June5] SOCIETYOF BIBLICAL ARCH.-EOLOGY. [1894.
In the first place,doesthis quotationreallyreferto Jerusalem;
andindicate that Ninipwas reallyidentified withthe god of the
city? MajorConderthinks not,andsaidthat,if I looked at the
text again, I would see that it did not. I did look at the text
again,but,withthe best will in the world to be convinced thatI was
wrong,I could not admit that I was so, especially as Prof. Sayce
seemedto translate in the same wayas myself. In order to make
quitecertain,it seemed to me that I ought to have somethingbetter
thaneventhe excellent copypublishedby Abel andWinckler,and
I wrote to Berlin askingeitherfor a cast or a photograph. Dr. Erman,
to whom my letter wasaddressed,wasgoodenoughto transfer my
letterto Ur. Schafer, whokindlyobtainedfor me two photographs
which,givingfairlyclearlythe lines in question, showthatWinckler
andAbel'scopyis quite correct. I beg leave hereto express to Dr.
Schafermy best thanksfor the trouble he has taken on my behalf.
Withregardto the text itself,it is true thatthereare difficulties,
for the word patarat,whichis feminine, seemsto refer to dlu, " city,"
whichis masculine, but the context seemsto me to demand thatit
shouldreferto it. Moreover, any translation in which " the city of
the mountain of Jerusalem," " the city of the house of Ninip," and
"thecity of the king" are not in apposition, doesnot makegoodsense.
Thenextquestionis, who wasNinip?
He is mentioned in numerous inscriptions,andhis name is com
poundedwiththose of various kingsand privatepeople. In the
explanatorylistsof gods we learn that as Ninip he was god of the
oracle(Ninip $a pirtiti), as C/rai, andwhenbearingthe name of
C/ru, he was god of planting (alii) and fertility, as SarSarra
("Hf"-^ -^ E^TT or »-»?" E^tlE&fcl)ne was g°d of fruitfulness (?)
(naSpanti),as Nunir or Nunnir he was god of battle (kablior mehri),
as —^- —y^ Tishu he was god of libations, andas »->|- ^f(^f)
T£jJ£^^2yy TiShu-scS he was god of speech (or eloquence) (kulti).
Accordingto W.A.I., III,68, 18, he was god of planting, andhis
consort,daughter,sister,messenger,andservant(sikiltu)seemto be
mentionedin lines 19 — 30 of the same plate. Ninipwas also identi
fiedwithothergods,among themZagaga,godof war ; Anu and
Anatu™,the male andfemalepersonificationsof the heaven; Nebo,
the god of wisdom ; Bel matati, " lord of the world "—a name that
identifieshimwith Merodach; and Egirsu,the god of Lagas. He
* So also Prof.Zimmern,Ztitschr.fur Assyriologie, Vol.VI.,pp. 262-263.
226