Tvedtnes, the hebrew origin of some book of mormon placenames, journal of book of mormon studies 62 fall 1997,255259. Antinephilehi, antiomno, antion, antionah, antionum, antiparah and antipus. Look for the new updates on the day of posting and be sure to share these with the mormon you know. Gideon in the book of mormon, gideon was a faithful leader of the church and an eventual enemy to the wicked king noah. Of course, i immediately thought of looking at which names are most disproportionately represented in utah and adjacent states, with the goal of identifying uniquely utah mormon names. Following are suggestions for pronouncing book of mormon names and terms. Mormon was the primary author, editor, and compiler of the book of mormon. The origin of book of mormon jaredite names has been an enigma since the publication of the book of mormon. We a group of interested individuals have joined, who are affiliated with the maxwell institute to work on the approximately 330 proper names that are to be found in the book of mormon. It has been claimed that the books of the apocrypha were a source for the book of mormon. The most mormon families were found in the usa in 1880. These book of mormon names stand as additional evidence that the book is of ancient origins and was brought forth by the gift and power of god.
Origin of book of mormon names by stephen ricks 2010 fair conference i am going to be talking today about proper names in the book of mormon. Mormons believe that returning to god requires following the example of jesus christ, and accepting his atonement through ordinances such as baptism. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421. Is there an explanation for the appearance of a greek name in the.
The name of one of the lords disciples listed in 3 nephi 19. Lehi m mormon from an old testament place name meaning jawbone in hebrew, so called because it was the site where the hero samson defeated 1,000 warriors using only the jawbone of a donkey as a weapon. The actual meaning of nephi and 3 other book of mormon names. Mormons believe the following about the book of mormon. An egyptian linguistic component in book of mormon names. What evidence suggests that the book of mormon is of modern. Book of mormon language, names, and metonymic naming, journal of book of mormon studies 31 1994. In pressing forward with the book of mormon, edited by john w. Mormons believe in the bible, as well as other books of scripture, such as the book of mormon. The proper names of the book of mormon can provide information about the text and the languages used to compose it. Jershon, zarahemla the hebrew origin of three book of mormon placenames.
The actual meaning of nephi and 3 other book of mormon names notes 1. In particular, 2 maccabees includes the name nephi. Mormon archaeological argument that proves the historical accuracy of b of m. One sees this pattern of angels going unnamed throughout the book of mormon as well. In addition to mormon baby names, at baby name world you will find thousands of other unique and popular male and female baby. Furthermore, not one single of the 303 proper names found in the book of mormon have been discovered on the thousands of deciphered inscriptions in the new world. Especially since the book of mormon says that its place names often came from those who originally inhabited the places. This was about 40% of all the recorded mormon s in the usa. Some years after the publication of the book of mormon, joseph smith mentioned that mahonri moriancumer was the name of the brother of jared.
The book of mormon claims to be a history of ancient peoples inhabiting central america until 421 a. Some years after the publication of the book of mormon, joseph smith mentioned that mahonri moriancumer was the. As early as 1831, eber howe, in his antimormon book mormonism unvailed, noted the use of names desolation and bountiful from. It is also used in the book of mormon as the name of a prophet. The book of mormon rolled off the grandin press in palmyra, new york, with joseph smith listed as author and proprietor on the title page. According to the text of the book of mormon, the word mormon stems from the land of mormon, where the prophet alma preached the gospel and baptized converts. Nephi is an ancient egyptian name with multiple meanings. To me, it seems most likely that the name is a combination of a prefix ze and the name enos, another name attested in the book of mormon. The book of mormon uses the biblical name of antipas and builds on it to form these book of mormon names. The hebrew origin of three book of mormon placenames. The surprising meanings of abish and 5 other book of. Names such as laman and lemuel are of semitic or arabian origin, ricks said. Mormonwho was named after the landwas a 4thcentury prophethistorian who compiled and abridged many records of his ancestors into the book of mormon. It is also borne by the hero of jonathan swifts novel gullivers travels 1726.
Book of mormona book of gross, fictitious nonsense, wrote by mormon, for gazeloms diabolical purposes. Naturalistic explanations of the origin of the book of mormon. In a book that is the first of its kind, jerry grover, a professional civil engineer, geologist and translator has been able to reconstruct the jaredite names from ancient sumerian. An egyptian linguistic component in book of mormon names author eve koller there are several names in the book of mormonsuch as zenephi, zenos, and zenockthat look as though they are composed of scriptural names nephi, enos, enoch, and so forth with different forms of a zprefix that might mean son of or descendant of. If the book of mormon is a fiction novel, then the mormon religion is based upon fiction. A while back i stumbled upon this website that allows you to map the prevalence of a given surname, by state, in the united states for the years 1850, 1890, 1920, and 1990. Names of hebrew origin include laban, jacob and joseph.
This article explores several book of mormon proper names that are attested from hebrew. There are several theories as to the origin of the book of mormon. One meaning is sea captain see john gee, four suggestions on the origin of the name nephi, in pressing forward with the book of mormon. Many book of mormon names are not found in the bible, and were unknown to.
They include such names as laban and jacob and joseph, and one other that i would like to share with you that i would wish to discuss in just a moment is sam. Mormon authors claim that the description of olive horticulture in jacob 5 is too specific and detailed for smith to have learned on his own in early 19th century new england, so they assert it is evidence that smiths story of the book of mormon s divine origin is true. The book of mormon contains 337 proper names and 21 gentilics or. Sariah f mormon possibly from an alternate reading of hebrew see seraiah. It may be significant that the names lachoneus and timothy, the only two names in the book of mormon that seem to be of greek origin, appear in the book of. Hebrew origin, a third of the books of the proper names that we find in the book of mormon are of hebrew origin. Over the past month ive received numerous requests asking when, or if, wed ever talk about our series, demonic names in the book of mormon so here it is. Many lds assume that this is evidence that joseph smith could not have made up the book of mormon. The surprising meanings of abish and 5 other book of mormon. Learn more about the names in the book of mormon and their ties to hebrew origins here s.
The book of mormon is literarily beautiful, doctrinally truthful, and everlastingly applicable. Mahonri m mormon in the book of mormon, the brother of jared is the most prominent person in the account given in the beginning chapters 16 of the book of ether. Origin of book of mormon names stephen ricks fair mormon. The hebrew origin of some book of mormon place names. Most of ricks presentation consisted of his breaking down several names to show their origin and meaning, in relation to when the name appears in the book of mormon. Melech in the bible becomes melek in the book of mormon. Amianthus, not a book of mormon name, is an old name for a form of asbestos. First published in 1829 by a penniless joseph smith jr. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. Examples of authentic ancient book of mormon names abish.
The mormon family name was found in the usa, the uk, and scotland between 1840 and 1920. An alternative possibility, which yields a similar meaning, was recently proposed by linguist eve koller. Supporters of the book of mormon claim it uses chiasmusa figure of speech utilizing inverted parallelismand claim it is evidence to support the books ancient origin. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi, who claimed that it had been. Jan 04, 2019 book of mormon names and hebrew origins. This list is intended as a quick reference for individuals mentioned in the book of mormon. Since joseph smith was interested in stones, he easily could have looked at books about rocks and minerals. This same ancient israelite practice of using names to express a key theme in a story also applies to names in the book of mormon.
Is there an explanation for the appearance of a greek name in the book of mormon. An introduction to the book of mormon central website. Jershon, zarahemla the hebrew origin of three book of mormon place names. The hebrew origin of three book of mormon placenames they came down into the land which is called the land of zarahemla. Oct 20, 2016 mormon was the primary author, editor, and compiler of the book of mormon. Naturalistic explanations of the origin of the book of. Critics dismiss these names as gibberish or the creative invention of joseph smith. The following is a list of the names found in the book of mormon, where they are found, and a possible source that joseph smith had access to for taking or. Conversely, proper names that appear only in translation are not included, such as bountiful and desolation. The hebrew origin of some book of mormon place names by. Is there an explanation for the appearance of a greek name. Tradition has taught us over many years that the book of mormon was so named for mormon, the main abridger. She proposed that the ze prefix in book of mormon names could be the egyptian name element z3 or s3.
Most adherents to the latter day saint movement view the book as a work of inspired scripture. Brinnlee brielle anderson and other great utah names zion curtain said on february 4th, 2017 at 5. In addition, the book of mormon also contains proper names of other semitic languages. Each list of mormon names can be sorted by mormon baby girl names or mormon baby boy names.
Origin of book of mormon names stephen ricks youtube. Book of mormon names attested in ancient hebrew inscriptions. In the book of mormon this is the name of lehis wife. Book of mormon, work accepted as holy scripture, in addition to the bible, in the church of jesus christ of latterday saints and other mormon churches. However, those willing to look deeper find that not only do many of the names fit within patterns of ancient semitic languages but they can also have great personal meaning for each of us. Demonic and ungodly names in the book of mormon 1 life.
More names are created by adding such endings as hah. Origin of book of mormon names book of mormon central. Hugh nibley among other lds apologists has spent his life digging for any scrap of ancient evidence that remotely resembles something mentioned in the book of mormon, and then he uses the few forced scraps that he thinks by twisting can coincidentally match to come to the conclusion that yes indeed, the book of mormon must be of ancient origin while he. This was about 40% of all the recorded mormons in the usa. Roberts, studied native american languages based on the idea that the book of mormon shows peoples able to converse with one. The book of mormon seems specifically designed to answer the sorts of questions which red jacket raised about the relationship between the new world indians and old world christianity. Readers of the book of mormon encounter hundreds of unique names not found elsewhere. Tvedtnes a number of scholars have discussed the possible hebrew meaning of some of the placenames in the book of mormon. Of these 337 proper names, 188 are unique to the book of mormon, while 149 are common to the book of mormon and the bible. Apr 17, 2006 a while back i stumbled upon this website that allows you to map the prevalence of a given surname, by state, in the united states for the years 1850, 1890, 1920, and 1990. Buy it at any book store, or direct from the publisher. Origin of book of mormon names in 2010 fair conference. If his explanation of the etymology of the word mormon is any indication of the existence of reformed egyptian, than it can safely be assumed that it has always been an nonexistent language.
Why dont we know the names of the angels in the book of. Why is the book of mormon named after mormon, who is he. As early as 1831, eber howe, in his antimormon book mormonism unvailed, noted the use of names desolation and bountiful from pilgrims progress reappear in the book of mormon. However, when we examine the list of names at the end of the book of mormon we notice that 141 of the names are taken from the bible. Book of mormon origin and translation links below to. The mormon church the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. If the textual passages common to the book of mormon and the bible are excluded, 53 names occur in both books. Mormons anciently in egypta set of blacklegs, thieves, robbers, and murderers. In early 1830, an unknown farmer in upstate new york burst upon the worlds bookpublishing scene. Tvedtnes, the hebrew origin of some book of mormon place names, journal of book of mormon studies 62 1997.
When studied with apposite methodology, these names testify to the ancient origin of the book of mormon. This guide is provided to assist the reader and is not intended as an authoritative source on how these names were pronounced originally. Book of mormon names the encyclopedia of mormonism. Is there an explanation for the appearance of a greek name in. They have a unique view of cosmology and believe that all people are spiritchildren of god. Joseph and frontier folk assumed that some of the town names around them had survived since the original settlers, the isrealites. Smith claimed the angel moroni, a prophet in the book of mormon, directed him in the 1820s to a hill near his home in palmyra, new york where the plates were buried. Roberts concluded that this book, originally published in poultney, vermont in 1823 7 years prior to the book of mormon was available to joseph smith and contained enough parallel material to the book of mormon so as to furnish a virtual groundplan for it. Fun fact while finding common mormon names to give joseph and zaylie for this pos mormons love oddball baby names. The book of mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the bible. Sumerian roots of jareditederived names and terminology. In this way, joseph smith hoped to achieve his purpose. The hebrew origin of some book of mormon place names stephen d.
In addition to mormon baby names, at baby name world you will find thousands of other unique and popular male and female baby names and their meaning sorted by origin. In 1840 there were 4 mormon families living in indiana. Since that name sounds so book of mormon, it might be fun to check a very old rock book for common words used pre1850. Indiana had the highest population of mormon families in 1840. In the book of mormon it is the name of a son of lehi and sariah. Dec 27, 2014 origin of book of mormon names stephen ricks fair mormon. The process of translation was witnessed by several people as was. What evidence suggests that the book of mormon is of.