This is just a short note about a common element in the names of four Book of Mormon figures:
- Riplakish
- Akish
- Kish
- Kishkumen
Here is a brief sketch of each of these figures:
- Riplakish is a wicked Jaredite king (see Ether 10:4-9) akin to Noah (in fact, his story likely intentionally mirrors the story of King Mosiah. See here and here.)
- Akish was part of the original Jaredite secret combination (see Ether 8:11-15).
- Kish is a Jaredite king about whom we learn almost nothing else (see Ether 10:17-18).
- Kishkumen is the founder of the Gadianton robbers (see Helaman 1:9-12).
Of those, I find it intriguing that Akish and Kishkumen introduce secret combination to their respective peoples.
The Book of Mormon Onomasticon suggests a few speculative possibilities for the meaning of the name element "Kish" though extreme caution is advisable when it comes to Jaredite names meanings (since we don't have a great understanding of the relationship between the Jaredites and other ancient near eastern cultures.
Here is one possibility I find interesting for Akish:
The HEBREW PN Ikkesh ... is from the HEBREW root ʿqš, "twist, pervert" (RFS & JAT) and would be a very acceptable name for a wilderness (RFS).
There is probably no reliable way to know for certain, but it is a good fit. Secret combinations pervert the right way of the Lord and bring down two civilizations within the Book of Mormon.
