V4 A:10 uḫ-ḫa-ram-ma OV – A and B have syllabic spelling, against
B:10 uḫ-ḫa-ram-ma the logogram in J.^161
J:9 ZAL-ma
V5 A:11 GÁL.ME OV - A has the plural marker ME, against
B:11 GÁL.MEŠ MEŠ in B and J.
J:10 ]EŠ
V6 A:12 UD.˹ 12 ˺[ HV – Difference in ordinal number.^162
B:12 UD.25.KAM
V7 A:13 UD.16.KAM HV – Difference in ordinal number.^163
B:13 UD.29.KAM
J:11 UD.28.KAM
(^161) This variant could be counted as a lexical interchange. This would treat the logogram ZAL as having the
value nasaḫu, ‘to take away, remove’. However, given the close semantic relationship between ḫarāmum
and nasaḫu it is difficult to suppose that any change in the text was intended at this point by the copyist of
J. In the light of Rule 4 it will be assumed that the logogram in J in place of the full spelling in A and B
represents an orthographic variant. 162
163 A records the eastern setting of Venus (Σ) on the 12th day of Kislimi, while B has the 25th day.
There is a 13 day discrepancy between the western rising of Venus (Ξ) in A and B, probably a result of
the previous variant. J does not have the first date preserved, but the date for Ξ varies from B by one day,
so J may be a misreading of a text like B.