Keywords
nickname, Book of Mormon, Zeezrom, Jershon, dysphemisms
Abstract
Nicknames and Dysphemisms in the Bible and Ancient Mediterranean Even in the Bible, nicknames and dysphemisms— expressions whose connotations may be offensive to the hearer—are not rare and were equally so in other parts of the ancient and early medieval world. In 1 Samuel the ungenerous husband of Abigail rudely refused hospitality to the men of David, greatly angering them. David and his men were so incensed at his offense against the laws of hospitality that they intended to punish him for his boorish behavior before they were dissuaded from their plan by Abigail (1 Samuel 25:1-35). Shortly thereafter the husband died suddenly and mysteriously (1 Samuel 25:36-37). To all subsequent history his name was given as “Nabal,” which means either “churl” or “fool,”1 a rather harsh nickname that might also shade off to a dysphemism.
Recommended Citation
Ricks, Stephen D.
(2014)
"A Nickname and a Slam Dunk: Notes on the Book of Mormon Names Zeezrom and Jershon,"
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship: Vol. 8, Article 15.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/interpreter/vol8/iss1/15
