Al-Mafraq Museum 72

mḥly nʿm-h: This phrase is attested here for the first time, and its exact interpretation remains uncertain.

Syntactically, it functions best as an adverbial complement modifying the verb ndm ("to be sorrowful"). However, the standard semantics of the root ḥly ("to be adorned") do not cleanly align with the subsequent word, nʿm, which is itself ambiguous. While nʿm can mean "favor," it is also frequently interpreted as "livestock" within Safaitic inscriptions. A derivation from the root ḥlw 'to be sweet' or 'to heal' is also possible, given the confusion of these two root types in Safaitic, but this does not advance our understanding.

As a provisional solution, I suggest interpreting mḥly as a G-stem participle of the verb *ḥallaya. This corresponds to the Classical Arabic ḥallā, as in the phrase ḥallaytu l-rajula, meaning "I described the qualities, attributes, or condition of the man" (Lane, 634c). Under this reading, the object would be nʿm-h ("his favor" or "his livestock"), perhaps functioning idiomatically to mean "his qualities."

Consequently, the entire phrase may signal a process of eulogizing the deceased, akin to the traditional riṯāʾ (elegy). Because this expression is a hapax legomenon, this interpretation must remain tentative until the phrase appears in new contexts where this hypothesis can be tested.

s²mt: A suffix-conjugated verb cognate with Classical Arabic šamata 'to rejoice at the misfortune of s.o.'.