bēlum

Akkadian

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *baʕl-. Cognate with Arabic بَعْل (baʕl, “lord”) and Biblical Hebrew בַּעַל (báʕal, “master”).

Pronunciation

Noun

bēlum m (construct state bēl or bēli, plural bēlū, feminine bēltum) (from Old Akkadian on)

  1. lord
    • 1755–1750 BCE, King Hammurabi of Babylon, translated by CDLI, Hammurabi Code‎, The Louvre, Prologue, lines 3-5:
      𒀭𒂗𒆤 𒁁𒂖 𒊭𒈨𒂊 𒅇 𒅕𒍢𒁴
      [Enlil bēl šamê u erṣetim]
      den-lil₂ be-el ša-me-e u₃ er-ṣe-tim
      Enlil, lord of heaven and earth
  2. proprietor, owner
    𒁁𒂖 𒀠𒁉𒉎 𒈤𒊒𒌑𒌝
    [bēl alpim maḫrûm]
    be-el al-pi₂-im maḫ-ru-u₂-um
    the former owner of the ox
  3. Bel, a Babylonian deity related to the Semitic Baal
  4. An epithet of other deities, particularly Marduk

Alternative forms
Cuneiform spellings
Logograms Phonetic
  • 𒂗 (EN)
  • 𒀭𒂗 (dEN) (rare)
  • 𒌋 (UMUN)
  • 𒁁𒇻𒌝 (be-lu-um)
  • 𒁁𒂊𒈝 (be-e-lum)
  • 𒁁𒈝 (be-lum)
  • 𒁁𒂊𒇻 (be-e-lu)
  • 𒁁𒇻 (be-lu)
  • bēl awātim
  • bēl aššatim
  • bēl dīnim
  • bēl lā ilim
  • bēl niqîm
  • bēl pīḫatim/pāḫatim
  • bēl ḫubullim

Descendants
  • → Classical Mandaic: ࡁࡉࡋ (/⁠bīl⁠/)
  • → Classical Syriac: ܒܹܝܠ (/⁠bēl⁠/, “Bel, Jupiter, tin”)

References
  • “bēlu”, in The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CAD)‎, Chicago: University of Chicago Oriental Institute, 1956–2011
  • Black, Jeremy, George, Andrew, Postgate, Nicholas (2000) “bēlu(m)”, in A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian, 2nd corrected edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag
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