The Lamanite word "Rabbanah," meaning "powerful or great king," is strikingly similar to other Semitic words having essentially the same meaning. For example, the New Testament word rabboni clearly refers to one who is a leader (John 20:16). Also the word rabbi, which is used frequently by Jewish people, designates "one who teaches or leads." That the spoken language of both the Nephites and the Lamanites is derived from the Hebrew is made quite clear in several places in the Book of Mormon. In fact, even as late as the fourth century A.D. one Book of Mormon prophet said, ". . . if our plates had been sufficiently large we should have written in Hebrew." (Mormon 9:33.)