The word "FAITH" is found twice in the Old Testament!! Yet "FAITH" is found 239 times in the New Testament, and 263 times in the Book of Mormon. You can find other words such as faithful and faithfulness in the old testament but when you read those in context, they are concerning a servant who is obedient to his master or a nation that is faithful to the enemy of God meaning they serve them. But there are no teachings on faith like you find in the NT.
I wanted to find out where the word "faith" went in the Old Testament. If the Book of Mormon has the word "faith" all over it, then it was a common word amongst the Israelites. Most of the Book of Mormon is Old Testament times.
I found the two times the word faith is given in the OT, the first was translated from the word 'emun' and the other 'emunah' (feminine). Emun means "Firmness, Steadiness, Trust, or TO CONFIRM". The NT word PISTIS means knowledge tangible or evidence that can be seen by others.
I loved this video explaining the Old Testament word for faith and it's meaning...
But where is FAITH in the OT then?
It was found with the word AMEN. The root word for AMEN is shared with Emun. Amen means “so be it” or “may it be so,” Haemeen also shares the same root word and has the meaning “to trust.” Meaning, the word AMEN is a verb and creates a contract between the prayer givers and God in which what we ask for will be given as we comply with God's will.
Here's what's really neat... AMEN also appears as an introductory word, especially when Jesus spoke. Unlike the initial amen in Hebrew, which refers back to something already said, it is used by Jesus to emphasize what he is about to say for example, "truly I say to you" or to be precise, AMEN was translated into "VERILY".
"A rhetorical device that has no parallel in contemporary Jewish practice." or so many scholars proclaim. Yet... it is found more abundantly as we look closer. Christ used this word to begin a list of things that we can do and Christ always gave a blessing associated with each action he announced we should be doing.
This means that Christ would say "VERILY" and the word that left his mouth was "AMEN". A covenant we can follow or law with blessings or faith with miracles he gives when he starts with AMEN.
So I turned to the Book of Mormon and found that after each "BEHOLD" the prophets gave a law and a blessing or curse that would follow. So when Joseph Smith translated "BEHOLD" the words that left the prophet's mouths was "AMEN!" Look it up!! You will find that with each BEHOLD, there is a law and a blessing immediately afterward. The Nephites taught with faith in mind. Amen was not a ritualistic ending of a prayer or solely another name of Christ. It was a contractual, covenantal, faith directing cue to DO and gain.
Do a search and look up all the "BEHOLD"s in the Book of Mormon and you will find a treasure of things to do and not do with a huge selection of blessings to choose from or curses to avoid. The Book of Mormon is truly a manual of Faith!
Is "BEHOLD" the Old Testament codex to finding faith? I began a search and read from multiple books. Sure enough, with each behold was a blessing or miracle or promise. The law was usually found before the BEHOLD. upon further investigation, the word "BEHOLD" is translated from "hinnê" which means "Here am I". With every BEHOLD in the OT you will find the evidence of God. Whenever you find the evidence of God, you will also find the law associated with that blessing or miracle. A law and a blessing are a recipe for faith. And suddenly the OT is chuck full of faith.
It really is quite amazing!
