Ziff (Book of Mormon)
Ziff is an unknown material or item, probably a metal, mentioned in the Book of Mormon. The text mentions ziff twice, first in a list of possessions taxed by King Noah, then in a list of "precious things" used to ornament various buildings.
In Hebrew, the word zîw means "splendor" or "brightness". A footnote in the 2013 Latter-Day Saint edition of the Book of Mormon suggests translations for possible related Hebrew words as "adjective, 'shining'; verb, 'to overlay or plate with metal.'"
John L. Sorenson, a Latter-day Saint scholar of Mesoamerican archaeology, has opined that the most likely possibility for ziff is an alloy called tumbaga composed of gold and copper.
In the Arabic language, a ziff is a special kind of curved sword somewhat like a scimitar, which is carried in a sheath and often used for ornamentation, as well as for more practical purposes.
