New Geniza Fragments from the Commentary of R. Isaac b. Samuel al-Kanzī the Sephardi on Joshua and Judges

The article introduces new Geniza fragments from the commentary of R. Isaac b. Samuel al-Kanzī, a prominent Andalusian exegete active in Fustat during the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The fragments cover passages from Joshua and Judges and reveal his innovative exegesis, which often integrates etymological analysis and crosslinguistic comparisons. R. Isaac frequently cites Rabbanite sources and Karaite commentators, such as Yefet ben ʿEli, demonstrating his engagement with diverse interpretive traditions. Notable is his thorough investigation of toponyms, offering multiple explanations drawn from Hebrew, Arabic, and Aramaic, while leaving final conclusions to the reader. The fragments highlight R. Isaac’s rationalist approach, his use of Arabic grammatical treatises, and his intellectual connections with earlier and contemporary scholars. These discoveries contribute to understanding Jewish biblical exegesis in the Islamic world and the intersections of language, geography, and theology in his work.