O Adad, in the mighty thunder and the lightning flash thou declarest thy name.
dimmer Mer: this is the Sumerian name of the storm-god. Mer being one of the values of the sign IMMU. The fact that the sign in some cases in this hymn (e. g. lines [15] and [17]) is followed by the phonetic complement ri or ra shows that Mer is the value intended for the name of the god. Mer is probably from imi changed to immer and then to Mer and hence, like imi, means “wind” and “storm”. The name Mer offers no suggestion as to the origin of the Semitic names Rammânu and Addu.
bi-maḥ equals “mighty utterance”. bi (see [Hymn to Sin, line 13]). maḥ (see [Hymn to Bêl, line 23]).
ḥad-ê-a mu-zu an-zak-ku (see on [line 1]).
[3.] [dimmer] Mer dumu An-na bi-maḥ ḥad-ê-a mu-zu an-sa[k-ku]
O Adad, son of Anu, in the mighty thunder and the lightning flash thou declarest thy name.
dumu (see [Hymn to Sin, line 5], ṭu-mu).
An-na, ideogram for the god of heaven, plus phonetic complement. Note that AN for the god Anu does not take the determinative god sign. Probably the omission is due to the desire to avoid the occurrence of AN twice in succession. It must have been after Adad had taken the place of Ištar in the second triad of gods that Adad was called the son of Anu. The earlier arrangement was Anu, Bêl, Ea, Sin, Šamaš and Ištar. The later order was Anu, Bêl and Ea, as rulers of the universe, and Sin, Šamaš and Adad, as rulers of heaven under the command of Anu. This new grouping was the result of a theological development. Ištar was found to be one of the planets, and, therefore, not to be classed longer along with Sin and Šamaš. Adad, the god of the atmosphere, was thought to be a personality of sufficient dignity to take the place formerly occupied by Ištar.
bi-maḥ ḥad-ê-a mu-zu an-zak-ku (see on lines [1] and [2]).
[4.] ù-mu-un nì-ki-ge bi-maḥ ḥad-ê-a mu-zu an-zak[-ku]