Babylonian: King

[franknagy]

The ancient denominations of rulers, like pharaoh, tyrannus, despota were preserved and widely used in living languages.
The word for Babylonian or Assyrian king has lost.
What was the "king" in the language of Babylon?

 

[fdb]

The Akkadian (Babylonian/Assyrian) word for “king” is šarru. The Sumerian word is lugal (literally: “great man”).

 

[tFighterPilot]

While the word is not used in any modern language, its Hebrew cognate, שר (sar) is used in modern Hebrew in the meaning of "minister".

 

[franknagy]

Thank you for you answer, fdb.

 

[franknagy]

While the word is not used in any modern language, its Hebrew cognate, שר (sar) is used in modern Hebrew in the meaning of "minister".

A little play with the words.
XY minister is שרש
"sár"=mud.
"sáros"="muddy" = committed sg.

 

[mundiya]

The Akkadian (Babylonian/Assyrian) word for “king” is šarru. The Sumerian word is lugal (literally: “great man”).

Is there an Akkadian word related to Arabic "malik" or "sultaan"?

 

[origumi]

Is there an Akkadian word related to Arabic "malik" or "sultaan"?

Akkadian malku = king.
Akkadian shalatu = to rule.

 

[ancalimon]

Isn't šarru similar to czar? (çar in Turkish)

 

[fdb]

Isn't šarru similar to czar? (çar in Turkish)

Russian czar/tsar is from Caesar, nothing to do with Babylonian.

 

[fdb]

Akkadian malku = king.
Akkadian shalatu = to rule.

Yes, but…

Akkadian malku is used very rarely for the Babylonian or Assyrian king; usually it designates a foreign king. It is in any event not the main word for “king” in Akkadian.

The root š-l-ṭ does mean “to rule”, but there is no word for “king” from this root in Akkadian. Actually, in Arabic sulṭān is primarily an abstract noun “rule, dominion” and only later does it take on the meaning “ruler, king”.

 

[Wadi Hanifa]

Do we know the original meaning of the root for shar?

Yes, but…

Akkadian malku is used very rarely for the Babylonian or Assyrian king; usually it designates a foreign king. It is in any event not the main word for “king” in Akkadian.

This is interesting. Do we know why they preferred a different word for foreign kings as opposed to local ones?

The root š-l-ṭ does mean “to rule”, but there is no word for “king” from this root in Akkadian. Actually, in Arabic sulṭān is primarily an abstract noun “rule, dominion” and only later does it take on the meaning “ruler, king”.

In the Quran it seems to mean "authority" in the sense of a "mandate" or "justification".

 

[Abaye]

Do we know the original meaning of the root for shar?

Akkadian šarru seems related to Hebrew s-r-r (with "sin", so an Arabic cognate is expected to be sh-r-r).
The meaning: as a verb: to rule, govern. As a noun: governor, minister (wazir), prince, high rank commander in the military.

 

[Wadi Hanifa]

Akkadian šarru seems related to Hebrew s-r-r (with "sin", so an Arabic cognate is expected to be sh-r-r).

Yes, which means "evil" or "harm"!

 

[Abaye]

Yes, which means "evil" or "harm"!

I think that Arabic sharir شرير "evil" has nothing similar in any other Semitic language.

BTW, "sin" in my post above refers to the Hebrew letter name, not to the English word.

 

[Wadi Hanifa]

Was too good to be true I guess.

I think it's plausible to think the شرّ for 'evil' or 'harm' is related to شرر for flying sparks, which in turn seems related to the older Afro-Asiatic/Proto-Semitic sense of 'flying' in the link you posted.