ʾĕmûnāh

Semantic range

1. 1firmness, steadiness — Exodus 17:12 uses it of Moses's steady hands
2. 2trustworthiness, dependability of a person
3. 3faith, in the sense of faithfulness maintained over time

The famous instance is Exodus 17:12: with Aaron and Hur supporting Moses's arms, "his hands were steady [ʾĕmûnāh] until the going down of the sun." That is the word's centre of gravity — not a mental state but a sustained steadiness under load.

So when Habakkuk 2:4 says "the just shall live by his faith," the Hebrew is closer to "by his faithfulness." Paul quotes it three times (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38) and it becomes a pillar of Reformation theology, but the Hebrew never severed believing from being reliable. Alma 32 is a thoroughly Hebrew chapter in this respect: faith is an experiment sustained over a season, and it is measured by what grows.

See also

• אָמַןʾāman
• πίστιςpistis
• חֶסֶדḥesed