Old Jewish Commentaries on the Song of Songs

The commentary of Yefet ben Eli the Karaite (second half of the tenth century) on The Song of Songs is example of an exegetical work obeying two imperatives: The explanation of the divine message of Salvation mixed with the assiduous Karaite effort to prove wrong their adversaries, the Rabbanites, with the help of the Bible. In so doing Yefet ben Eli wrote a thoughtful and original commentary on the very symbolic Song of Songs. Indeed, according to Yefet ben Eli nothing in the Book should be taken realistically. The ability of Yefet to replace symbols by historical events is one of the many marks that show Yefet's mastery and the originality of his commentary.

The Editor and Translator: Joseph Alobaidi is professor of Bible Theology and Languages at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception, Dominican House of Studies, Washington, D. C. USA. His publications deal mainly with the Judeo-Arabic literature.