Dear Barb and others,
    The matter of the shorthand is explained in _TheBible Acc. to..._, p.
372, note to 208.5-6.
The passage is the 1st 4 lines of one of MT's favorite poems "The
Destruction of Sennacherib. " Why he put that in- and why in
shorthand--is anybody's guess. Lin Salamo and Michael Frank provided the
translation  for us in 1994 or 95.
    Barb  I'm sure that the other Forum members appreciate as much as I
do your many contributions to the Forum. Thank you!
Best,

Howard Baetzhold