G114 C iii 20b ˹it˺-ta-raq me-ḫu-ú[
]
SV(2) – J has a different formulation of the
J line against C and T.^577
1 iii 22b ˹la te?-riq?˺ šu-ú a-bu-bu qab-
T 1 iii 7b it-ta-raq m[i
]
G115 C iii 20b me-ḫu-ú OV(l) – Possible difference in pronuncia-
T 1 iii 7b m[i tion. 578
G116 C iii 21 J ša OV – Different spelling of the relative pro-noun.
T^11 iii 23 iii 8 šá šá
(^) G117 C iii 21 (^) GIM (^) OV – The preposition is written syllabically in
J T 1 iii 23 ki-ma J.
1 iii 8 GIM
G118 C iii 22 J uš-ḫa-ri-ir SV(1) – J has the enclitic particle “-ma” lack-ing in the other sources.
T^11 iii 24 iii 9 uš-uš-ḫḫa-ri-ir-ma a-ri-ir
(^577) The variation in the formulation of the line in J amounts to a difference in phraseology without a signifi-
cant change in the contextual meaning. C and T have ittaraq meḫû ..., “the storm relented,” where the form
of √tarāqu, “relent, take pity,” can be read as I/1 perfect, I/2 preterite, or IV/1 preterite, though in A.R.
George, Gilgamesh, 888, the form is read somewhat more definitively as “what appears to be the I/2
stem”). This contrasts with J, teriq šū abūbu qabla, which seems to have the active stative (the so-called
‘predicative verbal adjective’) plus the demonstrative pronoun, and mentions the abūbu, “Deluge,” in place
of the meḫû, “storm.” This difficult phrase in J might therefore be translated as “the flood was relenting
(from) battle,” in light of the comments in J. Huehnergard, Grammar, 27, which states that the active sta-
tive with an active intransitive verb should be translated with a ‘resultative’ sense. A.R. George, Gil-
gamesh, 711 n. 26, translates J thus: “it was relenting, the Deluge, in respect of battle,” (italics in original).
J. Bottéro, L'Épopée de Gilgameš: Le grand homme qui ne voulait pas mourir (Paris: Gallimard, 1992)
192, has a variation on this: “Deluge ... cessèrent, après avoir distribute leurs coups (au hazard),” [(the)
Deluge ... ceased, after dealing out blows (randomly)]. The unusual form of the active stative teriq in J pos-
sibly reflects an Assyrian dialect form where /a/ > /e/, on analogy with the form ittaḫsū > itteḫsū, also in J
and noted in A.R. George, 578 Gilgamesh, 437 (see G94 above).
J. Huehnergard, Grammar, 45 notes that the shift of /i/ > /e/ before the consonants /ḫ/ and /r/ is common,
though “not consistently indicated in the writing system.” Thus the form of the lexeme in C, meḫû, might
be considered a byform of miḫû.