WH 1849

Siglum: WH 1849
Transliteration: l whblh bn ẓnʾl bn whblh bn mlk w bny l- hnʾ h- s¹trt w qṣṣ frs¹ h- ms¹ty s¹nt bḫr ʾl ḍf f h lt s¹lm w ʿwd b- h- ms¹rt mʾt frs¹
Translation: By Whblh son of Ẓnʾl son of Whblh son of Mlk and he built the shelter for Hnʾ and he tracked a horseman to the MS¹TY the year the tribe of Ḍf was cut to pieces. And, Lt [grant] security and there returned into the camp a hundred horses

Interpretation

Apparatus Criticus: MNH p. 347: on Greek inscription; n. 288: might be the father of the author in WH 1861.
Commentary: A study of the original stone shows that the fourth name is mlk (rather than mll as read by WH) and indeed it is shown as such on WH's facsimile (Pl. 70). The word bḫr is new. WH read it as btr but this is impossible since the text is very carefully written with the height of the letters maintained at a constant level and a clear distinction preserved between signs of the same form but different sizes (g/ʿ l/n ḫ/t). The letter in question is far larger than any of the t's in the inscription and can only be a ḫ. The meaning however is obscure.

Winnett, F.V. & Harding, G.L. Inscriptions from Fifty Safaitic Cairns. (Near and Middle East Series, 9). Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1978.