Menahem ben Saruq

Menahem ben Saruq (born c. 910, Tortosa, Independent Moorish States—died c. 970, Córdoba?) was a Jewish lexicographer and poet who composed the first Hebrew-language dictionary, a lexicon of the Bible; earlier biblical dictionaries were written in Arabic and translated into Hebrew.

After travelling to Córdoba, a city in Moorish Spain, Menahem became a protégé of Isaac, the father of Ḥisdai ibn Shaprut, (q.v.) who was to become a powerful Jewish statesman in Córdoba. After Isaac’s death, Ḥisdai employed Menahem as his literary secretary. Menahem composed the historic letter Ḥisdai sent to Joseph, king of the Khazars, inquiring about the Khazars’ conversion to Judaism.

Ḥisdai also encouraged Menahem to compile his famous dictionary. It was severely criticized by a rival philologist and poet, Dunash ben Labrat, who, by his bitter attacks, succeeded in turning Ḥisdai against Menahem. Menahem probably died not long after his fall from favour. Dunash’s attack provoked a counterattack by Menahem’s pupils, one of whom, Judah ben David Ḥayyuj, was a major Hebrew grammarian.

Menahem’s dictionary, the Maḥberet (from ḥaber, “to join”), despite its faults, did have many virtues and remained in use for many years. He established that Hebrew is a language with definite, discoverable rules, and he illustrated his principles with many elegantly phrased examples. His dictionary was an invaluable aid to Bible study for European Jews who could not read Arabic.