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faithfulness, reliability, steadfastness; faith
Emunah comes from the root ʾmn, from which we also get "amen" and "believe" (he'emin). BDB defines it as "firmness, faithfulness, fidelity." The word's semantic range includes: 1. **Faithfulness**: Reliability, trustworthiness (primarily of God) 2. **Steadiness**: Firmness, stability (Exodus 17:12—Moses's hands were "steady") 3. **Faith/Trust**: The human response of trusting God (Habakkuk 2:4) The famous verse "the righteous shall live by his faith (emunah)" (Habakkuk 2:4) is quoted three times in the New Testament (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38) and became foundational for Reformation theology.
faithfulness (divine)
God's reliable, covenant-keeping character
faithfulness (human)
Human reliability, integrity
faith, trust
Trusting response to God
to be faithful, reliable, confirmed
“his hands were steady (emunah) until the going down of the sun”
“A God of faithfulness”
“I will make known your faithfulness”
“the righteous shall live by his faith”
Emunah connects to core biblical concepts: 1. **Divine Faithfulness**: God's emunah is his covenant reliability—he keeps his promises 2. **Habakkuk 2:4**: This verse, foundational for Paul and the Reformation, shows salvation comes through faith/faithfulness 3. **Amen Root**: The same root gives "amen" (so be it, truly)—affirming reliability 4. **Faith/Faithfulness Debate**: Does Habakkuk 2:4 mean "by his faith" (trusting God) or "by his faithfulness" (living faithfully)? The ambiguity may be intentional—true faith produces faithfulness
Emunah is apologetically significant: 1. **Sola Fide**: Habakkuk 2:4 ("the righteous shall live by his faith") is foundational for justification by faith 2. **OT Faith**: Abraham "believed" (Genesis 15:6) and the righteous "live by faith"—faith is not a NT innovation 3. **Faith and Works**: The emunah semantic range (faith + faithfulness) shows that biblical faith produces faithful living 4. **Counter-Missionary**: Jewish objections to "faith alone" must address what "the righteous shall live by his emunah" means in Habakkuk 5. **God's Faithfulness**: Divine emunah grounds human emunah—we trust because God is trustworthy
Modern scholarship explores: 1. The faith/faithfulness semantic overlap in emunah 2. How the LXX translated emunah (pistis, which also means faith/faithfulness) 3. Paul's use of Habakkuk 2:4 and whether he captures the Hebrew meaning 4. The relationship between believing (he'emin) and faithfulness (emunah)
| Language | Word | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aramaic | הֵימָנוּתָא | hêmānûṯāʾ | faithfulness |
אמן
ʾmn
to be firm, reliable, faithful