Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Taylor Halverson on Potential Wordplay on “Abinadi” in the Book of Mormon



Abinadi is possibly formed form two Hebrew words: abi, “my father,” and nadi, “to wander, show grief.” Combining these two words may yield the name-phrase “my father wanders” or “my father shows grief.”

In essence, Abinadi’s name may suggest that he came from a priestly or prophetic class that were “wanderers,” perhaps because the wicked did not want to hear their message and so they were cast out of society. Or it may suggest the idea that God the Father shows grief over the wickedness of the people. If these meanings are correct, Abinadi’s name contributes to the context of the story while providing additional witness of the divine purpose of his message. (Taylor Halverson, The Book of Mormon: Scriptural Insights and Commentary [American Fork, Utah: Covenant Communications, Inc., 2019], 127-28, emphasis in bold added)