Zeniff ( /ˈziː.nɪf/) is a minor but pivotal person in the Book of Mormon. He is a Nephite. He left Zarahemla with a group of Nephites to go to the land of Nephi. This is remarkable since the Nephites had previously abandoned the land of Nephi. At the time of Zeniff's journey to the land of Nephi, it was inhabited by the Nephite's arch-enemies, the Lamanites. Zeniff became the king of the group of Nephites with whom he went to the land of Nephi.
He is the first of three kings whose story is recounted in The Record of Zeniff. The record concerns a group of Nephites who returned for a time to the land of Nephi but who were ultimately driven out by the Lamanites.
Read more about Zeniff: Background, The Return To The Land of Nephi, Contention With The Lamanites, An Uneasy Peace, Aftermath