Hebrew word · H552

אֻמְנָם

'umnam

truly

An adverb meaning 'truly, indeed, really', from the root '-m-n (firm, reliable; the root of 'amen'). With the question marker (ha'umnam) it means 'is it really so that...?' and usually expresses disbelief.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

verily, truly, indeed

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 Numbers 22:37

Range of meaning

An adverb meaning 'truly, indeed, really', from the root '-m-n (firm, reliable; the root of 'amen'). With the question marker (ha'umnam) it means 'is it really so that...?' and usually expresses disbelief.

Against the English

KJV/WEB 'indeed', YLT 'truly', BSB 'really'. All accurate. The incredulous, faintly offended tone has to come through the sentence as a whole.

Used elsewhere in the period

Sarah: 'Shall I really bear a child, now that I am old?' (Gen 18:13). Solomon: 'Will God really dwell on earth?' (1 Kgs 8:27). Both are questions of disbelief.

Where it appears

Genesis · 1

  1. Genesis 18:13 אֻמְנָ֛ם really

    And the LORD asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Can I really bear a child when I am old?’

    Here: From the same root as amen, 'firm, reliable'. Piled on top of af, it doubles the disbelief: 'truly, really?' It is the language of someone who cannot take a claim seriously.

Numbers · 1

  1. Numbers 22:37 הַֽאֻמְנָ֔ם ¿ really

    And he said to Balaam, “Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why did you not come to me? Am I really not able to reward you richly?”

    Here: A question marker joined to 'truly', from the same root as 'amen'. 'Is it really so that...?' It sounds incredulous and a little offended, as though Balak's wealth and power had been doubted.

1 Kings · 1

  1. 1 Kings 8:27 הַֽאֻמְנָ֔ם ¿ really

    But will God indeed dwell upon the earth? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.

    Here: The question prefix ha- joined to 'truly'. It voices amazement or disbelief: 'Can it really be?' Sarah uses the same form when she laughs at the idea of bearing a child (Gen 18:13). Solomon asks the question in wonder. He is not doubting.

2 Chronicles · 1

  1. 2 Chronicles 6:18 הַֽאֻמְנָ֔ם ¿ really

    But will God indeed dwell with man upon the earth? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.

    Here: The question marker *ha-* added to "truly": "Is it really so…?" It voices amazement, close to disbelief. It comes from the same root as "let your word be confirmed" (*yē'āmēn*) in v. 17: Solomon asks God to make his word firm, then asks whether it can *really* be.

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 58:1 הַֽאֻמְנָ֗ם ¿ really

    For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David. Do you indeed speak justly, O rulers? Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men?

    Here: The question prefix ha- plus 'truly' gives a sarcastic, disbelieving opening: 'Really? Is that so?' The question expects the answer 'No', and verse 2 supplies it.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.