Statistical Improbability: Book of Mormon Geography — NHM Altar Confirms Nahom (1999)

The Book of Mormon (1 Nephi 16:34) names a specific location 'Nahom' where Ishmael was buried as Lehi's family traveled through Arabia — a location most critics assumed was invented. In 1999, archaeologists discovered three altars in Yemen inscribed with the tribal name 'NHM' (Nihm) dating to the 7th century BC — precisely the era of Lehi's journey. The location corresponds accurately with the Book of Mormon's description: south of Jerusalem along ancient caravan routes. Shortly after Nahom, the narrative turns eastward to a land of 'Bountiful' with fruit, honey, and timber — matching the lush coastal region of Dhofar, Oman, identified by modern exploration. The probability that Joseph Smith correctly placed this ancient tribal name and geographic turn without access to Arabian archaeology is statistically near impossible.

Fuller account of this event (as retold in S. Kent Brown, 'The Place That Was Called Nahom: New Light from Ancient Yemen,' Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1, 1999, pp. 66-68 (as cited in Jeff Lindsay, 'Book of Mormon Evidences, Part One')):

A certain 'Biathar, son of Sawad, son of Nawan, the Nihmite' donated the altar to the temple. The altar has been part of a traveling exhibit of artifacts from ancient Yemen. The inscription on the altar, which is written in the Sabaean language, mentions the name of the donor and his tribal affiliation, 'the Nihmite.' The excavator who translated the inscription dates this altar to the seventh-sixth centuries B.C. This discovery is significant because it provides evidence for the existence of the tribal name 'Nihm' in the region of Yemen during the time of Lehi's journey, which corresponds to the Book of Mormon's account of the place called 'Nahom' where Ishmael was buried.