First occurrence
And he believed in YHVH; and He counted it to him for righteousness. Gen 15:6
The primitive root
Strong’s H539 אמן aman, a primitive root meaning, “to support, to stand firm, to believe.” The ancient pictographs are aleph + mem + nun.
aleph א = the ox head, thus strength, power, leader
mem מ, ם = the water, thus chaos, mighty, blood
nun נ, ן = the seed, thus continue, heir, son
According to the Ancient Hebrew Lexicon, ancient people used to put animal hides in a pot of boiling water, and skim off the thick substance that formed at the surface. This strong (aleph) water (mem) was used as glue (and is still the basis of glue production today). In fact the concrete noun related to the verbal root is “glue.” The story being told is of the bond (aleph + mem) that continues (nun). The Hebrew language defines the abstract concept of “belief” as ideas or truths that stick with us continually.
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