| Title | A Lexicographical Analysis of Sharḥ al-ʾAlfāẓ by Abū al Faraj Hārūn (Parashat Bereshit)* |
|---|---|
| Contributor | José Martínez Delgado(author) |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.11647/obp.0464.18 |
| Landing page | https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0464/chapters/10.11647/obp.0464.18 |
| License | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ |
| Copyright | José Martínez Delgado; |
| Publisher | Open Book Publishers |
| Published on | 2025-03-07 |
| Long abstract | The article examines Sharḥ al-ʾAlfāẓ as-Ṣaʿba fī al-Miqra by the Karaite scholar Abū al-Faraj Hārūn, focusing on the lexicographical techniques applied in its treatment of Parashat Bereshit from Genesis. This work, a narrative-selective glossary, translates difficult words in the Hebrew Bible into Arabic, offering morphological and contextual explanations alongside parallels from other biblical texts. It follows a consistent formula of glossing, with Arabic equivalents linked to Hebrew parallels using the preposition min to confirm meanings. The glossary reflects influences from medieval Arabic philological traditions, resembling the kutub al-gharīb used for the Qurʾān and hadiths. Comparative Semitics and contextual interpretation play a key role, with hapax legomena addressed through deduction rather than reliance on external texts. The study positions the glossary within the broader landscape of mediaeval Jewish and Arabic philological literature, emphasising its pedagogical and linguistic significance. |
| Page range | pp. 547–574 |
| Print length | 28 pages |
| Language | English (Original) |
| Landing Page | Full text URL | Platform | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0464/chapters/10.11647/obp.0464.18 | Landing page | https://books.openbookpublishers.com/10.11647/obp.0464.18.pdf | Full text URL |
José Martínez Delgado (PhD. 2001 Universidad Complutense de Madrid) is Professor in the Department of Semitic Studies in the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Granada, where he began to teach Classical Hebrew grammar in 2005. His research focuses on Judaeo-Arabic grammar and lexicography and the linguistic thinking of the Jews of Al-Andalus. Among his recent publications are Kitāb al-mustalḥaq by Ibn Ǧanāḥ of Cordoba: A Critical Edition, with an English Translation, Based on All the Known Judaeo-Arabic Manuscripts, (Brill, 2020) and An Introduction to Andalusi Hebrew Metrics (University of Cambridge Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and Open Book Publishers, 2023).