Everything about David Kimhi totally explained
David Kimhi (also
Kimchi or
Qimchi) (
1160 –
1235), also known by the
Hebrew acronym as the
RaDaK, was a
medieval rabbi,
biblical commentator, philosopher, and grammarian. Born in
Narbonne,
Provence, he was the son of Rabbi
Joseph Kimhi and the brother of Rabbi
Moses Kimhi, both biblical commentators and grammarians.
David Kimhi is best known today for his commentaries on the books of the
Prophets. He also wrote commentaries on the books of
Genesis,
Psalms, and
Chronicles. His work focuses on the language,
nikkud (vocalization), rabbinic tradition of the reading,
grammar, and literal meaning of the words. He also addresses key issues such as the authorship of the various books and the historical eras in which the
prophets were active, as well as other
historical and
geographical questions.
His commentary on Genesis tends toward the philosophical. He seeks out the
ethical underpinnings of the stories, believing that they were not included in the text for purely historical reasons, but rather for their moral message. He makes extensive use of the ancient
Targum translation of the text into
Aramaic attributed to
Jonathan ben Uzziel, commenting on it and bringing variant readings. The commentary also includes a mystical interpretation of the
Garden of Eden and the story of
Cain and Abel. A similar, mystical interpretation by Kimhi can also be found in his
glosses on the first chapter of the
Book of Ezekiel, describing the Divine Chariot. When he doesn't understand a particular text, he follows the example of
Rashi and writes, "I didn't understand the reason why this story appears in this particular place," or "I didn't find a proper reason for it."
Kimhi was also a noted grammarian. His book,
Michlol, draws heavily on the earlier works of Rabbi
Judah ben David Hayyuj and Rabbi
Jonah ibn Janah. He also composed a
dictionary of the
Hebrew language called
Sefer Hashorashim (Book of Roots) .
Kimhi also delved into philosophy and the
sciences, and was very much influenced by both
Abraham Ibn Ezra and
Maimonides. He was a staunch defender of Maimonides in the debates over his writings.
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