nišḫi-

Hapax in a Hittite ritual from Kizzuwatna (NS).

[Zs.S.]

acc. pl. c.

˹ni-iš-ḫi-in-zi˺

KBo 5.2 iii 29

(CTH 471, NS)

Attestation following CLL:159 and CHD L-N:454 (cf. also Laroche 1959a:75) checked against the photograph of the Konkordanz. Strauß 2006a:249 (cf. already Friedrich 1941-1944a:332) rightly pointed out that this word can be only acc. pl. c., since it is one of the objects of the sentence, the subject being a single Ritualherr (contra the nom. pl. c. of Laroche 1959a:75; Haas & Wilhelm 1974a:6 n. 1; CLL:159; CHD L-N:454; Ünal 2007a:480, Ünal 2016a:372; Tischler 2008a:126, Tischler 2016a:240).

[Zs.S.]

The precise meaning of this word is unknown (Laroche 1959a:75; Haas & Wilhelm 1974a:92; Wegner 1981a:89; Strauß 2006a:241, Strauß 2016a:§55; Mouton 2016a:307), except that it represents an attribute of the Hurrian gods Šimegi and Šaušga (Laroche 1980a:186; CLL:159; Tischler 2008a:126, Tischler 2016a:240; Ünal 2007a:480, Ünal 2016a:372; Richter 2012a:279; HEG L-S:319; CHD L-N:454). Haas 1998a:8, 235 claims that it is a “Terminus des Wohlbefindens”, without reasoning, but Mouton 2016a:307 n. 2 rightly points out that this is not possible due to its plural form.

Although the lack of the -it-suffix appearing on Luwian nouns of Hurrian origin would argue for an adjective, this form is attested exactly next to the form šūntinnānzi, which is generally explained as a fully inflected Hurrian form with an additional Luwian ending by a scribe of poor Hurrian knowledge (see the discussion s.v. šūntinna-), and thus this form cannot be taken at face value.

[Zs.S.]

As its Luwian ending shows, this is clearly a Luwian loanword in Hittite, but originally from Hurrian (Laroche 1959a:75, Laroche 1980a:186; Haas & Wilhelm 1974a:6 n. 1, 92; Wegner 1981a:89; CLL:159; Strauß 2006a:249; van den Hout 2007a:253; Tischler 2008a:126, Tischler 2016a:240; Ünal 2007a:480, Ünal 2016a:372, 966, but not listed in list of Luwianisms of Melchert 2005a), shown by its Hurrian source borrowed also into Hittite (cf. HEG L-S:319; CHD L-N:454, and Richter 2012a:279).

Note that the attested ending is characteristic for the so-called Empire Luwian (ancestor of Iron Age Luwian) and not for Kizzuwatna Luwian (see already Strauß 2006a:249, cf. in general Yakubovich 2010d:26–28).

[Zs.S.]