§ 178

Law § 178 of Hammurabi's Code

Translation

If the father of a priestess or a temple-woman or a devotee has presented her with a dowry and written out a document for her but has not written on that document that she may dispose of her property in the way she thinks best or that he has empowered her to do what she likes, after he has passed to his destiny her brothers shall take the field or the orchard and make her comfortable by giving her food, oil and garments according to the size of her share. If her brothers have not made her comfortable by giving her food, oil and clothing according to the size of her share, she shall give her field or her orchard to a farmer she favours and he shall do the cultivation, and he shall support her. She shall enjoy the field, the orchard or anything else her father has given her as long as she lives. She shall not sell it for silver or become responsible to anyone else. Her inheritance belongs to her brothers.

Law Code

Law Code of Hammurabi

Law Group

Inheritance

Inscription

Cuneiform

Source: Bergmann (1953, p. 23–24, col. R XIV–XV, lns. 61–92; 1–19)

Transliteration

šum-ma NIN.AN ŠAL(?) u lu zinništum zi-ik-ru-um ša a-bu-ša še-ri-iḳ-tam iš-ru-ḳu-ši-im dup-pa-am iš-tu-ru-ši-im i-na dup-pi-im ša iš-tu-ru-ši-im wa-ar-ka-za e-ma e-li-ša ṭa-bu na-da-nam la iš-tur-ši-im-ma ma-la li-ib-bi-ša la u-ša-am-zi-ši wa-ar-ka a-bu-um a-na ši-im-tim it-ta-al-ku eḳil-ša u kirâ-ša aḫ-ḫu-ša i-li-ḳu-ma ki-ma e-mu-uḳ zi-it-ti-ša ŠE.BA NI.BA u ŠIG.BA i-na-ad-di-nu-šim-ma li-ib-ba-ša u-ṭa-ab-bu šum-ma aḫ-ḫu-ša ki-ma e-mu-uḳ zi-it-ti-ša ŠE.BA NI.BA u ŠIG.BA la it-ta-ad-nu-ši-im-ma li-ib-ba-ša la uṭ-ṭi-ib-bu eḳil-ša u kirâ-ša a-na ir-ri-ši-im ša e-li-ša ṭa-bu i-na-ad-di-in-ma ir-ri-za it-ta-na-aš-ši-ši eḳlam kirâm u mi-im-ma ša a-bu-ša id-di-nu-ši-im a-di ba-al-ṭa-at i-kal a-na kaspim u-ul i-na-ad-di-in ša-ni-a-am u-ul u-up-pa-al ab-lu-za ša aḫ-ḫi-ša-ma

Source: Abulhab (2017, p. 80)

Normalization

šumma ugbabtum nadītum u lu sekretum ša abuša šeriktam išrukušim ṭuppam išṭurušim ina ṭuppim ša išṭurušim warkassa ēma eliša ṭabu nadānam la išṭuršimma mala libbiša la ušamṣīši warka abum ana šīmtim ittalku eqelša u kirāša aḫḫūša ileqqûma kīma emūq zittiša ipram piššatam u lubūšam inaddinūšimma libbaša uṭabbū. šumma aḫḫūša kīma emūq zittiša ipram piššatam u lubūšam la ittadnūšimma libbaša la uṭṭibbū, eqelša u kirāša ana errēšim ša eliša ṭābu inaddinma errēssa ittanaššīši eqlam kirâm u mimma ša abuša iddinušim adi balṭat ikkal. ana kaspim ul inaddin. šaniam ul uppal. aplūssa ša aḫḫīšama.

Source: Richardson (2004, p. 98)

Translation

If the father of a priestess or a temple-woman or a devotee has presented her with a dowry and written out a document for her but has not written on that document that she may dispose of her property in the way she thinks best or that he has empowered her to do what she likes, after he has passed to his destiny her brothers shall take the field or the orchard and make her comfortable by giving her food, oil and garments according to the size of her share. If her brothers have not made her comfortable by giving her food, oil and clothing according to the size of her share, she shall give her field or her orchard to a farmer she favours and he shall do the cultivation, and he shall support her. She shall enjoy the field, the orchard or anything else her father has given her as long as she lives. She shall not sell it for silver or become responsible to anyone else. Her inheritance belongs to her brothers.

Source: Richardson (2004, p. 99)

Logic

Logic Map for § 178 · Powered by LawgicSniffer^SM

#

Steps

1 if:start If
2 condition:start
3 party:1 the father (of)
4 party:2 a priestess or a temple-woman or a devotee
5 action has presented
6 party:2 her
7 item:1 (with) a dowry
8 condition:end
9 and and
10 condition:start
11 party:1 [he]
12 action [has] written out
13 item:2 a document
14 party:2 (for) her
15 condition:end
16 but but
17 condition:start
18 party:1 [he]
19 negation has not
20 action witten on
21 item:2 that document
22 party:2 (that) she
23 action may dispose of
24 party:2 her
25 item:1 property
26 action in the way
27 party:2 she
28 action thinks best
29 condition:end
30 or or
31 condition:start
32 party:1 (that) he
33 action has empowered
34 party:2 her
35 action to do what
36 party:2 she
37 action likes,
38 condition:end
39 and [and]
40 condition:start
41 undefined after
42 party:1 he
43 action has passed to
44 party:1 his
45 undefined destiny
46 condition:end
47 then:start [then]
48 result:start
49 party:2 her
50 party:3 brothers
51 action shall take
52 item:3 the field
53 or or
54 item:4 the orchard
55 result:end
56 and and
57 result:start
58 party:3 [they]
59 action [shall] make
60 party:2 her
61 action comfortable by giving
62 party:2 her
63 item:5 food, oil and garments
64 action according to the size of
65 party:2 her
66 item:1 share.
67 result:end
68 then:end
69 if:start If
70 condition:start
71 party:2 her
72 party:3 brothers
73 negation have not
74 action made
75 party:2 her
76 action comfortable by giving
77 party:2 her
78 item:5 food, oil and clothing
79 action according to the size of
80 party:2 her
81 item:1 share,
82 condition:end
83 if:end
84 then:start [then]
85 result:start
86 party:2 she
87 action shall give
88 party:2 her
89 item:3 field
90 or or
91 party:2 her
92 item:4 orchard
93 party:4 (to) a farmer
94 party:2 she
95 action favours,
96 result:end
97 and and
98 result:start
99 party:4 he
100 action shall do the cultivation,
101 result:end
102 and and
103 result:start
104 party:4 he
105 action shall support
106 party:2 her.
107 result:end
108 result:start
109 party:2 She
110 negation shall not
111 undefined sell
112 item:1 it
113 undefined for silver
114 or or
115 action become responsible to anyone else.
116 result:end
117 result:start
118 party:2 Her
119 item:1 inheritance
120 action belongs to
121 party:2 her
122 party:3 brothers.
123 result:end
124 if:end

Vocabulary

Akkadian Words · Powered by GrammarSniffer^SM

šumma (conditional Particle) "if; whether"

libbiša (Noun form) Masculine Singular of libbu "heart"

Citation

Dedović, B. "§ 178 - eHammurabi." OMNIKA Foundation, 4 Nov. 2023, ehlaw.org/law/178. [Accessed 8 Nov. 2026]

MLA 9

Dedović, B. (2023, November 4). § 178 - eHammurabi. OMNIKA Foundation. https://ehlaw.org/law/178

APA 7

Dedović, Boban. "§ 178 - eHammurabi." Las Vegas, NV: OMNIKA Foundation. Created November 4, 2023. Modified July 31, 2024. Accessed November 8, 2026. https://ehlaw.org/law/178.

CMS 16

Bibliography

Abulhab, Saad D. The Law Code of Hammurabi: Transliterated and Literally Translated from its Early Classical Arabic Language. New York, NY: Blautopf, 2017.

ACH

Bergmann, Eugen. Codex Ḫammurabi: Textus Primigenius. Rome, Italy: Pontificium Institutum Biblicum, 1953.

CHTP

Huehnergard, John. A Grammar of Akkadian (Third Edition). Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2011.

HAG3

Huehnergard, John. Key to a Grammar of Akkadian (Third Edition). Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2013.

HKEY3

OMNIKA Foundation Contributors. "OMNIKA: Digital Mythology Library & Search Engine." Las Vegas, NV: OMNIKA Foundation, accessed November 14, 2023. https://omnika.org. [Visit]

–

Richardson, Mervyn E.J. Hammurabi's Laws: Text, Translation and Glossary. New York, NY: T & T Clark International, 2004.

RHL

Sound of Text Contributors. "Sound of Text: AI Text-to-Speech." Accessed November 14, 2023. https://soundoftext.app. [Visit]

SoT

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§ 178