BES17 2353

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Siglum
BES17 2353
Transliteration
l ḥmlt bn rġḍ bn s²ḥl bn tm bn mfny bn nʿmn bn {w}hb bn s¹---- w wgm ʿl- ġṯ w ʿl- s²mt w ʿl- s¹ḥlyt myt s¹nt gzy ʾl ḍf dn qṣr f h lt s¹lm l- ḏ s¹ʾr w ʿwr <> ḏ yʿwr h- ḫṭṭ
Ahmad Al-Jallad
Translation
By Ḥmlt son of Rġḍ son of S²ḥl son of Tm son of Mfny son of Nʿmn son of Whb son of S¹---- and he grieved for Ġṯ and for S²mt and for S¹ḥlyt who had died the year the lineage of Ḍf repaid the debt of Caesar so, O Lt, may those who remain alive be secure but blind him who would efface these carvings
Ahmad Al-Jallad
Language and Script
Safaitic 2

Interpretation

Commentary

The inscription’s dating formula records a significant but enigmatic transaction: the Ḍf tribe "repaying their debt to Caesar." While the exact nature of this exchange remains unknown, the Ḍf's history as Roman military auxiliaries suggests the "debt" may have involved specific military obligations or service.

gzy dn: The verb is cognate with Classical Arabic ǧazā 'to repay, reward.' The expression ǧazaytu d-dayn 'I repaid the debt' is quoted by Lane (Lane, 422a).

There is an extraneous s² between the r of ʿwr and the following ḏ.

Ahmad Al-Jallad

Editio Princeps
OCIANA
Field Collector
BES17 team

Technique
Incised
Direction of Script
Boustrophedon

  • [BES17] Inscriptions recorded during the Badia Epigraphic Survey 2017 and published here
  • [Lane] Lane, E.W. An Arabic-English Lexicon, Derived from the Best and Most Copious Eastern Sources. (Volume 1 in 8 parts [all published]). London: Williams & Norgate, 1863-1893.
Site
Marabb al-Šurafāʾ, Al-Mafraq Governorate, Jordan
Date Found
2017
Current Location
In situ
Subjects
Curse, Date (s¹nt), Deity, Genealogy, Grieving, Outside peoples, Prayer
Old OCIANA ID
#0056766
Download Images
Updated 01 Apr, 2026 by Ahmad Al-Jallad

Cite this Site

Ahmad Al-Jallad, 'BES17 2353,' ed. A. Al-Jallad and M.C.A. Macdonald, OCIANA, 01 Apr, 2026. https://ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions/13383. Accessed: 11 Apr, 2026.