Reading akkadian PRayeRs & Hymns An Introduction

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READING AKKADIAN PRAYERS AND HYMNS: AN INTRODUCTION
7. ina UD-mi an-né-e IGI d UTU d GIŠ.GÍN.MAŠ i-ziz-za-nim-ma
8. di-ni di-na EŠ.BAR-a-a KUD-sa
9. NÍG ḪUL šá ina SU.MU UZU.MEŠ.MU SA.MEŠ.MU GÁL-ú
10. ana ŠU d NAM.TAR SUKKAL KI-tim pi-iq-da-nim
CAD Š/2, 38. The grammatical form of the two strong verbs in this line—D preterites—
reinforces the line’s assonance.
ušarriḫkunūši ukabbitkunūši
Line 7: UD = ūmu, “day.” Ina ūmi annî, literally, “on this day,” should be translated
more idiomatically. IGI = maḫru, “front,” or pānu, “face”—both are possible. The term
should be taken here as the equivalent of ina maḫri or ina pāni, “before.” d UTU = Šamaš.
Shamash is the sun god and god of justice (see page 197). d GIŠ.GÍN.MAŠ = Gilgameš. Gilgamesh
takes on the role of a netherworld judge in some ritual texts (see, e.g., Maqlû I 38
and the references in Parpola, LASEA 2, 204). Izuzzu, “to stand.” The ventive (–nim) on the
imperative can be translated as “here.” Line 7 contains the supplicant’s first petition: they
are invoking their ancestors in this prayer in order for the ancestors to stand on the supplicant’s
behalf before two important judicial deities of the netherworld, Shamash and Gilgamesh.
ina ūmi annî pān Šamaš Gilgameš izizzānim-ma
Line 8: Dânu, “to judge.” Dīnī, “my case.” EŠ.BAR = purussû, “decision, verdict.” KUD
= parāsu, literally, “to cut, to divide,” but in this legal context “to decide.” These two
verbs frequently occur together (see CAD P, 530–32 for some examples). This line continues
the supplicant’s petition.
dīnī dinā purussāya pursā
Line 9: NÍG ḪUL = mimma lemnu, “whatever evil.” Rather than list all the suspected
problems, the supplicant uses the most general terms possible. Besides ensuring coverage
of the supplicant’s own problem, this manner of speaking would also make the prayer
suitable for any number of other people suffering from a wide variety of maladies. SU =
zumru, “body.” UZU.MEŠ = šīrū, “flesh.” The plural form does not change the meaning.
SA.MEŠ = šerʾānū, “sinews, veins, tendons, muscles.” GÁL = bašû, “to exist, to be.” The
form of the verb is probably a 3ms predicative (baši) plus subjunctive –u (but there are no
syllabic spellings in the MSS to confirm this). Line 9 forms the object of the verb in line 10.
mimma lemnu ša ina zumrīya šīrīya šerʾānīya bašû
Line 10: ŠU = qātu, “hand,” though a metaphorical rendering may be more appropriate:
“power,” “charge,” or “responsibility.” d NAM.TAR = Namtar, a netherworld deity,
whose name means “fate.” SUKKAL = šukkallu (sukkallu), “a court official, minister, counselor,”
is in apposition to Namtar. Šukkallu is an epithet for many gods, although the noun
that this term governs is typically a divine name (e.g., Ninshubur, šukallu of Anu; see CAD
S, 358–59 for other examples). Here the word specifies Namtar’s position in the netherworld
(erṣeti). Paqādu + ana, “to entrust, to hand over something to someone.” The supplicant
makes yet another petition of the ancestral ghosts, but this is the first one that
specifies their personal problem. They ask the ghosts to give the malady with which they