1Possibly ⸢u₄⸣-me, “days,” following Horowitz and Oshima, Canaan p. 115.

2C.J. Gadd (in Crowfoot, Samaria-Sebaste 3 p. 35) suggests that what is preserved might be the end of a place name -ba^?-nu-u.⸢KI⸣, while W. Horowitz and T. Oshima (Canaan p. 115) read [...] ⸢ib⸣-ba-nu u x [...], “[... w]ere built and . [...]”

3Locusts are mentioned at least three times in Sargon’s inscriptions (text no. 1 line 86 and text no. 65 lines 187 and 256), but in no case does the context fit the passage here.

4W. Horowitz and T. Oshima (Canaan p. 115) read [...] áš-me-ṭu x [...], “[...] dust-storm . [...],” and suggest that if the traces of the last sign are those of A the end of the line might be restored a[šamšūtu]. However, the former word only appears once in all of cuneiform literature, in the lexical series MALKU, where áš-me-tú is given as a synonym of ašamšūtu (see CAD A/2 p. 450 and AHw p. 82). The use of the ṬU sign here rather than -tu or -tú makes the identification of the word in this line with the áš-me-tú of MALKU uncertain. Possibly šip-ṭu, “judgement” or “threat,” instead of ME ṬU.

5W. Horowitz and T. Oshima (Canaan p. 115) read [...] ma-si-⸢na^?⸣ [...], “[...] thei[r?] land [...].”