Karaite Judaism

For many years, Karaite exegesis was relatively unknown to numerous Biblical scholars. This situation has been changing with an increasing access to source materials. As a result, more and more Karaite exegetical treasures representing the trends of Karaite Judaism have come to the fore. Among them, there is the Commentary on the Book of Hosea by Yefet ben Eli, one of the most significant representatives of Karaism in the tenth century. This Karaite exegete exhibits a remarkable knowledge of Hebrew etymology, which enables him to provide unique answers to the interpretative problems in the Masoretic Text. His apologetic concern for prospective Muslim readers of his commentary is also noteworthy. Although, in general, Karaism sought to concentrate on the literal sense of Scripture, Yefet ben Eli does not shy away from recourses to rabbinic oral tradition. Nevertheless, his exegetical contribution remains unique, as clearly demonstrated by the selected examples from his Commentary.

This edition contains a vocalized text of Levush Malkhuth, supplemented by the translator with historical and clarifying footnotes throughout. In order to enhance the reader’s experience, this edition also contains endnotes with relevant sources and translations from both Rabbanite and Karaite literature. These sources are particularly useful for readers who wish to understand either the basis of the claims in Levush Malkhuth or the extent to which Karaite Judaism in the day of the author was similar to Karaite Judaism as reflected in classical Karaite literature.

For many years, Karaite exegesis had been relatively unknown to numerous Biblical scholars. This situation has been changing with an increasing access to source materials. As a result, more and more Karaite exegetical treasures representing the trends of Karaite Judaism have come to the fore. One of them is the Commentary to the Book of Hosea by Yefet ben Eli, one of Karaism’s tenth century most significant representatives. Yefet ben Eli exhibits a remarkable knowledge of Hebrew etymology which enables him to provide unique answers to interpretative problems in the Masoretic Text. His apologetic concern for prospective Muslim readers of his commentary is also noteworthy. Although, in general, Karaism sought to concentrate on the literal sense of Scripture, Yefet ben Eli does not shy away from recourse to rabbinic oral tradition. Still, his exegetical contribution remains unique, as selected examples from his Commentary clearly show.