AMGID

Jaredite PN	1.	King (usurper) (Ether 10:32 (x2))

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.

The element am in this name could be ʿm, a common Semitic kinship term meaning variously “people, clan, paternal uncle, grandfather” (HALOT, 710), and appears in several biblical PNs, e.g., Ammiel, Ammihud, Amram, and Amraphel. The second element, gid, compares to dg in the biblical PNs GAD, Gaddi, and Gaddiel and Ugaritic gd in the PN *ngrgd, “Wish/oath of (the god of) Fortune/Luck” (Gröndahl, 32). Cp. also the Amorite PNs with gyd (CAAA, p. 299, under gjd). AMGID could thus mean “people of fortune”

Cf. The Ur III PN AB.BAgada (GOA, 225), where the first element appears to be Akkadian abum, “father” (GOA, 9) (JAT).

In addition to the name listed above, for the element ʿm in HEBREW PNs, cf. HEBREW seal with *ʿamnôn (HWN in SC 195). Other Semitic languages also have the element ʿm in PNs. E.g., in ESA we have Qatabanian ʾwsʿm, y šrʿm, nbt.ʿm and ys.rʿm (ANET 668:2), plus the DN ʿm (ANET 668:1, 2; 669:1), Hadrami ʿmdhr (ANET 670:2), and Minaean ʿmkrb (cf. ʾbkrb) (ANET 666:2) and ʿmsmy (ANET 667:2) (JAT).