Hebrew Idioms and Analogies in the Book of Mormon. III

Hebrew Idioms and Analogies in the Book of Mormon.

BY THOMAS W. BROOKBANK.

III.

The different terminations of the Nephite proper names, excluding those applied to God, Christ and the Holy Spirit — many of which are translatable terms — number over sixty; but more than forty of them belong to names that are found in identical form in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon, and hence this large number is accounted for at once as certainly Jewish. Of the remainder we find all but two of them among Biblical names as follows:

TERMINATION OF TERMINATION OF BIBLE NAMES BIBLE NAMI NEPHITE NAMES NEPHITE NAMES

osh Rosh ib Chezib or Beth-peor ag Abishag hu Elihu ez Bozez f Rheum iz Ziz um 1 Shallum f Zif no Adino et Eliphalet oth Aloth ne Mene ath Gath la Bethhogla le Baale

The termination of Nephite proper names not found in any Biblical ones that the writer has examined, are r without a preced- ing vowel, as in Coriantumr, and ts in Hermounts. More than one example of the use of names with these terminations by the sacred writers of the Bible might be supplied, but it is not considered neces-

HEBREW ANALOGIES IN THE BOOK OF MORMON. 337

sary as most of them would be readily recognized by students of the Jewish scriptures. Two names ending in um have been given, for, at first thought, some assume that this termination is Latin only. Most of the suffixes that the Nephites welded to the base were so common and familiarly Jewish that no special attention need be directed to more than a few of them — one of which is

hah, evidently instead of ah. This form, however, is authorized by the terminal ending in Janohah, apparently from the same base as Jano-ah — both Bible names. The combination hah is

found in the Nephite names Nephi-hah, Moroni-hah, Ammoni-hah, and Cameni-hah. Sometimes ah, when added to a base, was preceded by a vowel sound as Ahaz-i-ah from Ahaz. Among the Nephite names we find analogically formed those of Amalick-i-ah, Sar-i-ah and Mos-i-ah. Again, oiii was a musical termination to which the Jews seemed somewhat partial. We find it in Ben-oni, from Ben, and in Rabb-oni, from Rabh. The Nephites used this ending in Gidgidd-oni, Math-oni, and in Math-oni-hah they welded

the two suffixes to the same base. It is not necessary to prolong these observations in order to call further attention to the fact that in the matter of forming new names by addition of suffixes, the Nephites were orthodox Jews. Those who wish to pursue this inquiry at greater length can readily find examples in the comparative exhibit that is given on preceding pages, or in the general list of names that is to fol- low. Coming now to an examination of the prefixes that were used by the Nephites in the formation of their proper names, we find that they are about all included in the following enumeration: Te, Pa, Z, Ze, H, See, A, Am, 0, and Ab. The first, or Te, with Omner, gives Teomner; Pa and Cumeni occur together in the name Pacumeni; Z and Enock form Zenock; Ze and Nephi welds into Zenephi; H and Elam-an makes Helaman; See and Zoram com- bines into Seezoram; A and Kish gives Akish; Am and Moron appears in Ammoron; and Gath in Ogath and kh and Lorn weids into Ablom — all of them being genuine Nephite names, as an examination of the general list will disclose. Considering the limited number of proper names in the Book of Mormon— about three hundred different ones altogether — it will be observed that

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the Nephites were very liberal in the use of prefixes in forming them. We have seen how these prefixes were joined with certain roots or bases in order to form new names; but a question of greater interest and importance now claims our attention as to whether these particular prefixes are sanctioned by ancient Jewish usage as disclosed from lists of Bible names. That they are strictly Hebraic and properly used is evident from the illustrations that soon follow. The first column gives the prefixes that were applied by the Nephites in compounding some of their own names. In the second column there is entered base names taken from the Bible. In the third column will be found other Bible names, and of course Jewish; but which might just as well be formed by welding the Nephite prefix to the Hebrew base of the second column. Stronger proof than this that the Jews and the Nephites were of the same race, and understood alike the principles of the same language, can scarcely be expected or needed:

NEPHITE BIBLE BIBLE NAME NEPHITE BIBLE BIBLE NAME PREFIX BASE COMPOUNDED PREFIX BASE COMPOUNDED [Beth Tebeth fElah Selah* Se Koa Tekoa(h) Machi Semachi Te I

or J

j Mani Temani ]Ephar tSeph(a)er* See I Resh Teresh 1Eron fSera(o)n* \ Beth Obeth Gar Agar Zorah Ozorah Hiram Ahiram /

Padan A Ner Aner fDan Pa j Shur Pashur I Rumah Arumah | Rosh Parosh | Asa Amasa Arah Parah * Azia Amazia(h) Am I

j

Bui Zebul Ittai Amittai Ze I

Resh Zeresh [ Ram Amram f Enan Zenan ( Iram Abiram Ethan Zethan Iron Abiron Z j

Immah Ab |

j Zimmah 1 Ner Abner Uriel Zuriel I Raham Abraham

In order that it may be demonstrated still further by visual evidence that the Nephite proper names are genuinely Hebraic, it will be necessary in the first place to give the names and powers

• One vowel dropped, f Substitution of one vowel sound for anoth- er, not unusual in Jewish proper names.

HEBREW ANALOGIES IN THE BOOK OF MORMON. 339

of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and afterward a complete list of all proper names Book of Mormon that occur in the together with some untranslated terms that are also to be sub- jected to our inspection, and for convenience they shall be divided into several different groups. Taking these matters up in the order thus indicated we find that the names and powers of the Hebrew letters are:

NO. NAME POWER NO. NAME POWER 1 Aleph 12 Lamedh L 2 Beth Bh, B 13 Mem M 3 Gimel Gh, G 14 Nun N 4 Daleth Dh, D 15 Samekh S 5 He H 16 Ayin 6 Vav V 17 Pe Ph, P 7 Zayin Z 18 Tsadhe Ts 8 Hheth Hh 19 Koph K 9 Teth T 20 Resh R 10 Yodh Y 21 Shin Sh, S 11 Kaph Kh, K 22 Tav Th, T

No English equivalents have been written for the first or the sixteenth of these letters — the powers for all of which have been given as Greene's Hebrew Grammar illustrates them. It is diffi-

cult to represent equivalents for the two just numbered without some accompanying explanation. Aleph is regarded as the weak- est of the letters and its value is likened to the English silent h in hour. The power of Ayin is uncertain; but some modern Jews give it the sound of ng, or of French gn in champagne. Though the power of Yodh is given above as English y others of equal authority with, Greene give it the sound of j or i. This letter, Yodh, is the first one name Jehovah, which is va- in the original

riously pronounced as just written, or as Yehovah. Now, looking the Hebrew alphabet over very carefully, we find that it has no equivalent for the English q, x or w, and, as a consequence, any word or name that has one or more of these letters in it, is not a genuinely Jewish word or name. Even the familiar names Jew and Hebrew, as here spelled, must be excluded. They are not in the proper form for Hebraic names. Their orthography condemns them as foreign to the language of Israel. To be orthographically

340 IMPROVEMENT ERA.

correct, if Jewish, they should be spelled Ju and Hebru; but more respecting them hereafter. Now, in order to ascertain whether the Book of Mormon conforms its orthography to these limitations of the Hebrew alphabet, we must not examine foreign words or names, nor any terms that are English signs for Jewish words, which were not spelled as the translation is; but we can take the proper names in that book, and which are known to be of Nephite origin, for they are not translated, but have been, as it were, transferred bodily from the Nephites down to us, and determine this question by the showing thus made. Proceeding, then, on this basis, to examine all the proper names (and untranslated terms) that occur in the Book of Mormon, there is not found a single one of them that has a q, x or w in it. That is to say, so far as the names in question can be traced to a purely Nephite origin, they do conform in their orthography to the limitations of

the Hebrew alphabet, and this remarkable consistency is especially forced upon our attention by the spelling of the Nephite name "Amnihu" as here given, instead of "Amnihew" or "Amnihugh," according to some of the English methods of representing the long sound of u.

GENERAL LISTS. (Class No. 1.)

A aron Ammah Antiomno Comnor Abel Ammaron Antionum Corianton Abinadi Ammon Antionah Coriantor Abinadom Ammonihah Antiparah Coriantum Abish Amnigaddah Antipas Coriantumr Ablom Ammoron Antipus Corihor Abraham Amnor Antum Corom Adam Amnihu Archeantus Coram Aha Amoron Babylon Cumeni Ahah Amos Bashan Cumorah Agosh Amulek Benjamin David Akish Amulon Bethabary Eden Alma Angola Boaz Egypt_ Amaleki Ani-Anti Cain Egyptians Amalickiah Anteonum Camenihah Elijah Amaron Anteum Cezoram Emer Amgid Anti-Christ Chemish Emnon Aminadab Anti-Lehi- Christians Emron Aminadi Nephi Cohor Enos Amlici Antiomni Com Ephraim

HEBREW ANALOGIES IN THE BOOK OF MORMON. 341

Ezroni Jesus Mocum Satan Ethem John Moriancumer Seantum Ether Jonas Morianton Sebus Eve Joneam Moriantum Sezoram Ezias Josh Mormon Seth Gad Joshua Moron Shared Gaddiandi Jordan Moroni Shazer Gadianton Jordon Moronihah Shem Gadiomnah Joseph Moses Shemlon Gazelem Judah Mosiah Shemnon Gid Judea Mulek Sherem Giddianhi Kib Mnloki Sherrizah Giddonah Kim Nahom Sheum Gideon Kimnor Nazareth Shez Gidgiddoni Kish Nehor Shiz Gilead Kishkumen Nephi Shule Gilgal Korihor Nephihah Shur Gilgah Kumen Neum Shiblom Gimgimno Kumenonhi Nimrah Shiblon Hagoth Laban Nimrod Shilem Hearthom Lachoneus Noah Shilom Helam Laman Ogath Shim Helaman Lamanitish Omer Shimnilon Helem Lamah Omner Sidom Helorum Lamoni Omni Sidon Hem Lebanon Onhah Sinai Hermounts Lehi Onidah Siron Heshlon Lehonti Ontah Solomon Heth Lemuel Oreb Teancum Himni Levi Orihah Teomner Isaac Lib Paanchi Timothy Isabel Limhah Pachus Tubaloth Isaiah Limher Pacumeni Zarahemla Ishmael Limhi Pagag Zedekiah Israel Luram Pahoran Zeezrom Jacob Mahah Pharaoh Zemnarihah Jacobugath Malachi Philistines Zemnariah Jacom Manti Ramah Zenephi Jared Manasseh Riplah Zeniff Jarom Mathoni Riplakish Zenock Jasher Mathonihah Ripliancum Zenos Jashon Melchizedek Sabbath Zerahemnah Jehocab Melek Salem Zeram Jehovah Middoni Sam Zerin Jerusalem Midian Samuel Zion Jeremiah Minon Sariah Zoramites Jershon The next list is composed of Nephite terms that in general have not been translated: and all of them have been handed down to us without alteration phonetically: