KRS 167

Siglum: KRS 167
Transliteration: l whblh {f}ty ʾl ġrṭ w rʿy h- ḍʾn f h lt s¹lm w ġnyt w wgm ʿl- ḫl -h w ʿl- mrby -h ẓnʾl w ʿl- ḫtn -h ḥgg w ʿl- ḫtn -h s¹ʿd bn ml{k}
Translation: By Whblh {slave of} the ʾl Ġrṭ and he pastured the sheep and so O Lt [grant] security and abundance and he grieved for his maternal uncle and for his foster child Ẓnʾl and his wife's relation Ḥgg and his wife's relation S¹ʿd son of {Mlk}

Interpretation

Commentary: This is an unusual inscription on several counts. Slaves traditionally “do not have” relatives, but this text is full of them. Possibly, Whblh belonged to another tribe in the area and had only recently been enslaved by the ʾl ġrt (probably a small social group, which is not otherwise known, since it is difficult to imagine how it would work if he had been a slave of a larger group). He is therefore missing his immediate and wider family, and this is the first time the term mrby “foster child” has occurred in Safaitic, while ḫtn “wife's relations” is known from only one other text (C 4988). The text is clearly and expertly carved but the form of the final letter is puzzling.

Associated Signs

7 lines joined at top and bottom; 5 lines joined at top and bottom

Associated Inscriptions

Inscriptions recorded by Geraldine King on the Basalt Desert Rescue Survey in north-eastern Jordan in 1989 and published here