ZENEPHI

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Lehite PN 1. Apparently a renegade general, ca. 400 AD (Moroni 9:16)

Etymology

Possibly a hybrid Hebrew-Egyptian name *ze-nfy, "The One of Nephi," beginning with the Hebrew demonstrative ze-, and adding ancient EGYPTIAN nfy "captain; sailor; wind," or EGYPTIAN nf(r) "beautiful, good."[1] Cf. Hebrew Ze-Sînay "The One of Sinai," as treated by Albright (epithet of Jehovah at Judges 5:5),[2] Lihyanite Ḏ-ʿmn, Ḏ-rḥmh, Ḏ-mslmh, Ḏ-blʹ, and Thamudic Ḏû-baraq "The One of Lightning."[3]

Val Sederholm sugests EGYPTIAN Z3-Nfy "Son of Nephi" (RFS).

Another possibility is the nisbe form of ZENIFF, i.e., hypothetical Hebrew gentilic ṣenipî "tiaraed, crowned, enwrapped (with turban)," a derivation from Hebrew ṣanif, miṣnefet "tiara, turban," worn by men (Job 29:14), such as the high priest (Leviticus 16:4, Zechariah 3:5), or by women (Isaiah 3:23||2 Nephi 13:23).

Cf. Book of Mormon NEPHI, LEHINEPHI, NEPHIHAH, et al., also ZENIFF n Variants

Deseret Alphabet: 𐐞𐐀𐐤𐐀𐐙𐐌 (zinifaɪ)

Bibliography

Albright, William F. From the Stone Age to Christianity: Monotheism and the Historical Process, 1st ed. Baltimore: John Hopkins, 1940; 2nd ed. Baltimore: John Hopkins/Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1957/reprint Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2003. FSAC

Al-Ansary, A.R. "Lihyanite Personal Names: A Comparative Study," ALUOS 7 (1969-73):5-16.

Muchiki, Yoshiyuki. Egyptian Proper Names and Loanwords in North-West Semitic, SBL Dissertation Series 173. Atlanta: SBL, 1999.

Notes


  1. Y. Muchiki, Egyptian Proper Names and Loanwords in NW Semitic, 77, 231.
  2. Albright, FSAC, 1st ed., 199, and Albright, BASOR, 62 (Apr 1936):26-31, citing H. Grimme.
  3. A.R. Al-Ansary, "Lihyanite Personal Names: A Comparative Study," ALUOS, 7 (1969-73):6, 8, 10, 12-13.