Hebrew word · H542
אָמָּן
'aman
artisan
Master craftsman or artisan. It occurs only here. It is close to ʾāmôn in Proverbs 8:30, where Wisdom is beside God as an 'ʾāmôn' (craftsman, or possibly 'nursling'), and it is borrowed from Akkadian ummānu, 'skilled expert, master craftsman, scholar'.
Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
master-workman, artist, steady-handed one, artisan
Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
From the study of Song of Songs 7:1
- Range of meaning
Master craftsman or artisan. It occurs only here. It is close to ʾāmôn in Proverbs 8:30, where Wisdom is beside God as an 'ʾāmôn' (craftsman, or possibly 'nursling'), and it is borrowed from Akkadian ummānu, 'skilled expert, master craftsman, scholar'.
- Against the English
KJV 'cunning workman' meant 'skilled workman' in 1611. Today 'cunning' sounds sly or deceitful. Modern versions say 'master', 'artist' or 'skillful workman'.
- How it drifted
In English, 'cunning' moved from 'knowledgeable, skilled' (Old English cunnan, 'to know') to 'crafty, devious'.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Akkadian ummānu is used of royal craftsmen and learned experts. The Septuagint has technitēs, 'artisan'. The Vulgate has artifex.
Where it appears
Song of Songs · 1
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Song of Songs 7:1 אָמָּֽן׃ a master-craftsman
How beautiful are your sandaled feet, O daughter of the prince! The curves of your thighs are like jewels, the handiwork of a master.
Here: 'A master craftsman.' This word appears only here and is related to Akkadian ummānu, 'expert, master artisan'. Her body is praised as the finest workmanship.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.