G237 J 1 v 15 t]a OV(l) – Possible difference in pronuncia-
T 1 iv 19’ uṣ-ṣab-bi-tu 4 tion.^638
(^) G238 J
T^11 v 16 iv 20’ mu-tum mu-ú-tum “death,” is written in J. OV – The long vowel in medial weak √mūtu,
G239 Jb rev. 7’^1 v 20 aaḫḫ--šá ˹šá˺ OV – The pronominal suffix is written with the sign ŠA in b.
G240 J b rev. 8a’ 1 v 21a n]a-as-su pa˺-na-su “front part,” is written in J.OV – The long vowel in the noun 639 √panātu,
(^) G241 C v 29 (^) me-˹e˺[ (^) OV – The plural noun √mê, “water,” is writ-
J T 1 v 24 M]EŠ ten logographically in J and T.
b rev. 11’^1 v 8 A.MEŠ m]e-e
(^) G242 J
T^11 v 24 v 8 GI]M GIM cally in b. OV – The preposition kīma is written syllabi-
b rev. 11’ ˹ ki-ma˺ (^)
G243 C v 30b J ṭa-a-bu OV(l) – W preserves mimation, lacking in the other sources. (^640)
W^1 v 25b 1 v 16b ṭ[a-a-bu ṭ]a?-[bu]-˹um?
(^) G244 C v 30b (^) ˹ṭa-a-bu ṣú-pu˺[ (^) SV(2) – J has a different phraseology com-
W J^1 v 25b ṭa-a-bu lu ṣa-pu pared to the other sources.^641
1 v 16b [ ṭ]a?-[bu]˹um?^ ṣú˺-pt The form in T is read as a Neo-Assyrian orthographic variation of the ventive suffix where /a/ > /u/. This
is the same categorisation of this variant as found in A.R. George, 639 Gilgamesh, 441.
One possibility is to read the form in b as √panū, “front,” plus 3ms pronominal suffix, and therefore to
count this variant as a lexical interchange. Such a reading is not preferred as it does not make sense of the
writing of the sibilant in both sources as /s/. If the root is read as panātu in both sources the orthography
satisfies the phonological change expected where a dental plosive [t] plus a palatal sibilant [š] combine to
become a single long alveolar sibilant /ss/. Interpreting the orthography of b as simply defective is therefore
the best reading in terms of the grammar. See J. Huehnergard, 640 Grammar, 87.
The sign in W is very damaged, but a variant of some kind is certain based on the remaining material.
The variant here is read according to A.R. George, 641 Gilgamesh, 718, where the sign UM is restored.
C and W both have a masculine singular imperative verb referring to the subject, Ur-šanabi: ṭābu ṣupû
zumuršu, “soak his body well.” This is in contrast to J which has the precative particle lū plus a verbal ad-
jective referring to the state of the object: ṭābu lū ṣapû zumuršu, “let his body be soaked well.”