Image by Wikimedia Commons

By David Ian Klein January 4, 2021

Hebrew etymology is trending on Twitter after Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver, a Missouri Democrat, ended his opening prayer to the 117th Congress with the phrase “amen and a-woman.”

“May the lord lift up the light of his countenance upon us and give us peace — peace in our families, peace in this land and there I ask, oh lord, peace even in this chamber,” said Cleaver, a United Methodist pastor who was first elected in 2004.
“We ask it in the name of the monotheistic God, Brahma, and God known by many names by many different faiths. Amen and a-woman.”

A prayer opening the 117th Congress concluded, “Amen and a woman.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“Amen” translates to “so be it.” pic.twitter.com/SIGBtgLk5v

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) January 4, 2021

Representative Cleaver was first called out by a Republican colleague, Rep. Guy Reschenthaler of Pennsylvania, who incorrectly identified ‘amen’ as a Latin word.

The prayer to open the 117th Congress ended with “amen and a-women.”

Amen is Latin for “so be it.”

It’s not a gendered word.

Unfortunately, facts are irrelevant to progressives. Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/FvZ0lLMDDr

— Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (@GReschenthaler) January 3, 2021

In fact, it is Hebrew. And has no etymological connection to the English word ‘man,’ according to Webster’s Dictionary. It means “so be it,” and shares a root with the Hebrew word for faith, emunah.

The Talmud also offers an alternative folk explanation of the word’s origin, as an acronym of the Hebrew phrase “El, Melekh Ne’eman” which means: “God, the true king.”

And thus Hebrew etymology became a popular topic for those watching the Congressional session on Monday morning sparking heated debate across social media.

Some saw the Cleaver’s effort at inclusivity as an insult to both traditional prayer and the Hebrew language.

The prayer to open the US Congress ends with “Amen and Awoman”

Honestly. Amen is derived from the Hebrew word אָמֵן, or āmēn, meaning truth. And has absolutely no gendered quality whatsoever.

These people are dewomented.

pic.twitter.com/3vQA36hi4r

— Matthew Thompson (@mattuthompson) January 4, 2021

“Amen” is a Biblical Hebrew word: אמן. It is a word simply meaning “may it be so.” It has nothing to do with the word “man” or “woman” because it is FROM HEBREW. This is some of the dumbest s*** I have ever seen in my life. https://t.co/O4JhcHwywv

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) January 4, 2021

Amen (אמן) isn’t originally Latin either, but is the Biblical Hebrew affirmation of belief derived from אמונה meaning trust and faith. One way or the other, awoman is meaningless gibberish. This is Congress, so it’s unlikely to get better. https://t.co/oRr9nqwTZk

— Rabbi Yaakov Menken (@ymenken) January 4, 2021

Others found the turn of phrase an amusing attempt to nod at the role of gender in faith and religion.

You’re right that it’s from Hebrew. But I think it may be pronounced differently in Shebrew. https://t.co/qoGF1yIWQi

— Clifford D. May (@CliffordDMay) January 4, 2021

Watching the right lose it over Cleaver saying “Amen and Awoman,” while rushing to explain the Hebrew meaning of amen to defend their outrage is FANTASTIC.

But, frankly, we should really be discussing the “Shebrew” meaning of the word. (h/t @CliffordDMay) pic.twitter.com/Jm3ufNedzu

— Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) January 4, 2021

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount