Learn Hebrew Words from the Book of Mormon
You don’t need to read Hebrew to start recognizing the Hebrew that runs through the Book of Mormon. This glossary introduces some of the most common and meaningful words in the text — with the Hebrew spelling, a simple pronunciation, the meaning, and where you’ll meet the word as you read. It’s a starting point for a lay reader, not a grammar lesson.
How to Use This Glossary
Each entry gives you four things: the word in Hebrew, a plain-English pronunciation (read it as you would English syllables, stressing the part in CAPS), the meaning, and a note on where it appears. Hebrew is read right to left, so the letters run the opposite direction from English. Try saying each word aloud — hearing it is half of learning it. When you meet the word in the text, you’ll recognize it.
Covenant & Gospel Words
These are the words that carry the heart of the book’s message. English translates them, but in Hebrew each one carries centuries of scriptural weight.
בְּרִית — brit
Pronounced “breet”. Covenant. The binding bond between God and Israel that runs through all of scripture — a sacred, generational promise, not a handshake deal. The Book of Mormon is, above all, a book about covenant.
תְּשׁוּבָה — teshuvah
Pronounced “teh-shoo-VAH”. Repentance — but literally a turning or returning. In Hebrew, to repent is to turn back toward God, not merely to feel regret. The prophets’ constant call to the people is a call to teshuvah.
מָשִׁיחַ — mashiach
Pronounced “mah-SHEE-akh”. Messiah, the Anointed One. The central testimony of the Book of Mormon’s prophets, spoken of by name centuries before his coming. The English word “Messiah” comes directly from this Hebrew word.
יהוה — the LORD
Pronounced traditionally not aloud — read as Adonai. The personal name of God in the Hebrew scriptures. In this edition it appears where the English reads “the Lord,” anchoring the text in the same divine name used throughout the Hebrew Bible.
נָבִיא — navi
Pronounced “nah-VEE”. Prophet. One who speaks for God. The Book of Mormon is a record kept by nevi’im (prophets), in the same line as the prophets of the Old Testament.
חֶסֶד — chesed
Pronounced “KHEH-sed”. Often translated “mercy” or “lovingkindness,” but the Hebrew carries more than either English word alone: it is the loyal, covenant-keeping love a party owes another once a covenant is made — steadfast rather than merely emotional. Where the Book of Mormon speaks of God's mercy toward a covenant people, chesed is frequently the concept underneath it.
קָדוֹשׁ — kadosh
Pronounced “kah-DOSH”. Holy — literally “set apart.” The word behind titles like “Holy One of Israel,” a phrase Isaiah uses often and which the Book of Mormon's prophets, quoting and echoing him, use as well.
Common Phrases
Some phrases appear so often they become the rhythm of the book — and they are pure Hebrew storytelling.
וַיְהִי — wayehi
Pronounced “vai-eh-HEE”. “And it came to pass.” This single Hebrew word is the standard way Hebrew narrative moves a story forward. What can feel repetitive in English is simply ordinary Hebrew — and seeing it in Hebrew is one of the clearest signs of the text’s Hebrew character.
אָמֵן — amen
Pronounced “ah-MEN”. Amen — “so be it,” “truly.” A Hebrew word so familiar in English that we forget it is Hebrew. It closes prayers and testimonies in the Book of Mormon as it does in the Bible.
Names & Places
The names of the Book of Mormon are Hebrew names, many with roots you can recognize once you know what to look for. A fuller list, with meanings, is on its own page.
A few to start with:
נֶפִי — Nephi
The record’s first author and narrator.
לֶחִי — Lehi
The prophet who leads his family out of Jerusalem.
שָׂרִיָּה — Sariah
Lehi’s wife; a name built on the same root as Sarah.
Keep Learning — Read in Hebrew
The fastest way to learn is to read. Open the text, follow the English alongside the Hebrew, and watch for the words above — you’ll spot wayehi and brit before long. The complete Book of Mormon is free to read in Hebrew, verse by verse.
The Book of Mormon in Hebrew — ספר מורמון בעברית.