BES15_MS 549

Siglum
BES15_MS 549
Transliteration
l ʾs²ṯḥ bn s¹k bn ṣrmt bn wṭf?---- w ṣyr m ḥṯyt
Phillip Stokes
Translation
By ʾs²ṯḥ son of S¹k son of Ṣrmt son of Wṭf...and he travelled from Ḥṯyt (a dry region?)
Phillip Stokes
Language and Script
Safaitic

Interpretation

Commentary
ḤṮYT – This form, from the root ḥṯw, is attested in CAr with the meaning “handful of dust” (cf. Lane 513b), and is also attested in ASA with a seemingly similar meaning (SabaWeb, s.v.). We might then interpret the noun here as “dusty earth.” While this meaning seems to suit the context of this broken inscription, the few occurrences in other Safaitic inscriptions point toward a toponym. The phrase ṣyr m-ḥṯyt is attested in KRS 2472 (l ʾbġḍ bn mʿn w-ṣyr m-ḥṯyt), with the direction away from ḥṯyt, whereas travel toward ḥṯyt is attested in CSNS 907 (l ḫrg bn ḥrb bn ḥy bn qdm w ns²ṭ l-ḥṯyt f h rḍy ġnmt “By Ḫrg son of Ḥrb son of Ḥy son of Qdm and he journeyed to ḥṯyt so, O Rḍy, grant booty”). If this interpretation of CSNS 907 is correct, it strongly suggests a toponym rather than a common noun, as it is hard to imagine someone journeying toward “dusty earth.”

  • [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 549,' ed. A. Al-Jallad and M.C.A. Macdonald, OCIANA, 19 Oct, 2026. https://ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions/47233. Accessed: 22 Oct, 2026.