Foreword

INTRODUCTION

The creation and maintaining of this onomasticon will remain an ongoing work. Therefore, the editors welcome irenic suggestions. Those who created and who maintain this onomasticon work under the hypothesis that the Book of Mormon is an ancient document whose cultural roots, except for the JAREDITE cultural legacy, reach back to 7^th Century BC ISRAEL. Nevertheless, this material is not presented as an apologetic work, neither is it polemical.

For a discussion of why a study of the proper names of the Book of Mormon merits consideration, please see “Relevancy.”

A separate list of abbreviations, variants, and a bibliography have been supplied, along with a study of specific etymological considerations relating to the Book of Mormon onomasticon.

The entries are arranged in alphabetical order with each entry beginning a new page. The data for each entry are arranged according to the following schema:

AARON The name or word appears at the top left of the page in capital, bolded letters:

Attestations of the name or word are listed in a box in the order of their appearance in the Book of Mormon and assigned to one of three basic groupings: Lehite, JAREDITE and biblical. Mulekite is not normally differentiated from Lehite. An effort has been made to list every occurrence.

Etymology. Unless otherwise noted, the discussion of the name begins with a brief summary of the more likely etymological probabilities. This is followed by a synopsis of all proffered etymologies, listed in no strict order, though in general the more recent suggestions appear first. If the Book of Mormon name is solely a translation instead of a transliteration, speculative reconstructions of a Vorlage may be offered if the context provides any clues.

Variants After the etymological discussion, the different spellings of the name/word, if such exist, are listed. By clicking on the variant, a page appears that lists all the variants for that name/word and where and when they occur.

Deseret Alphabet supplies the Deseret Alphabet spelling of the name, with variants if there are any, followed by an IPA transcription.

Notes, if there are any for the entry.

Bibliography, if there is one for the entry.

Relevancy

All names in antiquity had a meaning. For example, the English name Alexander is ultimately derived from the Greek name Αλέξανδρος, which means approximately “defender of men.” The English form preserves the first lexeme, aleks, and the second one, andr, but not the case ending -os. People who know Greek readily recognize these lexemes.

In addition, even though such names are often shortened to form a hypocoristic or pet name, the original lexemes may have been maintained. The English hypocoristic name Alex retains some semblance of the original Greek; but a Russian diminutive of Alexander, Sasha, disguises all traces of the original Greek and of its Russian intermediator, Alexandr. Some of the hypocoristic names retain recognizable elements of the original name, such as Ed from Edward. Other hypocoristica, such as Dick from Richard, disguise their origin.

Despite transmigrations involving intermediate languages, names often retain in their adopted language many of the sounds and therefore phonemes of the original. For example, the English name Esther can be traced ultimately back to the Babylonian name for the goddess of love and war, Ištar. However, the English form of the name is derived undoubtedly from King James Bible Esther, which goes back to the Greek form in the Septuagint Ester or to the Hebrew, Ester, both of which ultimately can be traced to the name of the Babylonian goddess Ištar. Thus, the etymology of English Esther suggests, as inadequate as it is, a short cultural history of the Jewish people.

As in the examples just given, proper names and transliterated words can preserve original phonemes and lexemes of the source language even though the name originated in a language no longer spoken. Therefore, a careful study of the onomasticon of the Book of Mormon can inform us about the languages used to compose the book. The languages in turn can help inform us about the culture and customs of people who spoke the languages. In this respect, the proper names in the Book of Mormon form a unique and useful tool for the study of the languages of the peoples of that book and make possible new insights for understanding the Book of Mormon.

It is hoped that this Laura F. Willes Center Book of Mormon onomasticon will provide additional insights into the cultures that produced this sacred scripture.