I think they called themselves the Anti-Nephi-Lehi before they were converted and the translation of the book was referring to a group of people that were so Anti before their conversion but now were obviously the opposite of Anti. I think the author was using a harsh reality of how much they had changed calling themselves Anti before their conversion and now basically gave everything to reverse their position of being Anti that we can do the same thing in our own lives. Example, I called myself an atheist before I was converted and now the atheist I called myself is a believer in God and he called myself an atheist.
An "antichrist" is against Christ but it has also been understood to mean someone who pretends to be Christ but is not Christ. So I think a possible interpretation is to read anti in this sense, such that anti-nephi-lehi means (not-nephi)-Lehites, or in other words: Lehites (people from Lehi) who are not from Nephi. It also fits with the context, where the people no longer wanted to be called Lamanites, with the logical response then to say we are Lehites but not Nephites.
I think they called themselves the Anti-Nephi-Lehi before they were converted and the translation of the book was referring to a group of people that were so Anti before their conversion but now were obviously the opposite of Anti. I think the author was using a harsh reality of how much they had changed calling themselves Anti before their conversion and now basically gave everything to reverse their position of being Anti that we can do the same thing in our own lives. Example, I called myself an atheist before I was converted and now the atheist I called myself is a believer in God and he called myself an atheist.
An "antichrist" is against Christ but it has also been understood to mean someone who pretends to be Christ but is not Christ. So I think a possible interpretation is to read anti in this sense, such that anti-nephi-lehi means (not-nephi)-Lehites, or in other words: Lehites (people from Lehi) who are not from Nephi. It also fits with the context, where the people no longer wanted to be called Lamanites, with the logical response then to say we are Lehites but not Nephites.