Nov.s] SOCIETYOK BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY. [1889.
hillsand streams ; " to set up," " to consolidate " (e.g., an empire).
Therootthusappearsto be the same ultimatelyas that of Di=ddnu
(lien,old sounds, tin, tim, dien ; vid. supr.); cp. also ting(oldsounds,
ting,ding)" to order," " firm," " settled" ; " to secure " ; " to esta
blish; to decide, adjust finally"; "to stop," "to fix," "deter
mine,"etc.
Thesign>*rr occurs ninesuccessivetimes in Haupt's Syllabary.
We have dealtwithsix ; now for the remaining three. Pronounced
sila,it is explained to denote siiqu, "street"; Sa/dtu,"to subdue,"
"overcome,""rule,""actas ruler," e.g., "judge";and nakasu, "to
cut off." Sila,"to cut off," has its counterparts in sin, "to cut wood"
(old sound, sin), si (old sound,sik),"to splitwood"; whilesila,
ia/dtu answersto sin, sun, "to investigate," "inquire," h'un,"to
inquire into judicially"; "to direct"; "announce to"; andsi,
"to distinguish," "discriminate." I suppose a "street" wascalled
sila,as cutting a town intosections,or dividing the houses. That
Salatumeant"to judge," amongotherthings,appearsfromthe rule
Saltisul itame ; "(On the 7th, 14th, 19th, 21st, and 28thdaysof
the month) let not (the king) pronounce a decision as judge"!
Thusan ideogram with three distinct Accadian sounds and nine
Assyriandefinitionshas been accountedfor by help of the Chinese
Dictionary. If this be chance, then chance is another namefor
orderandmethodand design.
In the Assyrian syllabarywe find the character »-£^-tim,dim,
occurringfourtimes,anddefinedby dimmu "pillar,"riksu,"bond,"
"cord,"markasu,"bond"(metaph.),andrikisqanc',"bondor band
of reed." If dim be a genuine vocable, and not an arbitrary sign,
dimmuwill probablybe a loanword. Now dim,"prop," "pillar,"
maybe compared at once withtien (oldsound, tim), "to steady a
thingby putting bricksor other thingsunderit; to shore up;to
prop";"to buttress;" fien, "theplinthor base of a pillar"; ting,
"to sustain," "secure," "establish"; fing, " (door)-posts" ; t'ing,
"a portico," "openroofsupportedon pillars"; tun (old soundston,
don),"a square pillar";"a plinth or base"; tung," the ridge-pole " ;
"a main supportin a building"; "a leading manin a state, a pillar."
But what of dim, "a bond"? It corresponds to fan (oldsounds
dan,dam),"a rattan cordor string for binding" ; fang (oldsounds,
t'eng,deng),"to bind," "fasten,"as with ropes; "cords"; tao (old
sounds,t'o, t'op, t'ok,do, dot, dok), "a plaited sash"; "a band or
cord" ; fao, " to bind up " ; "a cord." I shall have occasion to
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