Kimhi, Joseph

Kimhi, Joseph

▪ European grammarian
Kimhi also spelled  Kimchi, Kimḥi, or Qimḥi,  also called  Maistre Petit, or Rikham (an acronym of Rabbi Joseph Kimhi)  
born c. 1105, Spain
died c. 1170, Narbonne?, Fr.

      European grammarian, biblical exegete, and poet who, with his sons, Moses and David, made fundamental contributions to establishing Hebrew-language studies.

      Through his many translations into Hebrew of works written in Arabic by Spanish Jews, Kimhi came to play a principal part in introducing Hebraic studies to the rest of Europe. His acquaintance with Latin grammar led him to divide the previously acknowledged seven Hebrew vowels into five long and five short vowels. His comprehensive grammatical text, Sefer ha-zikkaron (“Book of Remembrance”), introduced a classification of verb stems for Hebrew that remains in use. Another work, Sefer ha-galui (“Book of the Demonstration”), dealing with lexicography and questions of exegesis, served as a vehicle for criticizing the work of Jacob ben Meir Tam, the leading Talmudic scholar of the time. Among his critical commentaries on various books of the Old Testament, those on Proverbs and Job were published. Those that became lost are known, however, to have had important exegetic worth. Kimhi's work on Jewish apologetics, Sefer ha-Berit (“Book of the Covenant”), is important for its historical information on the position of the Jews in Provence. He also established himself as a poet of considerable merit and was frequently quoted by later generations. His Shekel hakodesh (“The Holy Shekel”) was published with an English translation in 1919.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • KIMḤI, JOSEPH — (also known as Maistre Petit; Rikam, from the acronym of Rabbi Joseph Kimḥi; c. 1105–c. 1170), grammarian, exegete, translator, and polemist. Kimḥi migrated from Spain in the wake of the Almohad persecutions and settled permanently in Narbonne.… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Kimhi, Joseph (Joseph ben Isaac Kimhi) — (c.1105 C.1170)    Spanish grammarian exegete, translator and polemicist. As a refugee from the Almohad perse cutions in Spain, he settled in Narbonne, Provence. His writings include grammars, commentaries on biblical books, religious poems, and… …   Dictionary of Jewish Biography

  • Joseph Ḳimḥi — Joseph Kimhi …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Kimhi — may refer to:* David Kimhi * Joseph Kimhi * Moses Kimhi …   Wikipedia

  • Joseph Kimhi — …   Wikipédia en Français

  • KIMḤI, DAVID — (known as Radak from the acronym of Rabbi David Kimḥi; Maistre Petit; 1160?–1235?), grammarian and exegete of Narbonne, Provence. The son of Joseph Kimḥi and brother and pupil of , David was a teacher in his native town and was active in public… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • KIMḤI, RAPHAEL ISRAEL BEN JOSEPH — (first half of 18th century), emissary of Safed. Kimḥi was born in Constantinople where he studied under . When his teacher moved to Ereẓ Israel in 1713 he followed him and settled in Safed, where he studied under Jacob Vilna Ashkenazi. In 1728… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Joseph Kimhi — (1105 ndash; 1170), ( he. יוסף קמחי) was a medieval Jewish rabbi and biblical commentator. He was the father of Moses and David Kimhi, and the teacher of Rabbi Menachem Ben Simeon. Kimhi was born and lived in the Provence region of southern… …   Wikipedia

  • KIMHI (LES) — KIMHI LES L’histoire du judaïsme médiéval a retenu les noms de trois Kimhi, tous exégètes: Joseph (1105 env. 1170); David, son fils enfin, Moïse (mort en 1190 env.). Joseph, grammairien, exégète et traducteur, quitta l’Espagne pour Narbonne à… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • KIMḤI, MOSES — (known by the acronym Remak, i.e., Rabbi Moses Kimḥi; d. c. 1190), grammarian and exegete of Narbonne, Provence; son of and brother of David Kimḥi . As a grammarian, he generally followed his father, although his work shows traces of the… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

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