WH 81

Siglum
WH 81
Transliteration
l ʿmrt bn ʿbdy bn klb w ḍrk rḍy
OCIANA
Translation
By ʿmrt son of ʿbdy son of Klb and he was in need of [divine] favour
OCIANA
Language and Script
Safaitic

Interpretation

Apparatus Criticus
WH 81: Translation of ḍrk rḍy "...and he is destitute, Rḍy"
Commentary
WH connect the verb "ḍrk" with Arabic ḍaruka "to be needy". The problem with this interpretation is that it does not account for the name of the deity Rḍy, which appears to be disconnected from the rest of the inscription. The Hebrew cognate of Arabic ḍrk, ṣārak "have need of", is a better semantic match for the Safaitic. Rḍy, then, should be read as the noun meaning "favour" rather than as the name of the deity. Rḍy, "[divine] favour" in invocations, is very common in Dadanitic.

Editio Princeps
OCIANA

Technique
Direct hammered
Direction of Script
Boustrophedon (starting upwards)

Associated Remains
Cairn
Associated Inscriptions
WH 78-80, WH 82-86

  • [WH] Winnett, F.V. & Harding, G.L. Inscriptions from Fifty Safaitic Cairns. (Near and Middle East Series, 9). Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1978.
Site
WH Cairn 2, Al-Mafraq Governorate, Jordan
Date Found
1958–1959
Current Location
in situ
Subject
Genealogy
Old OCIANA ID
#0010825
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Updated 16 Sep, 2024 by OCIANA