3 Nephi 19:4
1830 Edition
Influences
Changes
Simple English
The next day the crowd gathered together. Nephi was there with his brother Timothy, whom he had raised from the dead. His son Jonas was there. Also Mathoni, Mathonihah, Kumen, Kumenonhi, Jeremiah, Shemnon, Jonas, Zedekiah, and Isaiah were there. These were the names of the disciples Jesus had chosen. They went out and stood in the middle of the crowd.
Paraphrase
The next day, when the crowd gathered, Nephi and his brother Timothy—the one he’d raised from the dead—stepped forward. With them came Timothy’s son Jonas, along with Mathoni, Mathonihah, Kumen, Kumenonhi, Jeremiah, Shemnon, Jonas, Zedekiah, and Isaiah. These were the disciples Jesus had chosen. They came and stood in the middle of the crowd.
Notes
Hebrew families would not have given their children Greek names such as "Timothy" or "Jonas." This presents a significant issue, since the individuals described were Hebrew-speaking Israelites who left Jerusalem around 600 B.C., prior to the Babylonian captivity. It is highly unlikely they would have had any working knowledge of Greek, as it would be another 250 years—and after the rise and fall of two Aramaic-speaking empires—before Alexander the Great brought Greek influence to prominence. Greek did not become a widespread trade language until after about 350 B.C. Therefore, it is difficult to justify the presence of Greek-derived names or terms in their everyday language. Given that the people in the Book of Mormon are said to have had no contact with the Old World after 600 B.C., the appearance of Greek elements in the text is best understood as a linguistic anachronism.