This volume collects the North-West Semitic inscriptions known at the turn of the twentieth century, with transcription, translation and epigraphic commentary. It is old, and it is cited here for two texts in particular.
The Mesha Stele
A ninth-century Moabite royal inscription in which King Mesha describes throwing off the domination of Israel. It names Omri, refers to Israel, and describes a period of subjection followed by revolt — a sequence 2 Kings 3 also describes, from the other side. It is one of very few inscriptions where a neighbouring kingdom narrates its dealings with Israel in its own voice.
The Siloam inscription
A Hebrew inscription cut inside the water tunnel under the City of David, describing two teams of quarrymen meeting in the middle. It carries no royal name and no date, which is exactly why it must be handled carefully: connecting it to Hezekiah rests on the tunnel’s archaeological context and on the palaeography of the script, not on anything the text says.
Why an old edition, and what it is not
For readings that carry weight, a modern edition should be preferred — Gibson’s Textbook of Syrian Semitic Inscriptions is the usual comparison, and it is also a source record on this site. Cooke is cited because it is freely readable in full, which means a reader can actually check a claim rather than being told to trust one.
How it is cited here
By Internet Archive identifier, which resolves to the item record and returns the title.