← H527 H529 →

אָמוֹן

𐤀𐤌𐤅𐤍

Amon

H528 noun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain (foreign loan; core meaning: Egyptian theonym)

Definition

A proper noun referring to the major deity of Thebes in Egypt, most often in the form 'No Amon' (Thebes of Amon) in the Hebrew Bible. Sometimes used metonymically for the city of Thebes as the center of the deity's worship. The term also subtly evokes associations with Egyptian power or multitude due to the god's association with sovereignty and the populous city.

Semantic Range

the god Amon (Egyptian deity), by extension the city of Thebes as seat of the deity, rarely: multitude in translational tradition

Root / Etymology

Borrowed directly from Egyptian, where jmn (Amun, Amon) was the name of the chief Theban deity. The root is foreign to Semitic and the exact phonetic transmission is shaped by Egyptian usage. No direct Hebrew root is associated with this word, though some later associations with רָאָה (to see) or אמן (to trust/be firm) are purely folk etymology and have no bearing on its true origin. Etymology ultimately uncertain except as an Egyptian loan.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, אָמוֹן appears almost exclusively as part of the phrase נֹא אָמוֹן ('No of Amon,' i.e., Thebes of Amon), referencing the renowned temple complex and cultural seat of Amon worship in Egypt. This is seen especially in prophetic oracles against foreign nations, such as in Nahum 3:8 and Jeremiah 46:25, to evoke Egypt's religious and political might. The term is not used for any Israelite context or for describing Israelite religion. Later translation traditions (e.g., some early English Bibles) occasionally render it 'multitude' or 'populous,' likely influenced by the association of Thebes with a large population, but in Hebrew usage, it is clearly a theonym or toponymic adjunct. Comparison with 'Ammon' (the people east of Israel, בני עַמּוֹן) is unwarranted; those are distinct etymologically and contextually. Later in the Greco-Roman period, the god Amun/Amon would be syncretized with Zeus/Jupiter (Zeus Ammon), but this development is outside the Hebrew Bible's context. Attested usage in the biblical period is limited and specific.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of Egyptian derivation; used only as an adjunct of נֹא; Amon (i.e. Ammon or Amn), a deity of Egypt; multitude, populous.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

עם (ʿ-m) — people, kin, clan, nation

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H517 אֵם with her
H525 אָמוֹן Ammon (Kin-People)
H526 אָמוֹן Ammon
H5972 עַם the gathered people
H5973 עִם from with you

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H528-01 אָמ֣וֹן amon HNp Amon Ammon (Kin-People) 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H528-01 Jeremiah 46:25 אָמ֣וֹן amon HNp Amon Ammon (Kin-People)
H528-01 Nahum 3:8 אָמ֔וֹן amon HNp Amon Ammon (Kin-People)
← H527 Hebrew Lexicon H529 →