BENJAMIN

Lehite PN

1.

Son of MOSIAH I, prophet-king in ZARAHEMLA, ca. 200–121 BC (Omni 1:23; Helaman 5:9)

For the etymology see the standard biblical commentaries.

Notes

If the usual etymology (Footnote 1) of Benjamin as bin yāmīn, “son of the right (hand),” is accepted, and given the fact that the Hebrew Bible contains many puns and plays on words, then two possible play on words appear in close proximity in King BENJAMIN’s speech: “Ye shall be called the children of Christ [ possibly = Hebrew benē ham-mešîaḥ, with a near homonym to MOSIAH’s name], his sons, and his daughters” (Mosiah 5:7) The second play on words occurs with King BENJAMIN's name: “whosoever doeth this shall be found at the right hand of God [bîmîn 'elohîm] (Mosiah 5:9) (RFS). However, if a Hebrew Vorlage for “at the right hand” is assumed, then bîmīn may not be the correct form. Note that in Psalms 109:31, “at the right hand” is written lîmîn, not bîmîn. In Ezekiel 21:22 (21:27 in Hebrew), “At his right hand” is bîmînô. And in Zechariah 3:1, “at his right hand” is ʿal-yĕmînô.

Footnote 1: Besides the usual etymology, "Son of the right (hand)," the other common etymology is "Son of the South."