ELHT Wādī al-Zaydāniyyah Tay 1

Robin & Al-Ghabban 2017, p. 64: Reading bnbr for bn[[k]]br; trans - "Bnbr fils de Ṯʿn, le sage de Madyan" 

Robin and Al-Ghabban (2017) thoroughly examine the various interpretations of the term s¹dd, favoring 'wise man' (sage) and drawing parallels with texts where authors identify themselves as an ʾs¹, 'chief man' of a tribe. However, the context of the present text diverges from this interpretation. Mdyn cannot be construed as a Taymanitic tribe, but rather designates a locality beyond the oasis. Consequently, this inscription aligns more closely with texts detailing military engagements between the Taymāʾ oasis and its neighbors, particularly Dadān. These texts frequently employ ḍrr 'to wage war against' or simply ḍr 'the war of', followed by a toponym or tribal name. The editio princeps considers the connection between s¹dd and Hebrew שָׁדַד /šāḏaḏ/ 'to violently destroy, devastate, despoil, assail.' The sense of 'despoil' is particularly fitting in North Arabian contexts, where numerous texts document raiding and plundering of enemies. Therefore, we propose that s¹dd signifies 'to plunder,' analogous to the Safaitic terms ḥrb or ġzz.

Robin and Al-Ghabban (2017) interpret the initial name as bnbr, but leave the sublinear k positioned beneath the first n and second b without adequate explanation. Their justification rests on the existence of the name bnbr inscribed in a different script at the same site. However, given that the two texts were not produced by the same individual and could be separated by a considerable chronological gap, this justification is insufficient. Any viable reading of the inscription must account for the sublinear k. While this letter is rendered in a larger form, this is not unexpected, as it appears to be a secondary addition intended by the author to emphasize a correction. The present edition, therefore, prefers to incorporate the k into the reading, until better evidence is furnished to justify its omission.