true.

Shalom Alecheim! ◊