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Independent
eonditional.
164 SUMERJAN GRAMMAR
discourse. a-na ib-ag-a nu-un-zu, 'He knows not what he has done' '.
ba-bi lugal-dúr-dug-e nu-u-na-an-sum-ma-a... nam-erim-bi in-kud,
'Lugal-durdug took oath that he had not given this gift' 2. ud-kúr-(;ú
lu lu-ra gil nu-ma-ma-ne-a in-pad-de-es, 'In the future man against
man will not complain - they swore' 3.
The conditional subjunctive is rare since Sumerian conceives of a
condition as already realised, yet the construction does occur as in
dé-en-im-mi-dúg-a, 'if I say', K. 41 rey. 14 (cited in § 220). ud nu­
sú-sam-sam-a-a, 'If ever he does not purchase' 4. galu é-ninnu-ta im­
ta-ab-e-e-a, 'If ever any one remove5 it from Eninnu', Gud. B. 8, 6.
§ 222. The conditional in the indicative. Sumerian in case of
the conditional particle ud, 'when', distinguished two classes of condi­
tions, one based upon the mere intellectual conception of possibility and
the other upon the present realisation of the condition. In the former
case ud is regarded as a relative adverb, 'when', and governs the sub­
junctive both in conditional and temporal clauses as we have seen. In
this sense ud should be translated into Semitic by enuma 5. Ordinarily,
however, the language prefers to conceive of the protasis as an indepen­
dent sentence and the condition as already real, the idea being, 'granted
that such and such a thing has taken place, then such and such things
will occur'. In this sense ud is inflected in the obligue case udda, uda
and means 'at this time', 'now', the formula being, 'now granted that
ete.' In this sense the Semitic translation is summa which likewise
governs the indicative 6. ud-da mu-sú-sam .,. lal-ma u-na-dúg, "If
he buy (a mule) let him say to him 'pay me'" 7. ud-da enim-ba
su-ni-bal-e ~asus-gal cl.en-lil-lá ... {¡e-sus, 'If he revokes this oath may
1. IV R. 22 a 54.
2. RTC. 295.
3. POEBEL, op. laudo no. 37, 17. rOn this subjunetive see F. THUREAU·DANGIN,
in Flarilegium Melchía/' de Vagüé, p. 597; ef. ZA. XXIV 385].
4. SAK. 52 note i).
5. CT. XII 6 a 5.
6. First pointed out by UNGNAD, ZA. XVII 362.
7. SAK. 52 XI 25.