What’s in a Name? Playing in the Onomastic Sandbox

There are 3 thoughts on “What’s in a Name? Playing in the Onomastic Sandbox”.

1. Kevin Barney may be right – “goodly just means ‘good’.” There is an apocryphal story attributed to Sigmund Freud where he said, “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.” The “goodly” issue may never be settled by man’s understanding, so it leaves the door open for many opinions, mine included.
   Regarding the adjective Nephi used to describe his parents as “goodly”, might the word “notable”, as in “well-known or respected,” be a plausible description? In the Book of Mormon, Amulek used an introduction to establish himself with the people of Ammonihah as one to be reckoned with by first citing his genealogy as a true Nephite of the tribe of Manasseh, then adding, “…I am a man of no small reputation….” Thus, he established his prominence to gain the ear of his audience, whereas a common man, one of the faceless masses, might not have garnered the same attention. Might Nephi have used a similar claim to establish his authority as a descendant of Joseph, and from a well-known and respected family? Somewhere in the hidden vaults of my mind I seem to recall Hugh Nibley saying this was a common practice among some ancient writers.

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2. There is much more info on the meaning of BOM names at: https://www.academia.edu/33040136/SUMERIAN_ROOTS_of_JAREDITE-DERIVED_NAMES_and_TERMINOLOGY_in_the_BOOK_of_MORMON_published_version_

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