The cuneiform inscriptions and the Old Testament - The Search For ...

154 THE CUNEIFORM INSCRIPTIONS AND TEE 0. T.
454 XII. 11. At the same time great is the lamentation
at Jerusalem, like the lamentation for Hadad-Rimmon
(|iiSn"llM) in the valley Megiddo. We shall not here
discuss the vexata quaestio as to whether by Hadad-Rim-
mon in this passage a god (Adonis?— corap. Ezek. VIII.
14) was intended for whom lamentation was made,—which
lamentation here forms the fertium comparationis — or
whether Hadad-Rimmdn is to be regarded as the proper
name of a geographical locality designated from the above-
mentioned deity. We shall content ourselves with simply
observing that the name of the deity, from which this
locality was unquestionably called according to the second
theory, has received in all essential points definite illustra-
tion from the Assyrian monuments. It has already been
clearly established from the classical writers (Macrob.
Satir. I. 23) that Hadad CT^^) was the Syrian god of
heaven as well as sun-god. Also the monuments show that
the Syrian god Dad i. e. Hadad is identical with the Assyr-
ian Rammi,nu, R§,m§,nu, the god of thunder and storm
(root Dyn). See note on 2 Kings V. 18, Vol. I, p. 196 foil.
The same ideogram (AN.) IM serves to designate both the
deity Dad = Hadad and the god Ramm§,n (Keilinsch.
u. Gesch. p. 538 foil.). The compound form Hadad-
Ramm^n signifies that the heavenly deity, Hadad, is here
specially regarded as the 'storm-god'. The double name
might be compared in signification with the designations
of Zeus (Jupiter) as Zsig ^Qovtrfiioc, or ^qovtcov (Inscrr.
Graec. 3, 4040, I;— 3, 3810. 5932) or else with "Jupiter
tonans". The vocalization of the form pi, that was com-
pletely misunderstood by the punctuators, as |ii3"! is due
to mere conjecture; comp. note on 2 Kings V. 18 (Vol. I,
p. 19 7). The deity referred-to has nothing whatever to
,