The Etymology of Zeniff

Book of Mormon

I’ve recently taken an interest in the story of Zeniff and his people, as found in the book of Mosiah (in the Book of Mormon). Because I wanted to find out as much as possible about the man Zeniff, I naturally took a gander into the etymology of his name…

And I thought what I found was pretty cool.

The name Zeniff may derive from the ancient Egyptian word znf, which means “blood” or “to bleed.” The conventional anglicization of the word is spelled zenef, which is remarkably close to the name of our Book of Mormon hero! Here’s what it looks like in hieroglyphics, according to Wikipedia, in case you wanted to know:

The reason for this peculiar name becomes clear once we read Zeniff’s own introduction to his own account.

He relates how due to his knowledge of the land of Nephi, he began a career of espionage against the Lamanites. 

One particular time, he, with an army of men, scoped out the land of Nephi hoping to find a weakness in the Lamanite lands to attack. But after seeing the good in the Lamanites, Zeniff refused to take a hand in their slaughter. Here are his own words from Mosiah 9:

…but when I saw that which was good among them [the Lamanites] I was desirous that they should not be destroyed.

2 Therefore, I contended with my brethren in the wilderness, for I would that our ruler should make a treaty with them; but he being an austere and a blood-thirsty man commanded that I should be slain; but I was rescued by the shedding of much blood; for father fought against father, and brother against brother, until the greater number of our army was destroyed in the wilderness; and we returned, those of us that were spared, to the land of Zarahemla, to relate that tale to their wives and their children.

Zeniff himself points out in his own intro that the mercy he felt toward the Lamanites resulted in a most tragic loss of “much blood” among his own people.

And this is probably why his name means “blood”– because ever after this event, his reputation was that of the man that had caused a bloodbath. 

Even Amaleki didn’t write down Zeniff’s name, but knew that the man had caused a great slaughter. 

Amaleki was the last writer in the Book of Omni, and this is what he wrote about Zeniff’s ordeal in the wilderness:

27 And now I would speak somewhat concerning a certain number who went up into the wilderness to return to the land of Nephi; for there was a large number who were desirous to possess the land of their inheritance.

28 Wherefore, they went up into the wilderness. And their leader being a strong and mighty man, and a stiffnecked man, wherefore he caused a contention among them; and they were all slain, save fifty, in the wilderness, and they returned again to the land of Zarahemla.

29 And it came to pass that they also took others to a considerable number, and took their journey again into the wilderness.

30 And I, Amaleki, had a brother, who also went with them; and I have not since known concerning them.

Interestingly, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the “strong and mighty” leader Amaleki referred to—the one that caused the contention in the wilderness—was not the austere and bloodthirsty man who initially led the army, but was Zeniff himself. If you remember, ZENIFF was the one that caused the contention outside the land of Nephi. Read his own words again:

“I contended with my brethren in the wilderness…”

Does this make Zeniff a bad guy? No. From what we know, his intentions were sincere and righteous—to not kill, as the Lord had commanded (see Exodus 20:13). The tragedy is that he was trying to spare life, but his efforts resulted in many other lives being lost.

After this unfortunate episode, he led another, yet peaceful expedition up to the land of Nephi, where he was given the land of Shilom and the city Lehi-Nephi (which I have written about here). There he was eventually forced to take up the sword against the Lamanites to defend his own people. But when this happened, he recognized that his army only won because they had the strength of God with them (see Mosiah 9).

Once again, Zeniff, the pacifist, found himself in a situation of excessive bloodshed, reluctantly leading his people into battle. And then, several years later, he had to do it again when the “blood-thirsty” Lamanites returned for a fight (see Mosiah 10, especially verse 12).

As much as he wanted peace, his life was sadly full of blood. He couldn’t seem to escape it for very long.

And that’s why I think his name is ancient Egyptian for “blood”: zenef

I, being the amateur etymologist that I am, always find most compelling the etymologies that accurately describe the person and offer insights into his life.

This etymology should be strongly considered because it actually describes something from Zeniff’s story. He went down in Nephite history as the man that caused a bloody contention among his own people, so he was named in a way to reflect that. I guess Joseph Smith just guessed an ancient Egyptian word and got it right?

Here are some more of my posts on etymology:

Sources and Notes

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