AAWAB 4

Image © Ali Al-Manaser; CC BY
Siglum
AAWAB 4
Transliteration
l ṯlg bn ḏkr bn ẓʿn bn nks¹ bn s¹hwt w ḫrṣ s²nʾ f h ḏgn s¹lm h- ḫfyt h- s¹nt
Al-Jallad 2026a
Translation
By Ṯlg son of Ḏkr son of Ẓʿn son of Nks¹ son of S¹hwt and he kept watch for enemies and so, O Ḏgn, [grant] the security of the hidden ones [the Ǧinn] this year
Al-Jallad 2026a
Language and Script
Safaitic 2

Interpretation

Apparatus Criticus

OCIANA 1: Trans. 'so O Ḏg{n/l} may this well be secure this year.'

Commentary

The text is thinly scratched on a rough surface which is not really suitable for inscribing. The text is remarkable in that it contains an invocation to the ǧinn spirits in Safaitic.

ḏgn: This has been parsed as /ḏū genn/ 'he of (master of) the ǧinn,' referring to a deity who exercised control over the ǧinn spirits. The term gn in Safaitic is likely drawn from Palmyra gnyʾ 'genies,' which in turn comes from Latin genii. For more on the Safaitic gn, see Al-Jallad 2026a.

ḫfyt: Given the name of the deity invoked, it is best to understand this as a plural of the Arabic ḫāfiyyun ‘the Jinn, or genii' (Lane, 777b), in the plural form, ḫafayat. 

Editio Princeps
Al-Jallad 2026a
Field Collector
Ali Al-Manaser

Technique
Lightly incised
Direction of Script
Coiling inwards

  • [AAWAB] Inscriptions recorded by Ali Al-Manaser in Al-Wādī Al-Abyaḍ in June 2021
  • Al-Jallad, A. Seeking refuge and the Ǧinn: Two Safaitic lexicographical notes. Semitica et Classica, 2026a.
  • [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
Al-Wādī al-Abyaḍ, Al-Mafraq Governorate, Jordan
Date Found
18/06/2021
Current Location
In situ
Subjects
Deity, Genealogy, Prayer, Religion, Watch (keeping), Watering
Old OCIANA ID
#0057502
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Updated 07 Apr, 2025 by Ahmad Al-Jallad