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that the Alif preverved in Hebrew, Aramaic and Phoenician has disappeared in the Palmyrene orthography, but it is possible that the god Malakbel came to Palmyra from Arabia and there we find as the word for "angel" not only "mal'âk", but also malak, with contraction of the Alif.(6O) A pronunciation and meaning of the name in our inscription identical with the divine name Malakbel, "the messenger of Bel", would be inconceivable. It must, therefore, be interpreted in another way and the most likely explanation is, that it is composed of Bel and the widely used Semitic word, malak, "king". Such a name, meaning "Bel is king"(60a) could be pronounced Malakbel, but would, however, seem impractical being too close to or identifical with that of the divine name Malakbel ; or it could be pronounced Malkibel, in favor of which one ), 62) might cite the assimilated form (61) (by some even read ) known from an inscription of Abila, and found on a Palmyrene funerary relief(63) and which, without doubt is to be pronounced Makkibel.

IV

Male bust with Palmyrene inscription, eight lines to the right and seven to the left of the head (pl. IX, 2):

"Alas! Bôrfâ, son of 'Atenatan, son of Bôlhâ, which his son Bôlhâ, the Chaldean, made for him. This funerary stele was entombed in the lower part of the niche to

56. Seyrig, Syria, X, 1929, p. 343.
57. Preisendanz in Pauly-Wissowa, Realencyclopaedie, s.v. Malachbelos.
58. Greek inscription found at Palmyra, cf. Ingholt, Syria, XIII, 1932, p. 289.
59. Preisendanz, op. cit.
60. Dussaud, Les Arabes en Syrie avant l'Islam, Paris 1907, p. 171.
60a. Cf. probably Malkícl or Malak'el, " 'El is king", on a tessera published by Euting, op. cit. p. 677, nr. 30, and on a tessera acquired by me in Palmyra in 1928.
61. Waddington, Inscriptions grecques et latines de Syrie, Paris 1870, nr. 1875a. Cumont, Fouilles de Doura-Europos, p. 356, nr. 2, compares the names (ibidem) and , (Princeton University Archeological Expeditions to Syria, III, Greek and Latin inscriptions, Section A, Southern Syria, p. 112, nr. 195). This last name, 		    however, is given by the editors as Makkar'el, to which one might compare the Nabatean and Palmyrene names: and (see Lidzbarski, Handbuch, s.v.), respectively simflar in form and meaning.
62. Ed. Meyer, s. v. Báal in Roscher, Lexicon d. griechischen und roemischen Mythologie, 1, Leipzig 1884-90, p. 2876-Dussaud et MacIer, Voyage archéologique au Safa et dans le Djebel Druze, Paris 1901, p. 213, n. 1. ‹Isid. Lévy, Revue des Études Juives, XLIII, 1901, p. 187f.-Seyrig, Syria, X, 1929, p. 338, n. 4. By Ed. Meyer, Isid. Lévy and Seyrig the name is regarded as equivalent to that of the divine name Malakbel, while Dussaud considers it as a human name. According to Waddington there seems on the other hand to be no doubt about the reading of the first part of the name as -
63. Studier, p. 117, PS 232,

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