Judah Ibn Bal‘am

Judah ben Samuel Ibn Bal‘am, who also went by the Arabic name Abū Zakariyyā Yaḥyā, is primarily known for his linguistic and exegetical writings in Judeo-Arabic. Judah was born in Toledo and settled in Seville in the late eleventh century. His grammatical works and scriptural commentaries critically evaluate earlier views and preserve many positions that would otherwise have been lost. Although some viewed Judah as merely a follower of Ibn Janāḥ, his independence of mind has become increasingly clear as his works have been published in recent decades. One report has him studying halakhah later in life, and there is some evidence that he composed polemics against Karaites. He influenced all later Andalusis who worked in his field.