“His Mother Shall Be Called Mary”
Here and in Alma 7:10 the name of Christ’s mother is given in the form of a Messianic prophecy. Mary is the Greek form of her name, which in Hebrew would have been Miriam. Many etymologies are suggested for the name. The most appropriate are “exalted of the Lord” and “bitter tears.” The prophetic giving of names, which would then become descriptive of the role to be played by the one so named, is common to many of the characters in both the Old and New Testaments. (See Gospel Symbolism, pp. 173-94; see also commentary on 1 Nephi 11:18.)
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