Position in chronology
Ashurbanipal 210
Translation · reference
High confidence(1) For the god Nusku, supreme lord, e[xalted] judge, [who oversees the nindabû-offerings for all (the Igīgū and) the Anunnakū gods, who administers the Ekur], bright light that lights up the night, [powerful] f[ire, friend of the god Šamaš, the judge], holy god, who purifies [go]d and man, who lights up the da[rkness, who lights up the dark like the sun]; (4) the god Nusku, supreme one, heroic god, who burns up evil ones, [whose flames scorch the land of the insubmissive], who introduces command and directive, who oversees the I[gīgū and Anunnakū gods, ... instructions], who provides strewn…
Source: Novotny, J. & Jeffers, J. 2018–. The Royal Inscriptions of Ashurbanipal (668–631 BC), Aššur-etel-ilāni (630–627 BC) and Sîn-šarra-iškun (626–612 BC), Kings of Assyria. RINAP 5. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap5/Q007618/
Why it matters
Hymn to Nusku as divine judge and fire-deity records the Sargonid theology linking celestial fire, legal authority, and ritual purification — showing how Assyrian kingship anchored its jurisprudence in divine cosmic order.
Transliteration
a-na dnusku EN šur-bé-e da-a-⸢a⸣-an ⸢ṣi⸣-[i-ri pa-qid NIDBA.MEŠ šá DÙ (dí-gì-gì u) dGÉŠ.U mu-ma-ʾe-er é-kur]1 / ZÁLAG nam-ru mu-nam-⸢mir⸣ mu-ši-ti ⸢dGIBIL₆⸣ [ga-áš-ru tap-pe-e dUTU da-a-a-ni]2 / DINGIR KÙ mul-lil ⸢DINGIR⸣ u ⸢LÚ mu⸣-nam-mir ⸢e⸣-[ṭu-ti ša ki-ma dUTU-ši ú-nam-ma-ru ek-le-tú] / dnusku šur-bu-u DINGIR ⸢qar⸣-du qa-⸢mu-ú⸣ ḪUL.MEŠ [šá KUR la ma-gi-re ú-ḫa-am-ma-ṭu nab-lu-šu] / mu-še-rib…
Scholarly note
Royal inscription of Ashurbanipal or a late Sargonid successor, edited by Jamie Novotny & Joshua Jeffers (RINAP 5, 2018–). ORACC text Q007618.
Attribution
Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P394683). source
Translation excerpted from Novotny, J. & Jeffers, J. 2018–. The Royal Inscriptions of Ashurbanipal (668–631 BC), Aššur-etel-ilāni (630–627 BC) and Sîn-šarra-iškun (626–612 BC), Kings of Assyria. RINAP 5. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap5/Q007618/.
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