SSWS 200

Siglum
SSWS 200
Transliteration
l ġṯ bn khl bn s²ʿʾ bn khl bn ṣhyn bn gʿl bn rs¹l bn qdm bn rs¹l bn mʿzz bn bwk bn ʿrs¹ bn ks²ṭ bn s²hr bn hys¹r bn hʿḏr bn rṭḫ bn ʿwḏ bn whbʾl bn ʿyl w ndm ʿl- ʾḫ -h s²ʿʾ blg gny f h lt ʿwr l- ḏ yʿwr h- ḫṭṭ
Ahmad Al-Jallad
Translation
By Ġṯ son of Khl son of S²ʿl son of Khl son of Ṣhyn son of Gʿl son of Rs¹l son of Qdm son of Rs¹l son of Mʿzz son of Bwk son of ʿrs¹ son of Ks²ṭ son of S²hr son of Hys¹r son of Hʿḏr son of Rṭḫ son of ʿwḏ son of Whbʾl son of ʿyl and he was devastated by grief for his brother S²ʿ, blg gny, so, O Lt, may he who would efface this writing go blind
Ahmad Al-Jallad
Language and Script
Safaitic 2

Interpretation

Apparatus Criticus

SSWS 200: s²ʿl for s²ʿʾ.

Commentary

This inscription records one of the longest geneologies, spanning back twenty generations. The son of the dead man (and nephew of the author) carved AAWAB 31.

The reading of the inscription is clear but the phrase after the dead man's name, blg gny, is difficult to interpret. Its reading is certain from the photograph, despite its quality. Syntactically, we expect an attributive participle with the name of the dead brother as its head. But blg is previously attested as a divine name (Al-Jallad 2022, appendix I). It is possible that gny is related to the root, gnn 'to protect', but it has not yet appeared in this form. Until another witness is discovered, it is best to leave this phrase without a translation.

Ahmad Al-Jallad

Editio Princeps
Sweerky 1999
Field Collector
M. ʿA. Al-Sweerky

Technique
Incised
Direction of Script
Coiling inwards

Associated Remains
Cairn 8

  • 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.
  • [SSWS] Al-Sweerky, M.ʿA. Dirāsat nuqūš ṣafawiyyah ǧadīdah min šamāl wādī sārah fī šamāl al-urdun. Unpublished MA thesis, Yarmouk University. 1999.
Site
Wādī Sārah, Al-Mafraq Governorate, Jordan
Date Found
1998
Current Location
In situ
Subjects
Curse, Genealogy, Grieving, Religion
Old OCIANA ID
#0031276
Download Images
Updated 10 Mar, 2026 by Ahmad Al-Jallad

Cite this Site

Ahmad Al-Jallad, 'SSWS 200,' ed. A. Al-Jallad and M.C.A. Macdonald, OCIANA, 10 Mar, 2026. https://ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions/28634. Accessed: 09 Apr, 2026.