Saturday, July 19, 2025

Robert F. Smith's Proposal for the Etymology of Korihor

 Source:

Robert F. Smith, “Who was Korihor in the Book of Mormon, and why are his teachings considered to be against the gospel of Jesus Christ?,” July 18, 2025, Quora.com

 

Korihor (Corihor) may originally be from hypothetical Sumerian *kur2-ḫur “Inscribed-Enemy,” as a homonymous personal-name — based on Sumerian kur, kur₂, ku-ra, gur “‘enemy’, be different; to change; deny, dispute; remove; strange, hostile.”[1] But perhaps reinterpreted metonymously as Sumerian Kiri-ḫur “Scratch-nose,” a cultural sign of submission (= Akkadian labānu ša appi "to stroke the nose [as gesture of submission]"),[2] since he did submit to the truth in the end.

 

[1] ePSD2, http://oracc.org/epsd2/o0032638

 

[2] ePSD2, http://oracc.org/epsd2/o0032210