Babylonian and Assyrian Literature Part 36

[Footnote 30: Probably "in ivory."]

[Footnote 31: Labnana.]

[Footnote 32: Hazazi.]

[Footnote 33: Prince.]

[Footnote 34: The Inscription is here defaced.]

[Footnote 35: May this be the Hebrew word for garments, "beged"?]

[Footnote 36: Defaced.]

[Footnote 37: Arunte.]

[Footnote 38: Defaced.]

[Footnote 39: Defaced.]

[Footnote 40: Precisely thus: "The King of a.s.syria brought men from Babylon ... and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel."--2 Kings xvii. 24.]

[Footnote 41: "Akhari." Heb. [Hebrew: achari].]

[Footnote 42: Literally, Zurai, Sidunai, Gubalai, Makullat.]

[Footnote 43: See p. 192, note 5.]

[Footnote 44: Ebony.]

[Footnote 45: The mountain chain which divides Syria from Cilicia.]

[Footnote 46: Or, proof.]

[Footnote 47: Literally, sat.]

[Footnote 48: I.e., "the sun is my light."]

[Footnote 49: a.s.syr. "Airu," Heb. "Iyar." 866 B.C.]

[Footnote 50: Literally, k.u.mukhaya.]

[Footnote 51: Between Carchemish and the Orontes.]

[Footnote 52: Diarbekr, still known by the name of "Kar-Amid." Rawlinson's "Herodotus," l. 466. The name is of frequent occurrence in early Christian writers.]

[Footnote 53: See p. 188, note 2.]

[Footnote 54: Cf. Is. x. 34, "He shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron"; also Ezek. x.x.xix. 10.]

[Footnote 55: The inscription is here defaced.]

[Footnote 56: Defaced.]

[Footnote 57: See p. 188, note 2.]

[Footnote 58: The grandfather of a.s.sur-nasir-pal. His reign probably terminated at 889 B.C.]

[Footnote 59: Literally, shepherd. Thus, Isa. xliv. 28, "Cyrus is my shepherd."]

[Footnote 60: Cf. Ps. xxix. 10, "The Lord (Jhvh) sitteth upon the flood; yea the Lord sitteth King forever."]

[Footnote 61: This reads like an annexation of a portion of Babylonian territory.]

[Footnote 62: Or upholder, proclaimer of Sin, the moon; of. I. 127.]

[Footnote 63: a.s.syr. "Nalad." Cf. the Heb. yalad "born of."]

[Footnote 64: Precisely thus were the Israelites carried away to Babylon.]

a.s.sYRIAN SACRED POETRY

TRANSLATED BY H.F. TALBOT, F.R.S.

The following translations are some of those which I published in the "Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archaeology" in order to show that the a.s.syrians had a firm belief in the immortality of the soul: a fact which was previously unknown.

I have added specimens of their penitential psalms, and some notices of their numerous superst.i.tions, such as the exorcism of evil spirits, the use of magic knots and talismans, the belief in inherited or imputed sins, and in the great degree of holiness which they attributed to the number _Seven_. In some of these respects we may evidently see how great an influence was exercised on the mind and belief of the Jews by their long residence at Babylon.

a.s.sYRIAN SACRED POETRY

A PRAYER FOR THE KING

1 "Length of days 2 long lasting years 3 a strong sword 4 a long life 5 extended years of glory 6 pre-eminence among Kings 7 grant ye to the King my Lord, 8 who has given such gifts 9 to his G.o.ds!

10 The bounds vast and wide 11 of his Empire 12 and of his Rule, 13 may he enlarge and may he complete!

14 Holding over all Kings supremacy 15 and royalty and empire 16 may he attain to gray hairs 17 and old age!

18 And after the life of these days, 19 in the feasts of the silver mountain,[2] the heavenly Courts 20 the abodes of blessedness: 21 and in the Light 22 of the _Happy Fields,_ 23 may he dwell a life 24 eternal, holy 25 in the presence 26 of the G.o.ds 27 who inhabit a.s.syria!"

[Footnote 1: From the "Trans. Soc. Bib. Arch.," vol. i. p. 107. The original is in "Cuneiform Inscriptions of Western Asia," vol. iii. pl.

66.]

[Footnote 2: The a.s.syrian Olympus. The epithet "silver" was doubtless suggested by some snowy inaccessible peak, the supposed dwelling-place of the G.o.ds.]