Church leaders have frequently used the Hebrew word hesed to teach about God’s love. But in the last general conference, Elder Sandino Roman referenced a fascinating Hebrew word I’d never heard before: emunah.
Elder Roman said, “Faith in Jesus Christ is a bond of trust forged in loyalty and love. In other words, in gratitude for God’s merciful love (hesed), we show our loyal love (emunah) by keeping His commandments.”
I was surprised to learn there was a sort of partner for hesed. Just as studying hesed has helped me better understand God’s love for me, studying emunah has helped me better understand how I can love Him back.
The Significance of ‘Emunah’
Elder Roman’s talk includes a footnote with a definition of emunah. The footnote quotes Jeff A. Benner from ancient-hebrew.org:
“The Hebrew word for faith is אמונה (emunah) and is an action-oriented word meaning ‘support.’ … [It] places the action on the one who ‘supports God.’ It is not a knowing that God will act, but rather I will do what I can to support God” (emphasis added).
This definition is fascinating because often, when we speak of having faith in God, we are talking about what we trust God will do. But the Hebrew understanding of faith centers on what we will do for God.
To illustrate, Benner references the story of Aaron and Hur holding up Moses’s arms in Exodus 17.
In this chapter, the people of Israel are under attack. Moses goes to the top of a hill and raises his staff, and while the staff is raised, the Israelites prevail. But if Moses lowers his hands, their enemies take the lead. As Moses grows tired, Aaron and Hur hold up his hands, and their actions are part of what saved the people that day. Likewise, our own faith will require action for it to grow and be effective.
How I Would Now Define Faith
I love what Tammy Uzelac Hall, student of Hebrew and host of the Sunday on Monday podcast, said of emunah:
“It’s really powerful when you think that faith has nothing to do with hoping God helps us. It has everything to do with what we’re doing for God.”
Tammy has also taught that the root word for emunah is aman, which means to have trust or confidence. So, Tammy says, we might define faith as “I will do what I can to support God in whom I have trust and confidence.”
This new-to-me definition reminds me of a compelling story Elder Dale G. Renlund shares in his new book, Learning to Listen:
“In 1984, a world-renowned eye surgeon, Ronald G. Michels, joined the Church in Baltimore, Maryland. I was serving as his bishop. He was absolutely converted to Jesus Christ and His restored Church. At the height of his career, Ron developed a life-threatening cancer. His physicians prescribed chemotherapy. His prognosis was bleak—even with treatment, it was unlikely that he would survive for more than six months.
“Some members of the Church told him that he shouldn’t take the medicine, that he should instead rely on faith alone. These members told him that taking the medicine would demonstrate to God that his faith wasn’t strong or ‘absolute’ enough to bring curative blessings from heaven.
“Ron invited me to his office in the hospital. Spread over his desk were 10 to 15 pills. He told me his situation, the advice of his doctors, and the advice of some Church members. He said, ‘Dale, you are my bishop. If you tell me to take the pills, I will. If you tell me not to, I won’t.’
“As I struggled to formulate a response, a scriptural passage came to my mind that seemed applicable. I remembered that my wife and I had recently read from the Book of Mormon the letter Captain Moroni had written to the governor of the land, Pahoran. In encouraging Pahoran to give more support to the armies that were fighting for freedom, Moroni wrote: ‘Behold, could ye suppose that ye could sit upon your thrones, and because of the exceeding goodness of God ye could do nothing and he would deliver you? Behold, if ye have supposed this ye have supposed in vain.’
“Moroni repeated himself for emphasis: ‘Or do ye suppose that the Lord will still deliver us, while we sit upon our thrones and do not make use of the means which the Lord has provided for us?’ (Alma 60:11, 21).
“I asked Ron to read these verses and then asked, ‘What do these verses teach you?’
“He replied, ‘I think it means that I should take the pills and continue to exercise my faith.’
“He took his prescribed medicine, followed the advice of his doctors—making use of the means that the Lord had provided—and exercised his extraordinary faith. He lived much longer than expected, approximately eight years.”
(From Learning to Listen by Dale G. Renlund)
Hopefully, not too many of us will be figuring out how to exercise faith in the face of cancer. But there are countless situations in which we can show faith. Consider, for example, these questions:
- How can I take action and show love and support for someone I am worried about, while also praying on their behalf?
- What action can I take to make my goal or dream a reality, while also trusting in God’s plan?
- What can I do to further my own healing (whether physical, emotional, or mental) while also seeking heaven’s help?
I hope that now every time I hear or say “faith in God,” I will remember emunah and think not only of what God can do, but what I can do for Him.
More articles for you:
▶ From Catholic priest-in-training to Latter-day Saint: a conversion story from Hungary
▶ How to access the power of the temple
▶ The miraculous way the Spirit helped me share the gospel with my colleague
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