or even to a single word
Lord, warlike art thou, perfect in understanding thro’ thyself,[20]
Ninib, warlike art thou, perfect in understanding thro’ thyself,
Shamash, when out of the great mountain thou comest forth[21]
Shamash, from the foundation of the heavens thou shinest forth[22]
On the other hand, it was easy to expand indefinitely the invocation from its natural length of four to six lines, until the invocation became itself hymnal praise of the god. So with Sin No. 5 where the hymnal invocation to Sin covers 23 lines.
Following the invocation in the hymnal introductions of Assyrian prayers is the ascription of praise, just as modern prayers frequently begin with the elements of invocation and ascription. The ascription of praise may be quite similar in content, but while the invocation assumes certain attributes of the deity as already recognized and known by everyone and as having become official titles of the deity, the ascription definitely assigns virtues or attributes to the deity. The invocation consists of phrases and adjectival clauses: it makes no statement. It is simply an extended nominative of address. The ascription consists of independent sentences, asserting certain attributes of the deity. It is altogether natural that the humble worshipper, approaching the god, should assign to that god greatness and wisdom and authority and might, for this not only pleases the god, but also tends to awaken sympathy for the helpless and suffering suppliant, and reminds the deity of his responsibility for the worshippers.
More particularly it is also to be expected that the worshipper assigns those special virtues or powers to the deity, to which he is about to make his appeal. Man posits in God that which corresponds to his own need. Accordingly, correspondence between the ascriptions and the petitions show the unity of the whole composition and indicate that it is a prayer. Frequently the suppliant is a sick person, and so naturally reference is made to the power of the deity to heal:
Shamash, to give life to the dead, to loosen the captive is in thy hand.[23]
Where thou dost regard, the dead live, the sick arise,