BES15_MS 326

Siglum
BES15_MS 326
Transliteration
l qm{w} bn whmtl {b}{n} mwll w ts²wm ʾs²ʿy f ʾs¹fr mdbr
Phillip Stokes
Translation
By Qm{w} son of Whmtl {son of} Mwll and he went north to raid and then set out for the inner desert
Phillip Stokes
Language and Script
Safaitic

Interpretation

Commentary
TS²WM – This word is a hapax legomenon in the Safaitic corpus. The root s²wm is not regularly attested in Arabic, but it is likely that there is a connection with the ClAr root s²ʾm. The root is usually related to evil (šuʾm) or to augur evil (tašāʾama), but is also secondarily related to the territory of the šaʾm (bilād al-šām) “Greater Syria” (Lane 1400). There is possibly some relationship between this root and šimāl and šamʾal/šamʾall, etc., “north” or “northward” (Lane 1000). Given the abbreviated nature of the inscription, this is tentative, but fits the context well. ʾS²ʿY – Another hapax legomenon in the corpus, most likely from the root s²ʿw = ClAr šaʿā. The present form is a C-Stem / Form-IV, which means “to send troops in all directions for plunder” (Steingass 545), or more generally, “to conduct a raid.” It is possible to interpret the form as either a perfect 3ms “he conducted a raid,” or as a maṣdar “to conduct a raid” or “conducting a raid.” I favor the latter as a purpose clause following the main verb ts²wm. ʾS¹FR – The root s¹fr meaning “to travel” is already attested in Safaitic (Al-Jallad and Jaworska 2019: 121). Uniquely, this form appears to be a C-Stem / Form-IV verb, ʾasfara, rather than the more common L-Stem / Form-III sāfara. That the current form is a verb and not the noun s¹fr (/sepr/) “writing, inscription,” also attested in Safaitic, is clear from the fact that the final word mdbr “inner desert” is well-known in the corpus as a destination for spending the wet winter months (Al-Jallad 2026: 309).

  • [BES15_MS] Stokes, P. The Badia Epigraphic Survey: The Safaitic Inscriptions of Marabb al-Shurafāt BES 2015. OCIANA: Zenodo, 2026. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23482253.
Site
Marabb al-Shurafāt, Al-Mafraq Governorate, Jordan
Date Found
Jun-15
Current Location
In situ
Updated 19 Oct, 2026 by OCIANA

Cite this Site

Phillip Stokes, 'BES15_MS 326,' ed. A. Al-Jallad and M.C.A. Macdonald, OCIANA, 19 Oct, 2026. https://ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions/47010. Accessed: 29 Oct, 2026.