Evidence: River, Valley—Naming Geographical Features

Ed J. Pinegar, Richard J. Allen

Desert customs indicate that any water a Bedouin finds is named after him. In keeping with this tradition, at his first camp in the wilderness, Lehi named the river Laman, after his eldest son, and the valley Lemuel, after his second-eldest son. A valley and its water source could be known by several different names, each representing a different local tribe. (See Echoes, 466.)

Commentaries and Insights on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 1

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