This article appeared in Happiness Seekers on May 24, 2016. Here is an excerpt:
I think we’re probably all familiar with the iconic picture of Helaman’s 2,000 stripling warriors. No doubt this depiction, like the animated Living Scriptures rendition, was shaped by popular imagination.
But aren’t we doing the story a disservice by imagining a legion of 18-25 year old warriors who apparently had access to a 24 hr gym and a highly specialized regimen of supplements? ?
As it turns out, learning what “stripling” meant in Joseph’s day speaks volumes about what the stripling warriors would have actually looked like.
“Stripling” is a word that, while once common, has virtually vanished from the vocabulary of English speakers. Except, that is, for Mormons who use it to describe Helaman’s valiant warriors. And yet, even we don’t really know what it means. While most have probably never given the word much thought, some of us may think it means “brave,” or perhaps “strong,” or even “young” but in a fairly broad sense.
The 1828 dictionary helps us understand what the word really meant when Joseph used it in translation.
