Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Wordplay on the name, Jared

We have seen multiple examples of wordplays in the Book of Mormon, especially on names since they have retained their Hebrew form. One I was just made aware of is Jared. In Hebrew it means 'go down' or 'descend'. There are multiple examples of puns related to his name. Figuratively, Jared and his brother came down from the Tower of Babel, where the people had tried to elevate themselves (see related post on "lifted up" here). What follows is a lot of descriptions of Jared and his brother going down.

Ether 1:40-42
And it came to pass that the Lord did hear the brother of Jared, and had compassion upon him, and said unto him...And when thou hast done this thou shalt go at the head of them down into the valley
 Ether 2:1
And it came to pass that Jared and his brother, and their families, and also the friends of Jared and his brother and their families, went down into the valley
Ether 2:4
And it came to pass that when they had come down into the valley of Nimrod
Ether 4:1
And the Lord commanded the brother of Jared to go down out of the mount
Ether 6:2
the brother of Jared came down out of the Mount, 
Ether 6:19
And the brother of Jared began to be old, and saw that he must soon go down to the grave
Most of the time, it is the brother of Jared doing these things. But interestingly, his name is omitted and the name, Jared, has been used instead enabling the creation of these puns.

Hat tip: Bradley J. Kramer