Anti-Nephi-Lehies

One of my favorite stories in The Book of Mormon tells about a group of Lamanites who changed their names to the "Anti-Nephi-Lehies" when they made covenants to longer fight against their brethren.   

 The other day,  my sister asked me why the name they chose was "Against" Nephi and Lehi--the first fathers of the Nephites.

 There are a lot of explanations online, and I wanted to explore a couple of them here:

(1) This post on the church's seminary website contained this information:

Alma 23:17 —What Does the Name Anti-Nephi-Lehi Mean?

The name Anti-Nephi-Lehi may mean that the new converts desired to become like Nephi and Lehi and may have chosen a new name that reflected their righteous desires. Studies show that in some languages there is a common root corresponding to the word anti that means “in the face of” or “facing,” like you would face a mirror. It may have a meaning similar to the word imitation. In this light the name Anti-Nephi-Lehies might refer to those who desire to imitate what the descendants of Nephi and Lehi taught (see DanielH. Ludlow, A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon [1976], 210). 

(2)  On Wikipedia, I found this:

The term "anti" has confused readers since the Lamanites made a covenant to serve the Lord. These readers assume the Latin/Greek meaning of the prefix "anti," which means "opposing" or "against." However, the Book of Mormon record states that it was written reformed Egyptian,^[3][4] so a Greek or Latin meaning is unlikely. "Anti" may be a reflex of the Egyptian "nty:" 'he of, the one of.' Thus, rather than having the sense "against," it may have the meaning "the one of Nephi and Lehi."

*This confuses me a bit, however, because when we learn about Korihor in Alma 30, this is how he's described:

 6 But it came to pass in the latter end of the seventeenth year, there came a man into the land of Zarahemla, and he was ^aAnti-Christ, for he began to preach unto the people ^bagainst the prophecies which had been spoken by the prophets, concerning the coming of Christ.

It doesn't make sense that "anti" would mean one thing in one chapter of Alma, and another thing in another chapter of Alma.

(3) I did find this explanation, however, which seems to make the most sense to me (but, of course, a detail like this doesn't really matter--it's just interesting to study):

Alma 27:26 they were called by the Nephites the people of Ammon…ever after

"Many have wondered about the name of Anti-Nephi-Lehi. Elaborate explanations have been given to explain how it doesn’t mean what it seems to mean. Yet, for a moment, let’s entertain the possibility that the name really meant “against Nephi and Lehi.” The king of the Lamanites had at least two sons, one was named Lamoni and the other was named Anti-Nephi-Lehi (Alma 24:3). Given Lamanite traditions, it would not be surprising if he gave one of his sons a name which was derogatory to the Nephites. Later, of course, all three of these Lamanite kings were converted to the gospel. Anti-Nephi-Lehi was made king prior to his father’s death (Alma 24:3). He became a great king and spiritual leader. Therefore, it is entirely possible that the people took the name of Anti-Nephi-Lehi not because they were against the Nephites, as the name suggests, but because they were taking upon themselves the name of their leader, a common practice in the Book of Mormon.

Furthermore, it is not surprising that the Nephites preferred to call them by a different name, “the people of Ammon” or “Ammonites.” Apparently, they were never known as the Anti-Nephi-Lehies after they began to dwell with the Nephites because the term Ammonites was considerably less threatening."

**So those are a few thoughts on the Anti-Nephi-Lehies!