The Book of Rules Regarding the Grammatical Inflection of the Hebrew Language

The Book of Rules Regarding the Grammatical Inflection of the Hebrew Language (Kitāb al-‘uqūd fī taṣārīf al- lugha al-‘ibrāniyya) is a grammatical work written by a member of the then-flourishing Karaite community in Jerusalem. It is ostensibly a summary of the slightly earlier The Sufficient Book (Kitāb al-kāfī) by Abū ’l-Faraj Hārūn, and it introduces students to the basics of Hebrew linguistics. Kitāb al-‘uqūd proved important in the transfer of the Karaite grammatical tradition of Jerusalem to Byzantine Karaites in the ensuing decades. In these passages, the author reflects on the nature of language and language communities; many of the ideas echo those found in Jewish and Muslim linguistic treatises of the time.

The need to study grammar is caused by the obligation to know the true meaning of the words of the Lawgiver, may He be exalted. This knowledge cannot be attained by anyone uneducated in language because an uneducated person will commit errors and be mistaken. [ . . . ]