Radak רד״ק
grammarian and commentator on the Prophets; he set out to defend Maimonides and never arrived
David Kimhi worked at Narbonne in Provence, in a family of grammarians: his father Joseph and his brother Moses wrote on the same subjects. His Mikhlol and Sefer HaShorashim — a grammar and a dictionary of roots — became the standard tools and remained so even when it was Christian Hebraists of the Renaissance who were using them.
His commentary on the Prophets is distinguished by explaining both the word and the connection between verses, and by not avoiding hard passages. Hence the later saying, "no flour, no Torah," where kemach echoes his name.
In the controversy over Maimonides' legacy he took the side of the defence. In 1232 he set out for Spain to Judah ibn Alfakhar to gather support — and here the usual retelling needs correcting: he never reached Toledo; he fell ill on the road, and the defence continued by letter. That correspondence survives and is included in the collection Iggerot Kinaot.
On the timeline
Sources
Rishonim
- Mikhlol; Sefer HaShorashim — the grammar and the dictionary of roots
- Iggerot Kinaot — his letters in defence of Maimonides; he never reached Toledo
Basis: documents and evidence.