LIMHAH

Lehite PN

1.

General, 4th c. AD (Mormon 6:14)

This entry is not finished

Etymology

Like LAMAH, LIMHAH may be related to the biblical PN Lamech (JH). Much less likely is a derivation analyzed as Limiah (like LEMUEL), i.e., “belonging to Yahweh” because the expected form would be something like lemîyāh (JH).

Inasmuch as there are several Book of Mormon names beginning with lim, perhaps this element should be analyzed separately. “Lim” occurs in Amorite PNs of the Bronze Age, perhaps the most prominent being the king of Mari, Zimri-Lim. If, as the consensus affirms, lim is a theophoric element, then it is unlikely it would be used as such in Lehite. -hah also seems to be an element in the Book of Mormon onomasticon and may be analyzed separately.

lim means “1,000” in Sumerian, but that does not seem to be any help (JH). lim may be from the Semitic word for “people,” represented by HEBREW and Ugaritic lʾm, and Babylonian liyyaum (RFS).

Cf. Book of Mormon LIMHI (perhaps gentilic), LIMHER, LAMAH, perhaps LIMNAH

(The brother names MAHAH and ORIHAH have not been included in the foregoing discussion for several reasons. They are exclusively JAREDITE names attested only in Ether 6:14, while all the names above are attested exclusively in NEPHITE/Mulekite contexts. GILGAH, a brother to MAHAH and ORIHAH, also is attested only in Ether 6:14. Therefore, in these three exclusively JAREDITE names, the ending, if it is one, is likely to be -ah, -hah, let alone -ihah. However, a connection cannot be ruled out because JAREDITE names begin appearing in the Book of Mormon onomasticon in the same period as the NEPHITE/Mulekite -hah names appear. Therefore, MAHAH and ORIHAH may or may not be connected with NEPHITE -hah names through JAREDITE channels. Baring the JAREDITE connection, it would seem that the lack of temporal and spatial propinquity would rule out the possibility that JAREDITE -ihah, -hah or -ah can be connected with the HEBREW Tetragrammaton. More likely is the possibility that the JAREDITE ending was borrowed by the NEPHITES since all the NEPHITE names ending in -hah only appear in the NEPHITE record after the NEPHITES could have theoretically come in contact with JAREDITE influence.)

Variants

Deseret Alphabet: 𐐢𐐆𐐣𐐐𐐂 (lɪmhɑː)

Notes

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