zību II
DRAFT
Meanings:
wolf/wolf-like (canine); vulture
de:German: Deutsch Wolf/ Wolfartig; (Gänse)Geier
fr:French: Français loup/semblable à un loup; vautour
Distribution: OBOB: Old Babylonian (ca. 2000–1600 BCE), MBMB: Middle Babylonian (ca. 1600–1000 BCE), SBSB: Standard Babylonian (ca. 1000–0 BCE), NANA: Neo Assyrian (ca. 1000–600 BCE)
Domain: Animals; birds; wild animals
Grammar:
pos: subst.Substantive
Etymology: Borrowed ＜ NWSem.Northwest Semitic (?) George and Krebernik 2022, 153 no. 3:20 underlines the possibility, that zību is the NWSem. rendering for wolf. See also SED 2, 105f. no. 72.
2Attestations
SBSB: Standard Babylonian (ca. 1000–0 BCE) lušāk[il š]īrīšu i[ṣṣū]r ṣarṣarīma nāʾirī arê u zi-i-bi Gilg. SB V 124 (= George 2003 V 94) eBL “let me fee[d] his [fl]esh to the cricket-birds, the ravening eagles and vultures”.
SBSB: Standard Babylonian (ca. 1000–0 BCE) ina pagrīšunu arû u zi-bu innaṭṭal RIMB 2, 297 ii 14 “eagles and vultures will be seen on their corpses”. cf. RIMB 2, 303 ii 19 (restored); RIMB 2, 310 ii 20 (restored).
Discussion
The numerous attestions with mušen and the characterization as a carrion-eating animal indicates a bird for prey. If it is translated to wolf/wolf-like canine or vulture depends on the context.