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Lockshin's translations and notes are distinguished by meticulous attention to the linguistic and narrative problems of the text as well as to the range of solutions available to the twelfth-century, Jewish mind.--Old Testament Abstracts

In the twelfth century CE, Rabbi Samuel ben Meir (Rashbam), a pious and learned rabbi, wrote a biblical commentary that broke radically with the way that rabbis generally interpreted the Bible. His method emphasized the "plain" meaning of the text; it avoided the use of legends or far-fetched interpretations--even those that had been hallowed by tradition--and sought to explain the biblical text, rather than to edify. This book makes Rabbi Samuel's work on Exodus available to the English reader for the first time in a readable translation, with helpful notes and illustrations. Primarily of interest to students of biblical exegesis, this work will also be useful for students of rabbinics, medieval Jewish intellectual history, history of Hebrew language, and Jewish-Christian polemics.

Award-winning author Martin I. Lockshin is Associate Professor of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics, and Director of the Centre for Jewish Studies, at York University in Toronto.