M258 A iv 7 MUL meš ša ziq-pi SV(1) – The relative particle is lack-
J iii 9 MUL Q iii 8 MUL mešmeš ziq-pi ša ziq-pi ing in J and X.
X iii 3 MUL ziq-pi
M259 A iv 8 J iii 10 ina IGI-it ina IGI-it SV(1) – The preposition ing in Q. ina is lack-
Q iii 9 IGI-it
(^) M260 A iv 8 (^) ina IGI-it GABA-ka GUB me-
zu-ma
SV(2) – X has a clarifying plus, lack-
J iii 10 ina IGI-it GABA-ka GUB meš- ing in the other sources.^314
Q iii 9 m[a IGI-it GABA-ka iz-za-zu[
X iii 4 t]i šá EN.NUN AN-e GU[B
(^) M261 A iv 8 (^) GUB me-zu-ma (^) OV – The plural marker is written as
J iii 10 GUB meš-ma ME in A against MEŠ in J. 315
M262 A iv 8 GUB me-zu-ma OV – The verb izzazzū is written
J iii 10 GUB Q iii 9 iz-za-zu[ meš-ma logographically in A and J against the syllabic spelling in Q.
(^) M263 A iv 8-9 (^) GI
meš 6 SAR meš u ŠÚ meš šá MUL SV(3) – The sequence in Q varies from the sequence in A and J. (^316)
J iii 11 ] šá MUL me
Q iii 10 ]u GI 6
M264 A iv 9 MUL meš OV – The plural marker is written with the sign MEŠ in A against ME
J iii 11 MUL in J.
me
(^314) A, J and Q all read ina meḫret irtika izzazz (^) ūma, “they are positioned opposite your breast,” against the
reading in X meḫret ša naṣir šamê izzazzū, “they are positioned opposite the observer of the sky.” X has the
third person here but agrees with the other sources in using the second person pronoun in X iii 6 (see note
below). 315
In the light of Rule 3 the phonetic complement, lacking in J, is not counted as it forms part of the same
semogenic unit as the previous orthographic variant. 316
Although the text of Q is broken it seems clear that the logogram GI 6 , mūša, “night,” stands at the end of
the clause. This is against the other sources which have this word at the beginning of the clause. A, the only
fully preserved copy, reads: mūša nipḫāti u rībī ša kakkabī ... , “the nightly rising and setting of the stars.”