LP 353

Siglum: LP 353
Alternative Sigla: Is.Mu 99
Transliteration: l ʿm bn ḥn bn ḥnn bn s²hyt bn s¹ny bn ks¹ṭ bn ʿbdhm {b}{n} {b}{ʿ}{r} {b}{n} s²h{r} {b}{n} {r}{ṭ}{ḫ} w ḫrṣ mlkt ʾl yhd f h{y} lt w rḍy s¹lm
Translation: By ʿm son of Ḥn son of Ḥnn son of S²hyt son of S¹ny son of Ks¹ṭ son of ʿbdhm {son of} {Bʿr} {son of} {S²hr} {son of} {Rṭḫ} and he was on the look out for the queen of the Jewish people so, {O} Lt and Rḍy [grant] security

Interpretation

Apparatus Criticus: LP 353: bn mms²(y) (w) (m)(ṭ)(y) "son of {Mms²y} {and} {he made a hasty journey} for {b}{n} {b}{ʿ}{r} {b}{n} s²h{r} {b}{n} {r}{ṭ}{ḫ}; w ḫrṣ mlkt ʾl ʿhd "and he was looking out for Mlkt until this time" for w ḫrṣ mlkt ʾl ʿhd for w ḫrṣ mlkt ʾl yhd "and he was on the look out for the queen of the Jewish people"
Commentary: The part of the text between ʿbd-hm and w ḫrṣ has been tampered with: letters have been joined and lines extended to give the impression of a series of m's (however compare the shape of the genuine m's in the text). In addition, lines have been drawn across the tops and bottoms of the ṭ and ḫ of rṭḫ. The stem of the y of yhd is rather long but this is explicable by its position at the junction of two lines. Littmann did not copy the complete line and so read it as l (or h) followed by ʿ. There is a small line to one side of the stem which Littmann thought could be the side-stroke of a h.

Provenance: Al-ʿĪsāwī is the name of a probably ancient well between two headlands on the eastern side of the Wādī Shām as it runs northwards from the modern Al-Namārah dam to the Ruḥbah. The well is large, stone lined and with stone water-channels running from it. The main concentration of published inscriptions is on the top of the northern headland, but there also many inscriptions on its south-west slopes, coming down to the well and on the southern headland, on the crest of which is a stone tower.
Original Reading Credit: OCIANA
Original Translation Credit: OCIANA

Associated Inscriptions: LP 354 (= Is.Mu 98) is on the same face as the first part of LP 353 (= Is.Mu 99); LP 352 (= Is.Mu 100) and Is.Mu 101 are on other faces

Littmann, E. Safaïtic Inscriptions. Syria. Publications of the Princeton University Archaeological Expeditions to Syria in 1904–1905 and 1909. Division IV. Section C. Leiden: Brill, 1943.
Inscriptions recorded at al-ʿĪsāwī by Muna Al-Muʾazzin, on the Safaitic Epigraphic Survey Programme, 1995–2002, and published here.

Date Found: 1904–1905, 1996
Current Location: In situ
Subjects: Deity, Genealogy, Isolated Prayer, Outside peoples, Watch (keeping)
Script: Safaitic
Old OCIANA ID: #0027104
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