Reading akkadian PRayeRs & Hymns An Introduction

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READING AKKADIAN PRAYERS AND HYMNS: AN INTRODUCTION
7. as-ni-ib GIŠ.EREN el-la-am i-na i-ti-iq pe-er-ti-ia
8. al-ta-pá-ak-ku ša-bi-am GIŠ.EREN
9. el-le-ku a-na pu-ḫu-ur ì-lí e-ṭe-eḫ-ḫi
10. a-na di-nim
11. d UTU be-el di-nim d IŠKUR be-el ik-ri-bi ù bi-ri
Line 7: See lines 1 and 2. How the action here relates to the action of line 2 is unclear.
Does the diviner repeat in line 2 during the prayer the action that he had already
done prior to speaking it (recounted here)?
asnib erēnam ellam ina itiq pērtīya
Line 8: Goetze read the first word as al-ta-ba-ak-ku but this did not supply adequate
sense. As Seux notes (467), Erica Reiner suggested the present reading, deriving the verb
from šapākum, “to heap up, to pile, to pour on.” The form is a 1cs perfect. Again, we see
the 2ms dative pronominal suffix without mimation.
altappakku šabiam erēnam
Line 9: The form of ellum is a 1cs predicative. Puḫrum, “assembly.” Ilum, “god.” Ṭeḫû,
“to approach, to be(come) near to.” It is unclear whether the prepositional phrase in this
line should be read with the first or the second verb, but the meaning, on either reading, is
very similar. Having completed his preparations, the diviner is in a state of purity. He may
now approach the divine assembly for their decision (see line 10). The prayer is performative
in that his speaking it initiates his approach.
ellēku ana puḫur ilī eṭeḫḫi
Line 10: Dīnum, “decision, judgment.” The diviner purifies himself and ritually enters
the divine assembly to obtain their decision with regard to his inquiry. The answer, of
course, is delivered via extispicy.
ana dīnim
Line 11: The diviner renews the invocation but now includes Adad (= d IŠKUR) with
Shamash. Bēlum, “lord.” Ikribum generally means “prayer, blessing,” but see the next line.
The word is best taken here as a plural. Bīrum, “divination” (both the act of extispicy and
the answer received). Goetze (25) suggests the missing mimation on this final word of the
line is due to the lack of space on the tablet. This is the only instance where it is missing
(see otherwise lines 27, 37, 45, 52, and 56). The epithets bēl dīnim and bēl bīrim are applied
to Shamash and Adad a millennium later in the SB tamitu-prayers (see Lambert,
Babylonian Oracle Questions and page 465 in this book) and ikribu-prayers (see Zimmern,
BBR, nos. 75–101 [pp. 190–219]).
Šamaš bēl dīnim Adad bēl ikribī u bīri