According to the
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude ...
, Sariah () was the wife of
Lehi, and the mother of
Laman
In the Book of Mormon, Laman and Lemuel () are the two eldest sons of Lehi and the older brothers of Sam, Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph. According to the text, they lived around 600 BC. They were notable for their rebellion against Lehi and Nephi, be ...
,
Lemuel Lemuel is a Hebrew name, meaning "devoted to God", which may refer to:
In religion
* Lemuel (biblical king), mentioned in the Book of Proverbs, Chapter 31
* Lemuel (Book of Mormon), the second eldest of Lehi's sons and the brother of Laman, Sam, ...
,
Sam, and
Nephi. The Book of Mormon also mentions
Jacob
Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam ...
, and
Joseph
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the m ...
, two additional sons born to Lehi after his departure from Jerusalem, but does not explicitly name Sariah as their mother, though no other wife of Lehi is ever named. She traveled with her husband from Jerusalem, into the wilderness, and eventually, across the ocean to the "promised land" (the
Americas). She is perhaps best known for the story in
First Nephi where she complains against her husband for sending her sons back to Jerusalem. She becomes convinced that they have perished in the desert, but is overjoyed upon their eventual return. In Lehi's vision of the tree of life, Sariah eats the precious fruit, symbolizing that she is righteous and will be saved.
Family tree
As the wife of Lehi, and the mother of Nephi and Laman (who went on to establish the nations of the
Nephites
According to the Book of Mormon, the Nephites () are one of four groups (along with the Lamanites, Jaredites, and Mulekites) to have settled in the ancient Americas. The term is used throughout the Book of Mormon to describe the religious, ...
and the
Lamanites
The Lamanites () are one of the four ancient peoples (along with the Jaredites, the Mulekites, and the Nephites) described as having settled in the ancient Americas in the Book of Mormon, a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement. The Laman ...
), Sariah can be considered one of the principal ancestors of the ''Book of Mormon'' people. Her immediate family is shown in the diagram below.
Etymology
Among
LDS linguists
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...
, prevalent consensus of the reading of the name "Sariah" is שׂריה ''Śaryāh'' ("princess of
Jehovah
Jehovah () is a Latinization of the Hebrew , one vocalization of the Tetragrammaton (YHWH), the proper name of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. The Tetragrammaton is considered one of the seven names of God in Judais ...
"), and an alternative voicing of the name
Seraiah.
References
Book of Mormon people
Mormonism and women
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