Tafsīr (Arabic Translation): Introduction

This translation of the Torah, known in Arabic simply as the Tafsīr, is one of the most important works ever written in Judeo-Arabic. It replaced earlier Judeo- Arabic translations and became immensely popular as a way Arabic-speaking Jews (and non-Jews) could access the Hebrew Bible. Karaites and others would later produce their own translations, but these were never as popular. Se‘adya translated many other biblical books, but it is not clear how many. In this introduction, he presents his approach and the importance of his project. Se‘adya provides a fairly literal translation of the original Hebrew, but he inevitably engaged in interpretative decisions at every turn.