And
it came to pass that we did come to the city of Angola, and we did take
possession of the city, and make preparations to defend ourselves against the
Lamanites. And it came to pass that we did fortify the city with our might; but
notwithstanding all our fortifications the Lamanites did come upon us and did
drive us out of the city. (Mormon 2:4)
According to ex-LDS critic Richard Packham, “Angola” is Greek in origin, and, in his view, represents an anachronism in the Book of Mormon:
If
you look through the list of names in the pronunciation guide which the church
includes in every Book of Mormon, you will find other names in the Book of
Mormon that are Greek, and therefore anachronistic: . . . Angola - city name at
Mormon 2:4 - Greek 'angelos', meaning "angel" (Richard Packham, A LINGUIST LOOKS AT MORMONISM Notes
on linguistics problems in Mormonism)
However, this is not necessarily the case; "Angola" has a plausible Semitic or Egyptian etymology:
ANGOLA is the name of a Nephite city. if the name
is from a Hebrew root, it may be a combination of words, since the Hebrew
letter nun in contact with any other consonant within a word would make
it subject to “regressive/anticipatory assimilation” (i.e., ng or gn
becomes gg). Thus, the name may derive from the Hebrew ‘ayn,
“spring, well,” and a word from the Hebrew/Semitic root √glh, “to uncover,
reveal; to emigrate, to into exile,” or gll, with the basic meaning of
“to roll, roll away (a rock or stone).” A combination of ‘ayn plus a
form of either of the roots may generate the names “rock spring,” “emigration,
exile spring.” An Egyptian etymology is also possible, as if one from an
indigenous language. (“Angola,” in 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: Interpreter Foundation; Salt Lake
City: Eborn Books, 2022], 46)
