and _Pb_ seem to imply a female personage, but as the verb in connection
with the name is masculine the final ⁂ cannot be meant for a feminine
ending, and it is peculiar to those two MSS. _Ȧb-ur_ “the very thirsty,”
as the appellative of a viper, recalls that of the διψάς, whose bite
caused intense thirst. But it may have originated in the fact that these
reptiles are in the habit of lying in wait by the water side for the
sake of the animals who come there to drink.