KRS 68

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Siglum
KRS 68
Transliteration
l ʾnʿm {b}{n} {w}rl bn dmy ḏ- ʾl ʾs²ll w h s²ʿhqm ṣmy nqt f {ʾ}{n} -k bġy -h w qf{y}t -h {w} b- ḫfrt -k fltn m- mt
Ahmad Al-Jallad (2015a; 2022a)
Translation
By ʾnʿm {son of} {Wrl} son of Dmy of the lineage of ʾs²ll and O S²hqm he sacrificed a camel, for {you are indeed} the one he seeks and his {path} {and} through your guidance there is deliverance from death
Ahmad Al-Jallad (2015a; 2022a)
Language and Script
Safaitic 2

Interpretation

Commentary

This inscription presents a unique and elaborate prayer to Shayʿ ha-Qawm 'escort of the army' (s²ʿhqm) invoking him for his guidance and deliverance from death, presumably in battle. The invocation follows a camel sacrifice. On the cultural context of the inscription, see Al-Jallad 2022a: 18, 65, 98. 

The vocabulary is discussed in SafDict, s.v.

Ahmad Al-Jallad

Editio Princeps
Al-Jallad 2015a
Field Collector
G.M.H. King

Special Letter Forms
f with one zig-zag
Technique
Scratched
Direction of Script
Curving boustrophedon

Associated Inscriptions

  • Al-Jallad, A. An Outline of the Grammar of the Safaitic Inscriptions. (Studies in Semitic Languages and Linguistics, 80). Leiden: Brill, 2015.
  • Al-Jallad, A. The religion and rituals of the nomads of pre-Islamic Arabia: A reconstruction based on the Safaitic inscriptions. (Ancient Languages and Civilizations, 1). Leiden: Brill, 2022a.
  • [SafDict] Al-Jallad, A. & Jaworska, K. A Dictionary of the Safaitic Inscriptions. Leiden: Brill, 2019
  • [KRS] Inscriptions recorded by Geraldine King on the Basalt Desert Rescue Survey in north-eastern Jordan in 1989 and published here
Site
Wādī Salmā, Al-Mafraq Governorate, Jordan
Date Found
1989
Current Location
In situ
Subjects
Genealogy, Religion, Deity, Prayer, Unformulaic
Old OCIANA ID
#0020696
Download Images
Updated 05 Apr, 2026 by Ahmad Al-Jallad

Cite this Site

Ahmad Al-Jallad, 'KRS 68,' ed. A. Al-Jallad and M.C.A. Macdonald, OCIANA, 05 Apr, 2026. https://ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions/27932. Accessed: 05 May, 2026.