SAWH 1

Image © Sabri Abbadi; CC BY
Siglum
SAWH 1
Transliteration
l grmlt bn ʿṭl w rʿy nwy f ḫrṣ f h lt nqyt w nqʾt l- m ʿwr h- s¹fr w ʾḫḏ h- ḏʾb ḥmd f htf bḏ f rfʾ ġṯ ʿgl
Ahmad Al-Jallad
Translation
By Grmlt son of ʿṭl and he pastured while migrating and kept watch so, O Lt, cleanse (him from misfortune) and may whosoever effaces this writing be ejected from the grave; and the wolf had taken Ḥmd so he cried out because of that, so may (his condition) be healed by means of expedited divine intervention
Ahmad Al-Jallad
Language and Script
Safaitic 2

Interpretation

Commentary

This inscription records a prayer in response to the abduction of a loved one, presumably a child, called Ḥmd by a wolf. 

nqyt: Compare with Classical Arabic naqiya 'to purify, cleanse'

htf: Compare with Classical Arabic hatafa 'to call out.'

bḏ: Elsewhere this seems to be a locative adverb, but here it seems to signify reason, 'because of that fact,' compare to South Arabian b-ḏt.

rfʾ: Compare with Hebrew רפא 'to heal'. Although this meaning has largely been lost in Classical Arabic, relics of it are preserved in expressions like rafaʾa bayna-hum 'he made peace between them' (Lane, 1117b) or its meaning of 'to mend (clothing)'.

Ahmad Al-Jallad

Editio Princeps
OCIANA
Field Collector
Sabri Abbadi

Technique
Incised
Direction of Script
Coiling inwards

  • [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.
  • [SAWH] Inscriptions recorded by Sabri Abbadi at Wādī al-Ḥašād in 1995
Site
Wādī al-Ḥašād, c. 6.5 km south of the Syrian-Jordanian border, Al-Mafraq Governorate, Jordan
Date Found
1995
Current Location
In situ
Subjects
Curse, Deity, Genealogy, Movement, Pasturing, Prayer, Watch (keeping), Wild animals
Download Image
Updated 18 Mar, 2026 by Ahmad Al-Jallad

Cite this Site

Ahmad Al-Jallad, 'SAWH 1,' ed. A. Al-Jallad and M.C.A. Macdonald, OCIANA, 18 Mar, 2026. https://ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions/46112. Accessed: 29 Mar, 2026.