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INFLECTION AND POSTFIXES 69
bar, 'look with thine eyes to thy father to Enlil', RADAU, Miscel.,
nos. 3, 23.
é-a-ni du-u-dé ... ma-a-ar ma-an-dúg-ga, 'he commanded me to
build his temple', SAK. 212 e, II 7. umun-ra, 'unto the lord [it is not
pleasing]', SBP. 98,26. en-d. ningirsu-ra ... mu-na-da-dib-e, 'he brought
in for the lord Ningirsu', Cyl. A 8, 21; 9, 4. gu-de-a-ar ... sag-an-sú
il-da, 'to raise high tbe head for Gudea " Cyl. B 6, 17. dagal d. mus­
ten-m, 'unto the mother Musten (he spoke)', SBP. 312, 23. Dative of
disadvantage: mu-lu zi-da-ra ki mu-ni-ib-ri-rig, 'bread of faithful men
it has seized', SBP. 22,49.
It will be seen that ra is the ordinary inflection for the dative
of persons, corresponding to the indirect object in the inflected lan­
guages. The ethical dative a is employed apparently with things
only. Tbe distinction between these two constructions is clearly
indicated in SAK. 26 g) 11, 3-6=h), IV lO-V 1, d.ningir-zu-ra gú­
edin-na su-na mu-ni-gí, 'unto Ningirsu Guedin he resto red into his
hand'.
The dative ra is used after persons at the end of a laudatory intro­
duction to indicate that this person is to be construed with the follówing
verbo SAK. 152, Lugalzaggisi = OBI. 87, enlil ... lugal-za,qgisi ...
abarag dingir-ri-ne-ra ud d·enlil ... lugal-zaggizi namlugal kalam-ma
e-na-sum-ma- a ' Enlil to Lugalzaggisi prophet of the gods - when Enlil
(to) Lugalzaggisi the lordship of the land gave'.
The same construction in VS. 1, no. 4 = ZDMG. LXII, 399, but in
this case ra is repeated in tbe clause as it should have been after lugal­
zaggisi before namlugal above.
§ 82. Keeping in mind the original notion of ra as movement maccusative.
towards, against or for a person, we readily understand its function as
an accusative suffix. galu-ra ussa = amela raksu, 'bind the man',
CT. XVI 12, 42. ma-ra ud-sar-ra mu-un-na-gub-ba = sa iasi nannari
u1:a':;anni, 'me Nannar has established', SBH. 98, 29.
The same function appears perhaps in cases where ra marks a