Reading akkadian PRayeRs & Hymns An Introduction

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READING AKKADIAN PRAYERS AND HYMNS: AN INTRODUCTION
19. ú-šá-áš-qu-ki ina nap-ḫar d í-gì-gì ú-šá-ti-ru man-za-az-ki
20. a-na ḫi-is-sat šu-me-ki AN-ú u KI.TIM i-ru-ub-bu
21. DINGIR.MEŠ i-šub-bu i-nar-ru-ṭu d a-nun-na-ki
22. MU-ki ra-áš-bu iš-tam-ma-ra te-né-še-e-ti
23. at-ti-ma ra-ba-a-ti ù ṣi-ra-a-ti
24. nap-ḫar ṣal-mat qaq-qa-di nam-maš-šu-ú te-né-še-e-ti i-dal-la-lu qur-di-ki
25. di-in ba-ḫu-la-a-ti ina kit-ti u mi-šá-ri ta-din-ni at-ti
Line 19: Šašqû (Š of šaqû), “to exalt, to elevate.” Napḫaru, “total, sum, entirety.” As
with ina ilī in line 18, ina napḫar Igigî can be understood as pertaining to both clauses in
the line. Šūturu (Š of [w]atāru), “to make surpass, to make excel.” Manzāzu (mazzāzu),
“position, rank, abode.”
ušašqûki ina napḫar Igigî ušātirū manzāzki
Line 20: Ḫissatu sometimes means “understanding, wisdom,” but here connotes “mention,
thought.” Râbu, “to shake, to tremble.”
ana ḫissat šumēki šamû u erṣetu irubbū
Line 21: Šâbu, “to quake.” Narāṭu, “to sway, to tremble.” Anunnakkū, see line 3.
ilū išubbū inarruṭū Anunnakkī
Line 22: Rašbu, “terrifying.” Šitmuru (Gt of šamāru), “to praise.”
šumki rašbu ištammarā tenēšēti
Line 23: See line 17.
attī-ma rabâti u ṣīrāti
Line 24: Ṣalmāt qaqqadi, “black-headed ones,” refers to humankind. The imagery
comes from the simile of people as sheep in need of leadership. Nammaššû (nammaštû),
“moving things, animals, herds; settlement, people.” Qurdu (s), “heroism,” (pl), “heroic
acts.” Dalālu, “to praise, to glorify,” is interpreted in the translations as having two or
three subjects, with nam-maš-šu-ú te-né-še-e-ti as either a construct chain or as two nominatives.
The vowel ending of nam-maš-šu-ú makes the interpretation as construct chain more
probable. An interpretation as two nominatives cannot explain the ending vowel of te-néše-e-ti.
The translation given here follows Zgoll, 50, in analyzing the two words as a construct
chain.
napḫar ṣalmāt qaqqadi nammaššû tenēšēti idallalū qurdīki
Line 25: Dīnu, “legal decision, lawsuit.” Baḫūlātu (baʾūlātu), “subjects, people,
troops.” Kittu, “truth.” Mīšaru, “justice.” Dânu (diānum), “to judge.” Lines 25 and 26 are
very important for the characterization of Ishtar in the first invocation: only here and in
line 40 is she the subject of inflected verbs, all of which are in the present (durative) in its