C 4982

Siglum
C 4982
Alternative Sigla
Dunand 965 a
Transliteration
l ʾḥlm bn ʿbdʾl bn s²ddt w wgd s¹fr l- mġṯ (f) bky w {g}{r}{z} ʿl- -h s¹lm f h lt s¹lm l- ḏ s¹ʾr w h ʾlt dṯn bʾs¹ l- ḏ yʿwr h- ḫṭṭ
OCIANA
Translation
By ʾḥlm son of ʿbdʾl son of S²ddt and he found an inscription by Mġṯ and so he wept and he was slain may he have security and so O Lt [grant] security to him who remains and O ʾlt Dṯn [inflict] misfortune on whoever scratches out the carving
OCIANA
Language and Script
Safaitic

Interpretation

Apparatus Criticus
C: w wgd s¹frn mġṯ "and he found the inscriptions of Mġṯ" for w wgd s¹fr l- mġṯ "he found an inscription by Mġṯ"; s¹lm l- ḏ s¹ʾr "security to the one who leaves [it] unimpaired"
Commentary
C's reading w wgd s¹frn mġṯ "and he found the inscriptions of Mġṯ" is, of course, impossible. As he noted in his commentary, the -n of s¹frn would be dropped in annexation. We have therefore suggested reading not n but l and to read w wgd s¹fr l- mġṯ "he found an inscription by Mġṯ". In this, l- would echo the beginning of most inscriptions and in particular C 4983 (l mġṯ bn lʿṯmn) which is also the only inscription by a Mġṯ recorded in this vicinity, another reason to doubt the reading s¹frn. For grz compare Classical Arabic ǧaraza-hu "he slew him" (Lane 408c), here in the passive. The expression ʿl- -h s¹lm probably stands for *ʿl- -h h- s¹lm in which the definite article has been assimilated to the preceding 3rd person singular enclitic pronoun. Compare Arabic ʿalay-hi al-salām. For the meaning of of s¹ʾr see Al-Jallad 2015: 339–340. On ʾlt dṯn see Macdonald, Al Muʾazzin & Nehmé 1996: 474–476 and n. 117.

  • [C] Ryckmans, G. Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum: Pars Quinta, Inscriptiones Saracenicae Continens: Tomus I, Fasciculus I, Inscriptiones Safaiticae. Paris: E Reipublicae Typographeo, 1950–1951.
Site
On the right bank of Wādī Ġarz, near the track from Ǧabal al-ʿArab [formerly Ǧabal al-Drūz ] to al-Namārah, Al-Suwaydāʾ (al-Sweidah) or Rif Dimašq Governorates, Syria
Date Found
1920s and 1930s
Current Location
In situ
Subjects
Curse, Deity, Finding inscription(s), Genealogy, Grieving, Isolated Prayer
Old OCIANA ID
#0008186
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Updated 16 Sep, 2024 by OCIANA