What "Sariah" and "Moroni" Actually Mean: Insights into Book of Mormon Names

Keywords

Hebrew name meanings, biblical symbolism, Book of Mormon authenticity

Abstract

Old Testament writers used the meanings of names to help people remember the key idea of a story.

When the first man Adam is introduced in Genesis 2:7, the scripture reads, “And the Lord God formed man [adam] of the dust of the ground [adama].” Adam’s name is related to the Hebrew word adama, which means “ground, earth, dirt, or dust.” Adam’s name reminds us that God created us all from the dust of the earth [adama]. And just as the dust of the earth [adama] obeys the voice of its Maker, so should we.

The first woman was Eve. Her Hebrew name means “life.” Adam identifies the meaning of her name as a main idea of the story in Genesis 3:20, “And Adam called his wife’s name Eve [havva]; because she was the mother of all living [hai].” As the first woman, we appropriately honor Eve [havva] for being the mother of all living [hai] children of God.

This Old Testament pattern of using the name of an individual to teach a key idea was continued by Nephi and other Book of Mormon writers—a fact we see as compelling evidence for the authenticity of the Book of Mormon.

Original Publication Citation

What “Sariah” and “Moroni” Actually Mean: Insights into Book of Mormon Names, Taylor Halverson and Brad Wilcox, LDS Living, February 6, 2017.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2017

Publisher

LDS Living

Language

English

College

Marriott School of Business

Department

Marketing

University Standing at Time of Publication

Associate Professor

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