Sárospataki Füzetek 17. (2013)

2013 / 1-2. szám - TANULMÁNYOK - Doedens, Jacob J. T.:Ókori izraelita politeista feliratok: Aséra mint JHVH felesége?

1. “l]engthen their days and they will be filled, [and they] will give to [Y]hwh Teiman32 and to Asherat[

2. ] do good, Yhwh (of) the Tei[man]”33

2.2 The Pithoi Inscriptions

In ' Ajrud, remnants of two large storage jars (pithoi)34 were found, both with drawings and inscriptions35 on them.

The remnants of Pithos A contain the following inscription:

1. 'mr. ’[. . . .]h[ .]k. mr. lyhl[ .] wlyw 'sh. w. . . brkt. 'tkm

2. lyhwh. smrn. wl’srt/P6

1. “Utterance of Ashyaw the king: Say to Yehallel and to Yaw asah and to [...]:

‘I bless you

2. by Yahweh of Samaria3’ and his38 asherah!’”39 *

Pithos B had at least eight inscriptions of which only two are legible:

1. []mr

2. mryw

3. mr l. 'dn[y]

4. hslm.

32 Cf. Hab 3:3, sii' p'np rrib>K. According to Zevit, The Religions of Ancient Israel, 396, “HAjrud itself may have been within the territory designated as Teiman.”

33 Zevit, The Religions of Ancient Israel, 373.

34 According to Zevit, The Religions of Ancient Israel, 379, Neutron Activation Analysis has shown the material of the storage jars to come from the Jerusalem area.

35 It is also possible that the inscriptions and drawings were applied after breakage, cf. Dijkstra, “I Have Blessed You By Yhwh of Samaria,” 26.

36 Transcription: Keel and Uehlinger, Gods, Goddesses, 225.

37 Zevit, The Religions of Ancient Israel, 391, explains this phrasing as the manifestation of Yhwh as he was worshipped in Samaria, and compares the expression with Gen 35:7, btrn'3 5k.

38 Possible is also the translation ‘its’, referring to ‘Samaria’.

39 “Kuntillet Ajrud: Inscribed Pithos I,” translated by P. Kyle McCarter (COS 2.47AT71). See also Keel and Uehlinger, Gods, Goddesses, 225-226, for discussion on the translation. Zevit, The Religions of Ancient Israel, 390, translates here also ‘Asheratah’. See below for an evaluation of this translation.

311 At this point there is an abecedary written over the inscription, cf. Hadley, “Two Pithoi from Kuntillet Ajrud,” 185.

Ancient Israelite Polytheistic Inscriptions...

2013/1-2 SÁROSPATAKI FÜZETEK 47