QIMHÎ, DAVID. – Rabbi (also called Radaq = RDQ), grammarian, lexicographer, and exegete, born at Narbonne ca. 1160, died there in 1235. Among grammarians there also distinguished his father, Jôséph Ben Jisjáq (ca. 1105–70), who came from Spain to Provence, to Narbonne, and published the first Hebrew grammar for schools (Séphir Zikárôn, “Memorial Book,” edited by W. Bacher in 1888); his elder brother Môséh, who died ca. 1190 at Narbonne, whose grammar Mahalákh Sébhîlê had-da'ath “Path of the Paths of Knowledge” was printed at Pesaro in 1508 Elia (v.) Levita under the title 'Osonopía (Leiden 1631).
In his grammatical studies he followed Jéhûdháh Hájjûg, Jônáh ibn Gánáh, and his father, Jôséph. His grammatical work is entitled Miklôl (“Completeness”); the first part concerns morphology, the second is a list of verbal roots. The lexicographical section also provides etymological indications and comparisons with later Hebrew and Aramaic. In the 16th century J. Reuchlin followed his work in the Rudi-menta linguae Hebraicae (1506). In the treatise 'Ét sôphér (“The Pen of the Scribe”) he gives instructions for scribes of the sacred Scrolls and treats punctuation. Q. took part in the defense of the works of Maimonides.
Exegetical works: Commentaries on Chronicles, the Psalter, the Twelve Minor Prophets, and the Pentateuch, of which only a part has been preserved. In his commentaries he refers to Maimonides (v.) and interprets certain miraculous narratives in the Bible as prophetic visions; he denies the corporeal assumption of the prophet Elijah (2 Kings 2:11); Adam (in Jesus) signifies the human species; the vision of Ezekiel is interpreted philosophically. Against him a sentence of excommunication was pronounced for having maintained that in the messianic age Talmud (v.) would lose all practical value. The commentary on the Psalms contains some anti-Christian excursuses.