Book of Mormon names

[LeSellers]

I only have Skowsen's printer's manuscripts, but according the explanation of the symbols in these volumes, bracketed letters indicate that the letters are "partially legible."

Now the question is, "which reference is this?" I meant, in the case of the missing "H", the prophet Neum, not Nahum.

Lehi

[Mike Reed]

Now the question is, "which reference is this?" I meant, in the case of the missing "H", the prophet Neum, not Nahum.

Lehi

Dan will have to answer, since I don't have the book. All I can say is that the two verses are spelled "Nahom" (the place) and "Neum" (the person) in the Printer's Manuscript.

Where did Nahom prophesy of the crucifixion, as stated of Neum in 1 Nephi 19:10? I am still trying to figure out why you are so convinced that the two should be equated. Any readings that you can suggest would be appreciated.

As I mentioned previously in this thread, Gehenna was a topic of controversy among universalists. I don't know Hebrew or Greek, but I do now of at least two sources (one and two) breaking down the word, explaining that Ge means "valley" and ennon derives from Nahom, which means "groan." And in the BoM narrative, "groaning" seems to be what Lehi's and Ishmael's family are doing, "mourning" because of their "afflictions," "murmuring" against their father, and attempting to slay Nephi.

And then there is Adam Clarke's commentary (New York, 1826) about "Naham," groaning, and death.

Another 1828 source for "Naham" and groaning.

We know that the Smith family was deeply troubled by the teaching of hell fire (especially after Alvin's death), and so it is conceivable that family members would have researched the topic, and learned about the root "Nahom."

[Dan Vogel]

LeSellers,

Now the question is, "which reference is this?" I meant, in the case of the missing "H", the prophet Neum, not Nahum.

Sorry, I got confused by the "Nehum/Neum". Skousen has what I said for the place and "Neum" for the prophet.

[inquiringmind]

I had read the late Nibley's work on most of those names. Still had a jolt of satisfaction to see for myself, in clear print, deep -- and I mean deep -- within a volume of the Cambridge Ancient History -- Aha as a bona fide name of an ancient Egyptian pharoah.

I'm still reading through the BOM, and I don't think I've come across Aha yet.

Who was he, and where is he mentioned?

[TAO]

I'm still reading through the BOM, and I don't think I've come across Aha yet.

Who was he, and where is he mentioned?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aha_%28Book_of_Mormon%29 <-- Cool guy =).

[LeSellers]

Who was [Aha], and where is he mentioned?

5 Therefore, he that had been appointed chief captain over the armies of the Nephites, (and his name was Zoram, and he had two sons, Lehi and Aha)

[inquiringmind]

Thank you.

[Dan Vogel]

That wasn't quite my question. Are you saying that Nahom is ??? and if so, then is it mourning or is it comfort.

I haven

[Dan Vogel]

Bob,

It is certainly true that "neither of us knows exactly why the name [Nahom] was chosen or how it got into the BOM," but Ed Ashment was not speculating when he stated that that form of the Hebrew root n?m ??? (with aspirated -h-) would have to be the qal infinitive absolute. In such a case, the meaning would be something like "Comfort, Consolation: Mourning, Moan." That's not speculation. That's just good Hebrew grammar. And you are correct to think that the name of the prophet Nahum comes from the same root, which appears in names in several different Hebrew spellings in the Bible. Non-Mormon Semitic specialist Jo Ann Hackett long ago suggested that this is the very root from which Book of Mormon Nahom could have come -- a very reasonable suggestion, despite anyone's preconceptions. Why else would you suggest that Joseph heard the meaning of the name preached, or found it in a biblical note in his day? Speculative, maybe. Outlandish, no.

However, Jo Ann Hackett also suggested an alternative Hebrew root nhm ??? " to growl, groan" (without the aspirated -h- in the middle). As it happens that is the exact consonantal equivalent of the early South Arabic NHM/Nihm which is found on a couple of limestone altars at the Bar'an Temple near Marib (ancient capital of Saba'). Nihm is also the name of a still extant Yemenite tribe, and also the name of a cemetery in Yemen, 100 miles east of Luhaiya and 25 miles south of San'a (the current capital of Yemen). This is a very interesting confluence of coincidences near a place where Clan Lehi began moving eastward (1 Nephi 17:1). Fully aware of such root words and their meanings, members of the Clan may have engaged in some word-play with both roots in transmitting the name of the place where Ishmael was buried. Taken by itself it proves little, but taken in context it is part of a chain of peculiar "coincidences" that stagger the imagination to claim as just "coincidences." Of course, as they say, "history is not facts, it is the interpretation of facts."

I don

[Robert F. Smith]

Bob,

I don

[Robert F. Smith]

I posted about this here the other day, so I would be very interested in reading this prior proposal.

Professor Hackett did that for FARMS many years ago, and the conclusions have yet to be published. Even Ed Ashment contributed his private observations. However, the full-scale study of the Book of Mormon onomasticon continues apace, and will be made available online.

[Robert F. Smith]

@ TAO and Bernard Gui: thanks for the links. I had already found lists of BoM names, but I was looking for a list of names AND possible origins. Most of what I found on the internet concerned individual names but I can imagine someone made a classification like so many Biblical names, so many Greek names (I know that one: 2). Is there a classification like that?

A lot of work has been done over the years on the origin and meaning of BOM names or words of foreign origin, including a few Greek names (probably derived from Carian Greek merchants and mercenaries who were present in the Levant and in Egypt in Lehi's day). Some of the conclusions are published from time to time, and the whole corpus of research will eventually be available online.

[NauvooSaint]

Well, aliens are more advanced then us. So it must be the evil aliens who gave Joseph the Seer Stone with the microcomputer in it.

Today we call such computers....Blackberry.

[Robert F. Smith]

Today we call such computers....Blackberry.

Or a virtual state transducer with light emitting diode (LED) in the bottom of Joseph's hat. We're talking about sentient beings from other planets, right?!

Most astronomers assume life has come into existence many times out there, some of those lifeforms having been around much longer than us. Why do they think that? Because there are over 100 billion stars in our Milky Way Galaxy, and over 100 billion galaxies in the known universe. The statistical odds alone convince most of them. SETI is not a Mormon conspiracy.

[Dan Vogel]

Bob,

I agree that the text is clear about their traveling in the borders by the Red Sea, off the main caravan route along the TIhama, but I think the move to the plateau was likely to have immediately preceded or have been part of their turn to the east (1 Nephi 17:1) since that would naturally be required by the new direction. And, as you observe, it is just on that plateau that the suggested connections with Arabic NHM would have to take place -- if at all. And, as I said, by itself such a confluence of data proves nothing. It is only through a systematic analysis of a wide array of data points that we can see any convincing meaning come from such an approach. Anthropology refers to that as "complex systems."

Of course, this explanation assumes your thesis is true. However, in the text, the turn is not made until after Ishmael is buried in Nahom (1 Nephi 16:34; 17:1). So, either they remained in the borders by the Red Sea the whole time, or they crossed the plateau after burying Ishmael. What you see as a cold

[Dan Vogel]

D J Brown

In my experience interracting with critics, they most often simply wave the names away by claiming Joseph opened his KJV bible to the page that lists all the names and mixed random names together. This is what they fall back to almost every time, in my experience.

I don

[Robert F. Smith]

Bob,

Of course, this explanation assumes your thesis is true. However, in the text, the turn is not made until after Ishmael is buried in Nahom (1 Nephi 16:34; 17:1). So, either they remained in the borders by the Red Sea the whole time, or they crossed the plateau after burying Ishmael. What you see as a cold