“Shiblom Reigned in Coms Stead”

Alan C. Miner

In Ether 11:4 we find the name "Shiblom." The reader should note that in the genealogical listing in Ether 1:11-12, Shiblom's name is given with a slightly different ending of "Shiblon." Here in chapter 11, Shiblon had to fight a great war against those who followed his brother.

According to Warren and Palmer, it is interesting to note that the name "Shiblon" can mean "lion cub" in Semitic languages (Urrutia:1982). In the Popol Vuh, an ancient Mesoamerican history of their native origins, one of the hero twins carries the name of Ixbalanque. It means "small jaguar deer." The consonants of the name correspond to the name of Shiblon! The meaning of those two names both mean a small animal (lion in the Semitic language and jaguar in Maya). The other twin is called Huapu, possibly referring to Shiblon's brother. It can mean hunter and flower (Warren, 1983). [Bruce W. Warren and David A. Palmer, The Jaredite Saga, p. 8-22, unpublished]

Step by Step Through the Book of Mormon: A Cultural Commentary

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