1477 Psalms
The Kimhis wrote interpretations to many of the books of the Bible. Significant in their interpretations is the Peshat or "plain sense" of the scripture.
This choice of method was deliberate and in no way reflects the ignorance of the Kimhis of many other methods of interpretation popular among Jewish interpreters: for example derash (aggadic interpretation), remez (allegory and philosophy), sod (mystical interpretation), gematria (meanings from the numerical value of the words), and notarikon (employing initial or final letters of words to discern hidden meanings). All of these methods were available to the Kimhis in the various works in their possession. Cabbalistic writings were available to them and understood by them but very little of their writing shows cabbalistic influence.
The exegetical works of the Kimhis were available in the later centuries mostly through the works of David Kimhi. David's adherence to the peshat involved the complete adherence to the Masoretic text including the vocalization, but not necessarily the accents or phrasing. His 'treasury' was the twenty-four books of the Hebrew Bible. He included both the Keri (the Masoretic text as read) and the Ketib (the Masoretic text as written) in his interpretations. He presented the reader with a number of alternative meanings taken from the Talmud and from previous interpreters. Then he presented what he considered to be the peshat (literal interpretation). His interpretation is decidedly anti-Christian, and he shows more than a superficial acquaintance with the Christian writings available at his time.
We are not certain today the extent of the books of the Bible for which David Kimhi provided interpretations. We do have available today:
- his interpretations of the "former prophets" (Joshua, Judges, I and II Samuel, I and II Kings)
- the "latter prophets" (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi)
- his commentary on the psalms
- his commentary on Genesis and certain other books of the Torah
- other liturgical writings
By Moses Kimhi we have the books of Proverbs and Ezra/Nehemiah and Job.
I will focus my attention upon the psalm commentary of David Kimhi.
David's introduction to his interpretations of the psalms contains many interesting and somewhat surprising statements about the origin and other aspects of the psalms.
1477 Psalms
David son of Joseph son of Kimhi the Spaniard said:Our teachers of blessed memory said that David, King of Israel, wrote his book by the hand of ten elders who were: Adam the first, Melchizedek, Abraham, Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, Moses and the three sons of Korah, Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph. They say that these ten men uttered the Psalms written in their name. And they said that "a Psalm, a song for the Sabbath Day" [Psalm 92] was uttered by Adam the first who was created in the evening of the Sabbath and in the Sabbath he arose and spoke a Psalm, a song for the Sabbath Day.
And our teachers of blessed memory said: Ethan, the Ezrahite, he is our Father Abraham. And they said that the Psalm "The Lord said to my Lord" [Psalm 110] was uttered by Melchizedek and the rest they are interpreting in their name. And they said : As Moses our Teacher divided the Book of the Torah into five books, so David divided the Book of the Psalms into five books. And they said: In ten manners of praise this book is spoken: in nitzuah, in niggun, in shir, in zimrah, in hallel, in hashkel, in tehillah, in tefillah, in berakah, in hodah'ah.47And they said that in the Holy Spirit is this book uttered. Therefore they wrote it in the collection of the Writings and not in the collection of the Prophets. Because its words were not spoken in Prophecy but in the Holy Spirit.
And we will explain a little of the distinction which exists between Prophesy and the Holy Spirit. Because Prophesy is where the word comes to a person who is wise, perfect in all his measures and the Prophesy will come to him in a dream. And at the time when the Prophesy comes to him, in awakening, his sensatory powers will be interrupted and he will be lifted away from all the matters of this world and he will see in a prophetic vision as if one speaks with him and says to him thus and so. Or he will see likenesses in that vision, or he does not see any image, but he will [simply] hear a voice speaking to him.
And the Holy Spirit is when the complete man is occupied with the words [or matters] of God, and is complete in all his senses and none of them is interrupted. And he speaks what he speaks in the manner of the sons of man[in the normal human way] but a high Spirit illuminates him and causes the words to shine forth upon his tongue: words of praise and thanksgiving to his God, or words of wisdom and devotion. He will also speak about the future, in the divine assistance upon the power of the speaker greater than all the power of speakers.
In this power [in the Holy Spirit] this book of Psalms was spoken.And although they who spoke it are called prophets,
as is said of David
[Neh. 12:24]: TO PRAISE AND TO GIVE THANKS ACCORDING TO THE COMMANDMENT OF DAVID THE MAN OF GOD, and this name is only said about a prophet;and of Jeduthun it is said
[I Chr. 25:3]: WHO PROPHESIED WITH A HARP TO GIVE THANKS AND TO PRAISE THE LORD,and it is said[I Chr. 25:5]: OF HEMAN THE KING'S SEER IN THE WORDS OF GOD,and it is said[I Chr. 25:1]: OF THE SONS OF ASAPH AND OF HEMAN AND OF JEDUTHUN WHO SHOULD PROPHESY WITH HARPS, WITH PSALTERIES, AND WITH CYMBALS,and it is said[I Chr. 25:2]: THROUGH ASAPH WHO PROPHESIED THROUGH THE KING,everywhere their prophesying was in this way as we have interpreted.
For prophesy is divided into steps, this higher than this. And although Daniel saw visions and appearances in dreaming and awake, his power and his knowledge in these visions did not approach the power of Isaiah and Ezekiel and the rest of the Prophets. Therefore his book has not been written in the collection of Prophetic books but is written in the collection of books called the Writings, that is to say, the ones written in the Holy Spirit.
And this book David compiled and wrote with his words the words of these remembered utterers. Even the psalms which he composed he gave to utterers to utter, like the psalm O GIVE THANKS UNTO THE LORD [Psalm 105] and it is said [I Chr. 16:7]: THEN ON THAT DAY DID DAVID FIRST ORDAIN TO GIVE THANKS UNTO THE LORD BY THE HAND OF ASAPH AND HIS BRETHREN, and it is said [Ps. 62:1]: FOR THE CHIEF MUSICAN, FOR JEDUTHUN, A PSALM OF DAVID, because David composed it and gave it to Jeduthun.And there are psalms which were uttered upon the matter which was to him or to Israel with enemies. There are those which are of prayer and thanksgiving without bringing to memory a deed.
And the psalms in which there is written at the beginning Ledawid, David composed them, and so those in which no author is mentioned, David composed them.
And [where] there is Ledawid its interpretation is: "about David",
as: TO THE CHIEF MUSICIAN A PSALM ABOUT DAVID - THE LORD HEAR THEE IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE [Ps. 20:1-2];
ABOUT DAVID A PSALM--THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD [Ps. 110:1].And so he wrote in his book a prayer which he found written and a tradition was with them that it was to Moses our Teacher, on him be peace, as was said [Ps. 90:1]: A PRAYER TO MOSES and he spoke things of the future which were after his time and he spoke in it about the exile in Babylon and the rest of the exiles and the many consolations, when the kingdom of the house of David shall return to her place.
And the "stringed instruments" and the "psalms" and the "songs", some of them are said in instruments of song and some of them in no musical instruments. But it is not known to us today the difference between these names which are in the beginnings of the psalms.
And our Teachers of blessed memory said: nitzuah and niggun for the future to come, maskil, by the hands of the interpreter; ledawid mizmor [means] the Holy Spirit ministered upon him and after so he uttered a psalm and mizmor ledawid means that he uttered a psalm and after so doing the Holy Spirit ministered upon him. We expound to a greater extent this meaning in the fourth psalm.
And now I will begin to interpret, according to that which my hand attains with the help of the One teaching knowledge to men.
Interpretations by David Kimhi of each of the 150 psalms are
available to be read in Hebrew, of which only one-third are available in a European language.
48
In cases where the psalm
has been interpreted by Christians as referring to Jesus Christ,
Kimhi has often provided a commentary for the use of Jews in
combating the Christian thought. Many have commented on the role David Kimhi and his Father, Joseph, played as "Religious Controversialists". Some of their writings were categorized as "Anti-Christian Polemics".
I have chosen psalm 110 as an excellent example of a
psalm which provides Kimhi's peshat interpretation as well as his challenge to the Christian interpretation. This is the only psalm in which Kimhi refers to the Christian scholar, Saint Jerome (c. 347-c. 420).
1. ABOUT DAVID A PSALM, THE LORD SAID UNTO MY LORD SIT THOU AT MY
RIGHT HAND UNTIL I MAKE THINE ENEMIES THY FOOTSTOOL.
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This psalm our Teachers of blessed memory explained...
as referring to Abraham our Father as he went out to battle
against the four kings and they explained THOU ART A PRIEST
to the most high God, for the Priesthood is seen to have
come from there, because he is MELCHIZEDEK, because it is
said [Gen. 14:18] AND HE WAS THE PRIEST TO THE MOST HIGH
GOD, but since in his blessing he put Abraham first over the
most high God, the Holy One, blessed be He, removed the
Priesthood from him and gave it to Abraham, because it is
said THOU ART A PRIEST FOR EVER BECAUSE OF THE WORD OF
MELCHIZEDEK, because of the word which Melchizedek spoke.
But the right way, according to the Peshat,
is to interpret the psalm
as referring to David. One of the psalmists said it about
him, and the lamed in ledawid its interpretation is
"about", like the lamed in [Gen. 20:13] SAY ABOUT ME HE
IS MY BROTHER, and so in [Ps. 20: 1, 2] TO THE CHIEF MUSICAN
A PSALM ABOUT DAVID, THE LORD HEAR THEE IN THE DAY OF
TROUBLE, as we have interpreted it.
And the wise Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra interpreted that
this psalm was composed in the beginning of his reign when
the Philistines heard that David was anointed a king and all
the Philistines went up to seek after David, and God,
blessed be He, assured him that He would give them into his
hand, and He gave them into his hand at Baalperazim and in
the valley of Rephaim. And then the psalmist said this
psalm, and said: THE LORD SAID UNTO MY LORD, that is, God,
blessed be He, said to my Lord, to David, SIT THOU AT MY
RIGHT HAND as it is written there [II Samuel 5:24] FOR THEN
SHALL THE LORD GO OUT BEFORE THEE, that is, sit and be in
assurance at my right hand, for my right hand will help you,
and I will not rest UNTIL I MAKE THINE ENEMIES THY
FOOTSTOOL.
2. THE LORD SHALL SEND THE ROD OF THY STRENGTH OUT OF ZION, for
in that period David conquered Zion, in the beginning of his
reign. And he said: The rod and support by means of which you
are strong, of Zion, God, blessed be He, began to send it to you,
for it was a very strong fortress and God has given it into your
hand; from now on RULE and govern IN THE MIDST OF THINE ENEMIES,
do not fear from them. And he said IN THE MIDST, that is, one
need not say in the cities of the Philistines which border the
land of Israel that you shall govern them, but even in the midst of
their land you shall govern. And some interpret that it says OUT
OF ZION because the glory is dwelling in Zion.
3. THY PEOPLE SHALL BE WILLING IN THE DAY OF THY POWER, in the
day in which you showed yourself powerful in battling against
them, your people came to you willingly. IN THE BEAUTIES OF
HOLINESS, in Jerusalem because she is the beauty of holiness, as
she is called: [Zech. 2:16] HOLY HABITATION.
And hadari means beauty and splendor and so she is called
[Ps. 48:3] BEAUTIFUL FOR SITUATION THE JOY OF THE WHOLE
EARTH, and hadari is the plural of hadar, because in
many things she is fair, and is the beauty of Jerusalem.
FROM THE WOMB THE DAWN IS THINE, THE DEW OF THY YOUTH, the day in
which you went out from the womb and were born that dawn was for
you, that is, for your goodness. And that dew which fell when
you were born was for you, that is, from the womb you came out to
reign, and a dew of blessing appeared to you in that dawn.
4. THE LORD HATH SWORN, His word is His oath. THOU ART A
PRIEST, king and ruler,
as in [II Samuel 8:18] AND DAVID'S SONS WERE CHIEF RULERS,
[and Job 12:19] HE LEADETH AWAY PRINCES SPOILED, chiefs
and leaders. And it says FOR EVER because Saul was not
for ever, BECAUSE OF THE KING OF JUSTICE, and why have I
chosen you a King for ever, because you are a King of
Justice, as it is written about him [II Sam. 8:15] AND
DAVID EXECUTED JUDGMENT AND JUSTICE UNTO ALL HIS PEOPLE.
And the letter yod in debarti and the yod in melachi
were added.
5. THE LORD AT THY RIGHT HAND, the Lord was at your right hand
when you were victorious in battles. HE CRUSHED KINGS IN THE DAY
OF HIS WRATH, and He crushed upon your hand the kings of the
peoples who came to battle against you IN THE DAY OF HIS WRATH,
that is, in that day the burning of His wrath was against them
and His favour was with you.
6. HE SHALL JUDGE AMONG THE NATIONS, He will make judgment and
justice among the nations until the place of battle IS FILLED
WITH DEAD BODIES, that is, dead carcasses. HE CRUSHED MANY A
HEAD OVER A LAND, He crushed over a land many heads, and "head" is a
collective noun, and so is "many" [rabbah]as in [Ps. 89:8] IN THE ASSEMBLY
OF THE MANY SAINTS. And some interpret rabbah as referring to
Rabbah-of-the-Ammonites and about that battle the verse speaks.
7. HE SHALL DRINK OF THE BROOK IN THE WAY, He slew so many
people that a brook flowed from their blood, and it says HE SHALL
DRINK in the manner of a proverb as in [Numbers 23:24] AND THE
BLOOD OF THE SLAIN HE SHALL DRINK. THEREFORE HE SHALL LIFT UP
THE HEAD, therefore when he was victorious in all the battles
against his enemies he lifted up the head over all of them, and
so it says [II Sam. 8:13] AND DAVID GOT HIM A NAME WHEN HE
RETURNED FROM HIS SMITING ARAM NAHARAIM IN THE VALLEY OF SALT,
and so forth.
And the Christians interpret this psalm as referring to Jesus. And they say that in the first verse there is explained the Father and the Son. For they read THE LORD SAID TO THE LORD with the nun in qames. And they say how will the Lord speak to the Lord except that they are two and the Spirit is the third?And furthermore there is another mistake: they read in this psalm: WITH THEE WILLING with the ayin in hireq. And they say: IN ADORNMENTS OF THE HOLY ONE, that is the Holy One Who is born from the womb.
And you shall tell them about the mistake of their reading. Because Jerome,their translator, made a mistake.50 For ladoni has the nun in hireq. And it is said about David, as we interpret it.How are they able to hold onto the mistake of one man against many? For from the rising of the sun even to its setting it is found in all the writings with the nun in hireq. And so 'with thee willingly' with the ayin in pathah. And are they not saying that the attitude of ours is to them a piece of evidence? If so they should believe the person who witnesses to such evidence.
And about the mistake of their faith you shall tell them: if the Father and Son are God then one does not need his companion. For he cannot be called God if he is in need of someone other than himself. And how will the Father say to the Son: SIT THOU AT MY RIGHT HAND UNTIL I MAKE THINE ENEMIES? If so, He is in need of His right hand and of His help. If so, weakness is with Him, and God is not weak and lacking power.
And how does he say to him THOU ART A PRIEST FOR EVER and formerly he was not a priest. And if they say a priest in its normal meaning and they say from that day and from then on the Priesthood shall be in another meaning - not that they are offering flesh and blood as they were up to that day, but bread and wine, as Melchizedek offered, as it said, AND MELCHIZEDEK KING OF SALEM BROUGHT FORTH BREAD AND WINE AND HE WAS PRIEST OF THE MOST HIGH GOD [Gen. 14:18]. Say to them "To whom does he say 'THOU ART A PRIEST'?" "To the Son is He speaking?" As one might say from the beginning of this psalm up to this verse, and so from this verse to the end of the psalm - and this priest is he who stands and offers, and God will not offer, no, rather they shall offer before him. And if he will say to a man in the world, and it is not in the manner of the psalms, to whom shall it speak? For they, with them a priest does not have a family, rather all those who come fill his [the Priest's] hand. And if so, to whom will he say THE LORD HATH SWORN AND WILL NOT REPENT. THOU ART A PRIEST FOR EVER? And, furthermore, why did He change His will? Because at first He commanded that flesh be offered, and, after that, bread and wine. And how does it say AND HE WILL NOT REPENT and, behold, He did!And is it not true that the Torah was not given only for a restricted time [double negative]. And behold Malachi, the seal of the Prophets said REMEMBER YE THE LAW OF MOSES MY SERVANT WHICH I COMMANDED UNTO HIM IN HOREB...STATUTES AND JUDGMENTS [Mal. 3:22]. And he said BEHOLD I WILL SEND YOU ELIJAH THE PROPHET, etc. [Mal. 3:23] and behold Elijah has not yet come and he shall not come until the days of Messiah.
And behold he says that they shall remember the law of Moses, his servant, to do it as he commanded in the Mountain of Sinai and not as Jesus commanded! From this you shall see that the Torah shall not be unchanged for ever, but as it was given Moses, our Teacher, so it shall be for ever. And, furthermore, he says HE CRUSHED KINGS IN THE DAY OF HIS WRATH and where are the wars that Jesus fought? And where are the kings whom he conquered? And how does he say HE SHALL JUDGE AMONG THE NATIONS, HE FILLETH WITH DEAD BODIES and He came not to judge, except the souls, and to save them. And furthermore he says, THEREFORE HE SHALL LIFT UP THE HEAD. From so you can say up to that day he did not lift up his head.
The blind will open their eyes and they will say indeed a lie our fathers gave us, vanity, and there is no profit in them.
| KIMHI SOURCE DOCUMENTS | |
|---|---|
| R. David Kimhi's Sefer Miklol | R. Moses Kimhi's Mahalak Shebile De-daat |
| HEBREW GRAMMARS OF THE REFORMATION | ||
|---|---|---|
| GRAMMARS 1475-1528 | Pellican's de modo legendi et intelligendi 1504 | Reuchlin's de rudimentis hebraicis 1506 |
| KIMHI WRITINGS PRINTED 1469-1545 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grammars - 1469-1545 | Commentaries - 1477-1531 | Psalms 1477-1517 | 1st Rabbinic 1517 | Special Page |
© copyrighted August 15, 1999, Gordon Laird