GIDGIDDONI

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Lehite PN 1. General, ca. 4th c. AD (3 Nephi 3:18, 19, 20, 21, 26; 4:13 (x2), 24, 26; 6:6)

Etymology

Likely the same as Neo-Assyrian personal name Gid-gi-da-a-n[i], Gid-gid-da-nu, etc. (SAA 1:152:6, r 9; 11:123 ii 13), with long Assyrian ā here equivalent to Hebrew o (JG).[1] The double -dd- is indicative of ultimate borrowing from Sumerian (PYH).

For the reduplication of gd, see Numbers 33:32, or Hor-hagidgad.[2] A connection with GID, GIDDIANHI, GIDDONAH, and GIDGIDDONAH seems unavoidable.

GIDGIDDONI and GIDGIDDONAH may somehow be derived from or related to biblical Gidgad/Gudgodah (Judges 20:45, Deuteronomy 10:7), and perhaps to Hor-hagidgad “Hollow of Gidgad” (Numbers 33:32-33), which may be the same location as Arabic Wadi Ghadhaghedh.[3]

On the same pattern as GIDGIDDONAH, Nibley suggests for the EGYPTIAN name dd-dḥ.wty-iw-ny + ʿnḫ, “Thoth had said: I shall live.”[4] Nibley compares GIDGIDDONI to the 7th century BC fortified city of kipkip or kibkib, to which the successor of Piankhy fled during the ASSYRIAN invasion of EGYPT, and notes also Book of Mormon GIMGIMNO.[5]

See GID, GIDDIANHI, GIDDONAH, GIDGIDDONAH, SIDON.

Variants

Deseret Alphabet: 𐐘𐐆𐐔𐐘𐐆𐐔𐐄𐐤𐐌 (ɡɪdɡɪdoʊnaɪ)

Notes


  1. The Prosopography of the Neo-Assyrian Empire (Helsinki: The Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project, 1999), 1.2:422-423, cited at John Gee, “Right on Target: Gidgiddoni,” Ether’s Cave Blog, June 12, 2015, online at http://etherscave.blogspot.com/2015/06/right-on-target-gidgiddoni.html , and June 13, 2015, at http://blog.fairmormon.org/2015/06/13/right-on-target-gidgiddoni/ .
  2. It is quite common for Semitic “hollow” roots, such as gd, besides exhibiting vowels, e.g., gād, to also have quadrilateral variants such as gdgd, as the above HEBREW GN demonstrates. Another similar example is biblical GILGAL from gl or glgl or gll. *Does the Critical Text give any variant spelling of GIDGIDDONAH?
  3. J. R. Zorn in Freedman, ed., Anchor Bible Dictionary, III: 287.
  4. Hugh. W. Nibley. "Lehi in the Desert," in The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, vol. 5 (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1988), 26.; and "An Approach to the Book of Mormon", in The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, vol. 6 (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1988), 287.
  5. Hugh. W. Nibley. "Lehi in the Desert," in The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, vol. 5 (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1988), 23.
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