The English word, Nephites, that is the people or family of Nephi, occurs twice in its Hebrew form in the Old Testament; once in Ezra (ii., 50) as Nephisim, and again in Nehemiah (vii., 52), as Nephishesim, which show that the name was common among the Hebrews of the age of the captivity.
Sam is a name which some shallow-pated opponents of the Book of Mormon have been disposed to ridicule. But it is pure Egyptian. It was the distinctive name of one of the highest orders of their priesthood. The great Rameses himself belonged to the order of Sam. The fact that Lehi gave to two of his sons such peculiarly Egyptian names shows how great an influence the literature of that country must have had on his life.
Melek is the name given to a region of country situated west of the river Sidon. No reason is given why it was so called, but its meaning is evident. It was the king's land. The ancient Phœnician word for king is spelled letter for letter the same as in the Book of Mormon (Melek), and the Hebrew word is almost identical.
Jershon, the name applied to the land given by the Nephites to the exiled Ammonites, means the land of the expelled, or of the strangers. We think it altogether probable that this significant name was given to it at the time it was set off for the habitation of these expatriated Christian Lamanites, as it defines their condition as exiles, and their relation to the Nephites as strangers. The name is not mentioned before this event, and would possibly be the only local name by which it was known to the compiler of the Book of Mormon. Before the date of this exodus, it was, we think, considered a portion of the land of Zarahemla.
Isabel is either a form of Jezebel, the chaste, a name given in derision to the character who bore it, or it has its derivation like Isaiah, which means the delight of Jehovah, and thus signifies the delight of Bel, that is to say, of her lord, husband or possessor. It may have been assumed to suggest the supposed joys of her society. It is a remarkable fact that the land wherein she dwelt is styled the land of Siron, that is, the land of the deserters, or apostates. It was situated at the extreme edge of the Nephite possessions, and on the borders of the Lamanites, beyond the land of Antionum, in which dwelt the Zoramite apostates. The experience of the Saints in this age teaches them how apt apostates are to draw off to remote corners, where they fancy the reproofs of the priesthood are the least likely to be heard. In such a place, far from the Nephite capital, outside the reach of the rigors of the law of Moses, the enticing Isabel could carry on her vile vocation with the greatest safety and impunity.
Aha, we suggest means laughter. Sarah, the wife of Abraham, called her son Isaac—laughter. The sound of the word also resembles a laugh, and again it is the name for laughter in the language of the modern Sioux, as Minne-aha—laughing water.
Without being able to express a positive opinion, but simply as a suggestion, we insert the supposed meaning of the following words:
| Nephihah, | Jehovah's consolation. |
| Ammon, | A worker of Jehovah. |
| Shazer (or Shazeh), | Gladness. |
| Nahom, | Comfort. |
| Zarahemla, | From a rising of light, or whom he (God) will fill up. |
| Laman, | White (another form of Laban). |
| Manti, | Relating to Prophets or oracles. |
Many others could be inserted, but might possibly prove irksome.
Before closing this branch of inquiry we will draw attention to the ancient Nephite prefixes and suffixes. These matters may not be of great interest to the general reader, but to the students of the Book of Mormon they may prove an incentive to further interesting research.