BOM Mosiah 8

Two brief observations about today’s reading, Mosiah 8:

First, Mosiah is a book in which several different groups are traveling here and there, and several stories interweave, overlap, divide, and rejoin.  The story of the party sent out to find the land of Zarahemla, but that stumbles upon the remains (and the records) of the Jaredites, is one of these.  I say it again:  Mosiah is quite remarkably complex.

Second, I notice the reference to “wisdom” in verse twenty:  “they will not seek wisdom, neither do they desire that she should rule over them!”

That she catches my attention.

In Hebrew and Arabic, “wisdom” is a feminine noun — respectively, hokmah and hikmah.  For that matter, the Greek equivalent of “wisdom,” sophia, is also feminine — and, of course, has become a relatively common feminine name.