Al-Mafraq Museum 12

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Al-Mafraq Museum 12
Transliteration
l mlk bn mlk bn ghm w wgd s¹fr ẓnʾl bn ḫl -h qnṭ {h-} rm f lm yʾ{l} f h lt s¹lm m- s²rd- hm
Ahmad Al-Jallad (OCIANA)
Translation
By Mlk son of Mlk son of Ghm and he found the writing of Ẓnʾl, his maternal cousin, while in fear of {the} Romans, and he did not find refuge / {he did not cease} (to fear them) so, O Lt, [grant] security from that which has caused their fear/to take flight
Ahmad Al-Jallad (OCIANA)
Language and Script
Safaitic 2

Interpretation

Commentary

qnṭ: This should be construed as a circumstantial participle (ḥāl), /qāneṭa/ 'fearing'

lm yʾl: This construction lends itself to two interpretations. Grammatically, it is a negated preterite prefix conjugation. yʾl could transcribe the verb yaʾel 'to seek shelter, refuge' or it could derive from the root ʾlw, producing lam yaʾl(u), compare with Classical Arabic lam yaʾlu 'he did not quit, cease the thing' (Lane, 84a).

s²rd: The verb s²rd /śarada/ is previously attested meaning 'to flee' (SafDict, 126), but here we must be dealing with a substantive, probably cognate with Classical Arabic šurūdun or širādun 'A taking fright, fleeing' (Lane, 1531c).

On the semantic connection between prayers and narratives, see Al-Jallad (2022: 10-12).

Editio Princeps
Ahmad Al-Jallad

Technique
Carved
Direction of Script
Boustrophedon

Associated Inscriptions

  • 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.
  • [SafDict] Al-Jallad, A. & Jaworska, K. A Dictionary of the Safaitic Inscriptions. Leiden: Brill, 2019
  • [Al-Mafraq Museum] Inscriptions kept at the Al-Mafraq Antiquities Office and Museum of uncertain provenances
  • [Lane] Lane, E.W. An Arabic-English Lexicon, Derived from the Best and Most Copious Eastern Sources. (Volume 1 in 8 parts [all published]). London: Williams & Norgate, 1863-1893.
Site
Unknown, Jordan
Current Location
Al-Mafraq Antiquities Office and Museum
Subjects
Finding inscription(s), Genealogy, Outside peoples, Prayer
Old OCIANA ID
#0034785
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Updated 11 Apr, 2025 by Ahmad Al-Jallad