Nehemiah 8:6

Ezra blessed the Lord.... the people answered, Amen.

The description of the solemn devotion before engaging in the sacred study, is full of interest. First, Ezra asked the Divine blessing. The people did not sit in silence, but responded, "Amen, Amen," lifting their hands in supplication. In the Hebrew worship the people took an active part, by response. It was not the custom for one to pray and the rest to be as silent as stones. Nor was it the custom of the early Christians, as we learn from Paul's letter to the Corinthians. Those who join in prayer should make the prayer their own by an audible response to its petitions. Even "the unlearned" can say "Amen," when the person who prays does not use an unknown tongue.