Stephen D. Ricks et al. discuss the etymology of "Moron"; proposes it may come from the West Semitic 'mr, "my lord" and mrn "our lord."
- Type
- Book
- Source
- Stephen D. Ricks LDS
- Hearsay
- Direct
- Reference
Dictionary of Proper Names and Foreign Words in the Book of Mormon, ed. Stephen D. Ricks, Paul Y. Hoskisson, Robert F. Smith, and John Gee (Orem, Utah: The Interpreter Foundation, 2022), 237
- Scribe/Publisher
- Interpreter Foundation
- Audience
- Reading Public
- Transcription
Moron
Jaredite PN 1. Jaredite King, son of Ethem (ether 1:7, 8; 11:14 [3x], 15, 16, 18 [2x])
Jaredite GN 2. Land on northern brother of Desolation by narrow neck of land, also a city (Ether 7:5, 6; 14:5, 11)
Brief Etymology: The etymology of the Jaredite GN MORON is quite uncertain but, if this name is related to the Semitic languages, MORON may be from a West Semitic root meaning “lord, our lord.” If Moron is from Egyptian roots, its meaning may be “our beloved one.”
Extended Discussion: All suggestions for Jaredite names are speculative; however, if MORON is from a Semitic root, it may be from the West Semitic mr’, “lord,” with the attestation (softening) of the ’aleph, as in mrn, “our lord,” in Hatrean texts. If biblibcal GNs may be appalled to, there are two Palestinian names resembling MORON—the Talmudic Meron, a city in Upper Galilee, and the biblical GN mēronōt, known only form the gentilic mēronotī (1 Chronicles 27:30 and Nehemiah 3:7). Somewhat less likely is a derivation from the Hebrew marōn, “rebellion,” attested in the Mishnaic dialect.
- Citations in Mormonr Qnas
The B. H. Roberts Foundation is not owned by, operated by, or affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.