Sam (Book of Mormon)

In the Book of Mormon, Sam (/sæm/[1]) was the third son of Lehi, and elder brother to the prophet Nephi. Early in the Book of Mormon narrative, Nephi confided in Sam.[2] Lehi saw Sam in his vision of the tree of life, noting that he ate the precious fruit, symbolizing the righteousness of Sam, and that he would be saved.[3] Upon the death of Lehi, Sam followed his brother Nephi in the establishment of the Nephites.[4]

Among LDS linguists, the leading (unofficial) theory of the origin of the name "Sam"[5] is that it is most likely a Hebrew dialectal form of "Shem".[6]

Family

 
Lehi
 
Sariah
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Laman
 
Lemuel
 
Sam
 
Nephi
 
Jacob
 
Joseph

References

  1. ↑ LDS.org: "Book of Mormon Pronunciation Guide" (retrieved 2012-02-25), IPA-ified from «săm»
  2. ↑ 1 Nephi 2:17
  3. ↑ 1 Nephi 8
  4. ↑ 2 Nephi 5:6
  5. ↑ Johnson, Peter (2009). "Lehi and Local Color". Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  6. ↑ Bomhard, Allen R.; Kerns, John C. (1994). "2.10. The Proto-Afroasiatic Consonant System". The Nosratic macrofamily: a study in distant linguistic relationship. Trends in Linguistics: Studies and Monographs 74. Berlin; New York: De Gruyter Mouton. p. 102. ISBN 3-11-013900-6.

Further reading