Niphal = show to be firm, to be established, to be steadfast to be carried (Is 60:4), be faithful
Qal = to nurse (Nu 11:12, Ru 4:16, 2Sa 4:4 = nurse, 2Ki 10:1, Is 49:23 = guardians), to nourishĬomment: The idea is that of providing stability and confidence, like a baby would find in the arms of a parent, nurse or guardian. It follows that aman has slightly different nuances of meaning depending on which Hebrew verb stem is used. Since various Hebrew verb stems are referenced in this discussion of the verb aman, let us review a very simple classification of the Hebrew verb stems: (1) Simple Action = Qal (Active) and Niphal (Passive) (2) Intensive Action = Piel (Active) and Pual (Passive) (3) Causative action = Hiphil (Active) and Hophal (Passive) (4) Reflexive action = Hithpael. Thus his hands were steady ( emunah derived from ' aman) until the sun set. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Another picture of the meaning of ' aman is seen in the related (derivative) noun ' emunah in Ex 17:12īut Moses' hands were heavy.
Some sources consider the primary root meaning of aman to be "to prop" or "to support", a meaning which is literally portrayed in the use in 2Ki 18:16 where aman is used to depict the doorposts, clearly emphasizing the ideas stability or support. Aman speaks of certainty and thus can mean to confirm or to affirm. Aman ( 0539) conveys the basic idea of providing stability and confidence.