ORIHAH
| Jaredite PN | 1. | King, son of JARED (Ether 1:32; 6:14, 27, 30; 7:1) |
Etymology
Until possible language affinities for JAREDITE names can be determined, all suggestions for etymologies of JAREDITE names must remain more speculative than substantive. With that caveat, the onomasticon does offer etymologies for some JAREDITE names, especially if it is possible that some JAREDITE names were translated into NEPHITE, or were otherwise related to one or more Semitic languages.
If Semitic languages can be appealed to for JAREDITE etymologies, then it may be that this name means “(my) light is Jehovah,” from ʾōr(ī), “(my) light,” and from the tetragrammaton, if -ihah is the theophoric element “Yahweh/Jehovah” (RFS; see also Reynolds, Commentary on the Book of Mormon, VI, p. 116). The pattern would be the same as Book of Mormon ONIHAH. For similar biblical PNs see ʾûrîyāh (2 Samuel 11:3; Isaiah 8:2), ʾûrīyāhū (Jeremiah 26:20), “(my) light is Jehovah,” and ʾûrī ʾēl (1 Chronicles 15:5, 11; 2 Chronicles 13:2), “(my) light is El.” We also have West Semitic urriia (R. Zadok, BASOR 231:73) (RFS).
Cf. Book of Mormon ONIHAH, MORONIHAH, NEPHIHAH, AHAH
Variants
Deseret Alphabet: 𐐄𐐡𐐌𐐐𐐂 (oʊraɪhɑː)
Notes
