The Ancient Meaning Behind Book of Mormon Names

Are the names in the Book of Mormon ancient or invented? Names like Alma, Nephi, Abish, and Paanchi have been dismissed by critics as fictional — but what does the scholarship actually say? In this episode of Informed Saints, we sit down with Professor Matthew L. Bowen at BYU–Hawaii to explore the fascinating world of Book of Mormon onomastics (the study of names). Prof. Bowen reveals how names like Alma are attested as ancient male Semitic names, how Nephi derives from the Egyptian word "nefer" meaning "good" or "fair," and how the Book of Mormon authors appear to deliberately play on the meanings of these names throughout the text. ===Informed Saints Credits=== Produced by The Ancient America Foundation Producer: Spencer Clark Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye Chapters: 0:00 Intro - Background of Matthew Bowen 4:30 Published works on scriptural names 10:00 The name “Alma” 15:58 The depth of the BoM 19:05 The name “Abish” 24:29 The names “Pahoran,” “Paanchi⁠,” & “Pacumeni” 28:24 The name “Nephi” 35:34 The name “Benjamin” & the 116 lost pages 39:45 The name “Enos” 44:45 The names “Jershon” & “Zarahemla” 48:38 Conclusion - Keep learning Further Readings: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/s... https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/insig... https://scripturecentral.org/archive/... https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/v... https://interpreterfoundation.org/jou... https://interpreterfoundation.org/jou... https://interpreterfoundation.org/jou... https://interpreterfoundation.org/con... https://interpreterfoundation.org/jou... https://interpreterfoundation.org/jou... https://www.learner.org/series/art-th... https://smarthistory.org/yaxchilan-li... https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-19-no-1-2018/... https://interpreterfoundation.org/jou... https://scripturecentral.org/knowhy/w... https://interpreterfoundation.org/jou... https://interpreterfoundation.org/jou... https://interpreterfoundation.org/jou... https://scripturecentral.org/archive/... https://interpreterfoundation.org/jou... https://interpreterfoundation.org/jou... https://scripturecentral.org/knowhy/w... Prof. Bowen is the author of "Name as Key-Word" and "Ancient Names in the Book of Mormon" (Interpreter Foundation) and a contributor to the Routledge volume "Perspectives on Latter-day Saint Names and Naming." Subscribe for more deep dives into Book of Mormon scholarship! ===Discover=== If any of our thoughts resonated with you, consider learning more about the single most influential book in our lives. https://www.discoverbookofmormon.org/ ===Content Disclaimer=== The views expressed represent ours alone and do not necessarily reflect the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. #BookofMormon #InformedSaints #LDS #BookofMormonNames #MattBowen #BYUHawaii #BookofMormonScholarship #Onomastics #AncientNames #Nephi #Alma #Abish #LatterDaySaints #FaithAndScholarship #BookofMormonEvidence #HebrewNames #EgyptianNames #Paranomasia #BiblicalStudies #AncientNearEast