Note 184 — Chapter IX

The longer names consist of three elements: subject, verb, and object. The deity is generally the subject; e.g., Sinacherib=Sin-akhe-irba, i.e., may the god Sin increase the brothers. But there are many variations. So the imperative of the verb is often used, and in that case, the deity is in the vocative case. Instead of three elements, there are frequently only two, a deity and a participle or an adjective; e.g., Sin-magir, i.e., Sin is favorable, or a person is called 'the son' or 'the servant' of a god. The name of the deity alone may also constitute a proper name; and many names of course do not contain the mention of a deity at all, though such names are often abbreviations from longer ones in which some god was introduced.