Middle Assyrian Laws

Historical source page 30

An Assyrian Law Code 29 or any kind of food is not given back to him 60 ; (only) money he receives back. 61 31 If a woman is retained in the house of her father, her gift 62 which was given to her, whether she takes it [to the house] 63 of her father-in-law or does not take it, cannot 64 serve as an asset 65 [after the death (?)] 66 of her husband. 32 (Very fragmentary, with the exception of the closing lines. The paragraph likewise deals with the status of the woman living in the house of her father, whose husband has died 67 and who has no children. Apparently, if there are no other brothers, she is given to her father-in-law as a possession. 68 The closing lines read: '.If her (husband) 69 and her father-in-law have died and she has no son, she has the status of a widow 70 and may go wherever she pleases'.) 33 If a man marries 71 a widow, without drawing up a formal 60 1, e., actual food sent to be consumed is not to be returned if the pros- pective son-in-law does not wish to marry a sister of his deceased bride. He is pledged by any betrothal gift to marry the girl, but not one of her sisters. 61 1, e., only cash gifts are to be given back. 62 a-na nu-du-wi-M. So the traces at the beginning of the badly preserved line. On nvdunnU, the marriage gift of her husband, see above, § 25 note 29. 63 So evidently to be supplied in the gap. 64 Read [la-a na-]aS-H. 66 tyu-bu-til-U as above, § 27, — as a pledge for debt. A creditor of her hus- band has no claim on it. " According to the traces far-fci'-ti mi]4-ta. 67 Read [li mu-nt-sa me]-it mare [la-a i-ba]-a$-$i. That there are no chil- dren follows also from the closing lines. 6 «a-na e-mi-sd a-na a$M-zi]-(i i-4d-dansi — as in note 49. I. e., the father-in- law must marry her, which reminds, us of the Judah-Tamar episode in Gene- sis, 38. e ' Read [mu-ul-]sa. 70 al-ma-at-[lu] li-4-it, i. e., her legal status is that of a widow, and the law regarding widows takes its course. The bond with the family into which the girl has married is dissolved if, at the time when her husband died, there are no brothers, and the father-in-law is no longer living. 71 Literally, 'takes'.