12 THEO. G. PINCHES_, ESQ., ON 



name Niiiip-Aa (f >-Jf- >^ >->][- y| y][) agaiu as eponym fur the 

 year 839 B.C., Assur-Aa again as the name of the eponym for 

 863 B.C., Ninip-Aa again for 865 B.C., and, last but not least, 

 I -^y ^^ yy yy^ Abi-(D.P.) Aa, "My father (is) Aa," is the 

 name of the eponym for 888 B.C. Had we the list complete, 

 tliere is hardly any doubt that we should be able to trace 

 names of this class right back to the earliest times. 



We have not far to go to find an explanation of who this 



*"Hr It Ty» ^^ o^" ^^' "^^^^' "^^i^li Avliom so many of the gods of 

 the Assyrians and Babylonians seem to be identified, for the 

 very same text offers a suggestion. The eponym for the 

 years 826 and 823 B.C. was a certain y ^^^ ]]( ]^, Yahalu, 

 whose name is also written y ]} ^ ^i yj^ J^, Aahalu or Ahalu, 

 thus showing the identity of the groups ]] y][ and t^]], which 

 is further confirmed by the two variant forms of the name 

 Ya-da'u, which is written both y ->f -^y^ ^yy 4->f , (D.PP,) 

 Ya-da' and y ]] ]} ^>->- "^y^y ^>-'-, Aa'-da' (Aa'u-da'u or 

 A'u-da'u). The Rev. C. J. Ball regards this name as being, 

 in all likelihood, the same as ^"1^, and related to Beeliada or 

 Ehada as Nathan to Elnathan. y ::^y >->y- ]] ]}, Abi-Aa, the 

 name of the eponym for the year 888 B.C., is therefore none other 

 than the Assyrian form of the name rf^li^, Abiah, and all the 

 other names, compounded with the element >->f- y][ ]^, simply 

 identify that god with deities of the Babylonian and Assyrian 

 pantheon Avith which it is combined. 



In addition to the above, the following may also be 

 quoted : — 



T -R ^Ty "sM' ^^'^- Yau, " Bel is Ya " = H'hv'2. , Bealiah, 



the name of one of David's mighty men. 

 y ^"^ ^^ yy yy, Beli-Aa, "Bel is Ya," or "My lord is Ya." 

 y ^^ ^^ ^^ yy y^r^ Nusku-Aa, "Nusku is Ya." 

 y >->!- ^y][ ^ t^, Ya-haLi, "Ya has covered" (?),* a slave 

 sold to Neriglissar in the 34:th year of Nebuchad- 

 nezzar. His father's name was y f:*^y ^^ ,^ jyj, 

 variant y i^] ^^ *T?y, Abi-nadih^ Heb. Hi'^2^:?, Abi- 

 nadab. 



* Compare] njsn, with the same meaning, and Ya at tlie end instead 

 of the bes;inninf'. 



