ZAL
uḫḫuru

Akkadian verb

Last edited: 2023-08-01
Primary meaning to remain invisible
Literal translation to be delayed
Variants
ZAL uḫḫuru
Edited by
to be delayed temporal expression

⸢10⸣ LA₂-is-ma u₃ IGI e-lat 6 ME ZAL ša₂ MU

‘It (Jupiter) recedes by 10 and, furthermore, the (first) appearance is, in addition, delayed by 6 days per year.’

— BM 34081+ (BMAPT No. 18) obv. i 3'

Genre: mathematical astronomy: procedure text
Provenance: Babylon
Date: ca. 250-50 BCE

M. Ossendrijver, 2017, New results on a Babylonian scheme for Jupiter's motion along the zodiac, Journal of Near Eastern Studies 76, 231–247

to remain invisible astronomical term

Used in connection with the invisibility of planets between their last and first appearances.

(4') [ina ALLA] (5') 27 ME ina AN-e ZAL IGI

‘(4') [In Cancer] (5’) it (Jupiter) remains invisible in heaven for 27 days, (then) it appears.’

— BM 34757 X4'-5'

Genre: mathematical astronomy: procedure text
Provenance: Babylon?
Date: ca. 350-100 BCE

Ossendrijver, M. 2016, Ancient Babylonian astronomers calculated Jupiters position from the area under a time-velocity graph, Science, 351, 482-484

Alternatively ZAL = nasāḫu, to pass (said of time), may apply here.
Cite this entry
APA (7th)
Ossendrijver, M. (2023). ZAL (Lemma #791). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/791/
Chicago (Author-Date)
Ossendrijver, M. (2023). ZAL (Lemma #791). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/791/
MLA (9th)
Ossendrijver, M. (2023). ZAL (Lemma #791). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/791/
Harvard
Ossendrijver, M. (2023) ZAL (Lemma #791), The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. Available at: https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/791/ (Accessed: February 2, 2026).
BibTeX 
@misc{zodiac791,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-02-02]},
	author = {Ossendrijver, Mathieu},
	year = {2023},
	title = {ZAL ({Lemma} #791)},
	url = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/791/},
	howpublished = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/791/},
}