Evidence #484 | March 5, 2025
Book of Mormon Evidence: Wordplay on Jerusalem
Post contributed by
Scripture Central
Abstract
Abinadi’s description of Christ as the “founder of peace” appears to be an intentional wordplay on the name Jerusalem.When the prophet Abinadi stood before King Noah and his court, one of Noah’s priests asked him to explain the meaning of several passages from Isaiah (Mosiah 12:21–24; cf. Isaiah 52:7–10). A few chapters later, Abinadi directly addressed the meaning of these verses (Mosiah 15:14–31). Not only did he requote the passages given by the priest, but he provided an expansive commentary, weaving in new details while drawing on additional passages in Isaiah 52. In the process, he appears to have invoked a wordplay on the name Jerusalem.
The Theme of Jerusalem in Isaiah 52
To understand this proposed pun, it may first be helpful to trace the presence of Jerusalem in Isaiah 52, which opens up right away with a prophecy about the holy city: “Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion” (Isaiah 52:1–2). The theme of Jerusalem is then picked up again in Isaiah 52:7–10 (the specific verses quoted by the priest in Mosiah 12:21–24):
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
Thus, rather than being an incidental detail, Jerusalem can be viewed as a central theme in this chapter as well as a key element in the specific passages quoted by Noah’s priest. Ultimately, the city serves as a symbol of the Lord’s people and their connection to the sacred site of the temple. One might also notice that “Jerusalem” and “Zion” are used interchangeably by Isaiah.
The Etymology of Jerusalem
According to Philip King, “The name ‘Jerusalem’ (Heb yĕrûšālayim) is of uncertain etymology, although it is apparently of [West] Semitic (Canaanite) origin. It appears to be composed of two elements: yrw “to establish” and šlm, the name of the [West] Semitic god Shalem, patron of the city. The meaning may be ‘foundation of (the god) Shalem’ mentioned in a mythological text from Ugarit.”1 Similarly, Michael Avi-Yonah has written:
It seems that the original name was Irusalem, and the meaning of the two words composing it is “to found” (“yarah”) and the name of the West Semitic god Shulmanu, or Shalim. The god may have been considered the patron of the city, which had a sanctuary in his honor. The popular later midrashic explanation of the name Jerusalem as “foundation of peace (shalom)” is associated with the poetic appellations given to the city.2
Jerusalem and Peace
Considering that the traditional midrashic understanding of Jerusalem involves the concept of peace, it is notable that Isaiah brings up “peace” and “Zion” together in Isaiah 52:7: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” (Isaiah 52:7). Since “Zion” is mentioned again in verse 8 and “Jerusalem” is mentioned twice in verse 9, it is possible that Isaiah’s mention of “peace” in verse 7 is playing off of the final component (šlm) in the name Jerusalem.3
Yet a much stronger case for intentional wordplay on this linguistic element can be found in Abinadi’s commentary. Building on the imagery in Isaiah 52:7, Abinadi repeatedly emphasized the “peace” that has and will come to the Lord’s people:
- “And these are they who have published peace, who have brought good tidings of good, who have published salvation; and said unto Zion: Thy God reigneth!” (Mosiah 15:14)
- “And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that are still publishing peace!” (Mosiah 15:16)
- “And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who shall hereafter publish peace, yea, from this time henceforth and forever!” (Mosiah 15:17)
- “For O how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that is the founder of peace” (Mosiah 15:18)
The fact that the associated chapter in Isaiah is largely about Jerusalem and its redemption makes the repetition of this key word quite conspicuous.
Jerusalem and the Founder of Peace
If this emphasis on peace weren’t enough, Abinadi’s unique description of Jesus Christ as the “founder of peace” in Mosiah 15:18 strengthens the case considerably: “For O how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that is the founder of peace, yea, even the Lord, who has redeemed his people.” This phrase is remarkable because Jerusalem is comprised of compound linguistic elements that convey this very meaning in Hebrew: yrw (“to found”) + šlm (“peace”).
It should also be remembered that the first half of Mosiah 15:18 intertextually corresponds with Isaiah 52:7, which directly mentions Zion (a synonym for Jerusalem). This Zion/Jerusalem relationship can be more easily seen when these passages are compared side by side:
Isaiah 52 | Mosiah 15 |
7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! | 18 And behold, I say unto you, this is not all. For O how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that is the founder of peace, yea, even the Lord, who has redeemed his people; yea, him who has granted salvation unto his people; |
Jerusalem and Mountains
The discussion of mountains (“O how beautiful upon the mountains”) in these corresponding passages only amplifies the connection, since Jerusalem was a city set on a hill or mountain top.4 As described in Zechariah 8:3, “Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the Lord of hosts the holy mountain.” Likewise, in Micah 4:2 we read, “And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”
Jerusalem and the Redemption of God’s People
Another clue that “founder of peace” in Mosiah 15:18 is specifically alluding to Jerusalem comes from Abinadi’s nearby use of the phrase “redeemed his people”: “For O how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that is the founder of peace, yea, even the Lord, who has redeemed his people.” This is significant because the concepts of redemption and the Lord’s people turn up repeatedly in connection with Jerusalem in Isaiah 52.5 Examples are shown in the chart below for comparison:
Isaiah 52 | Mosiah 15 |
2–4 Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion. For thus saith the Lord, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money. For thus saith the Lord God, My people … 9 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem | 18 And behold, I say unto you, this is not all. For O how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that is the founder of peace, yea, even the Lord, who has redeemed his people; yea, him who has granted salvation unto his people |
Conclusion
When the textual data is looked at altogether, the punning involving Jerusalem in Mosiah 15 can be seen as multi-layered. First, the theme of Jerusalem/Zion in Isaiah 52 is strongly pronounced, providing a reason for Abinadi to draw attention to this concept in his commentary. Second, Abinadi latched onto the element of “peace” in Isaiah 52:7, corresponding to šlm (“peace”) in the name Jerusalem, and repeatedly emphasized it. Third, Abinadi’s final repetition of peace utilized the phrase “founder of peace,” which corresponds to both linguistic elements in Jerusalem: yrw (“to found”) + šlm (“peace”). Fourth, several immediate intertextual clues—involving Zion, mountain imagery, and the redemption of God’s people—demonstrate that the city of Jerusalem is exceptionally relevant to Mosiah 15:18, where the phrase “founder of peace” is located.
It should also be pointed out that the phrase “founder of peace” doesn’t turn up anywhere in Isaiah 52. In fact, Mosiah 15:18 happens to be the only location in the entire scriptural canon where this phrase can be located.6 Its unique presence in Abinadi’s commentary ensures Joseph Smith wasn’t simply borrowing this phrase from Isaiah’s writings or any other scriptural text. Instead, it looks very much like an original wordplay crafted by an author familiar with the Hebrew linguistic elements present in the name Jerusalem. Since Joseph Smith likely wasn’t familiar with Hebrew or biblical wordplay in 1829, these details strengthen the case for the Book of Mormon’s ancient origins and miraculous translation.7
Book of Mormon Central, “Why Would Noah’s Priests Quiz Abinadi on Isaiah?” KnoWhy 89 (April 21, 2017).
Daniel L. Belnap, “The Abinadi Narrative, Redemption, and the Struggle for Nephite Identity,” Abinadi: He Came Among Them in Disguise, ed. Shon Hopkin (Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University and Deseret Book, 2018), 27–66.
Frank F. Judd, Jr., “Conflicting Interpretations of Isaiah in Abinadi’s trail,” in Abinadi: He Came Among Them in Disguise, ed. Shon Hopkin (Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University and Deseret Book, 2018), 67–90.
Dana M. Pike, “‘How Beautiful upon the Mountains’: The Imagery of Isaiah 52:7–10 and Its Occurrences in the Book of Mormon,” in Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, ed. Dana M. Pike, Donald W. Parry, and John W. Welch (FARMS, 1998), 249–291.
Bible
Book of Mormon
- 1. Philip J. King, “Jerusalem,” in Anchor Bible Dictionary, ed. David Noel Freedman (Doubleday, 1992), 3:751; F. Brown, S. Driver, and C. Briggs, eds., The Brown-Driver-Briggs English Lexicon (Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1906), 436.
- 2. Michael Avi-Yonah, “Jerusalem,” Encyclopaedia Judaica, ed. Fred Skolnik and Michael Berenbaum (Keter Publishing House, 1996), 1379.
- 3. Even if the meaning of šlm in the name Jerusalem didn’t originally derive from the Hebrew concept of peace, the name of the city certainly evokes that idea in Hebrew and is therefore valid grounds for wordplay.
- 4. See Scripture Central, “Book of Mormon Evidence: Jerusalem’s Elevation,” Evidence 72 (September 19, 2020).
- 5. For instances of “redeemed,” see Isaiah 52:3, 9. For descriptions of the Lord’s “people,” see Isaiah 52:4–6, 9. One should note that Mosiah 15 repeatedly invokes the theme of redemption and makes reference to the Lord’s people, suggesting Abinadi was intimately aware of these concepts in Isaiah 52. See Mosiah 15: 1, 5, 9, 11–12, 18–19, 23–24, 26–28, 30.
- 6. This claim was verified using WordCruncher.
- 7. Joseph Smith didn’t begin his study of Hebrew until 1835. See Matthew J. Grey, “‘The Word of the Lord in the Original’: Joseph Smith’s Study of Hebrew in Kirtland,” in Approaching Antiquity: Joseph Smith and the Ancient World, ed. Lincoln H. Blumell, Matthew J. Grey, and Andrew H. Hedges (Religious Studies Center; Deseret Book, 2015), 249–302.