Nevi'im Rishonim (Former Prophets), with Commentary of David Kimhi, parts II-IV. Soncino: [Joshua Solomon Soncino], 1485

142 leaves [of 168] (11 1/2 x 8 in.; 292 x 202 mm). Lacking: Book of Joshua save for the final blank which is present; ff. 16 (2/8) 17 (3/1) and the blank f.22 (3/6) in Judges; f. 1 (1/1) in Samuel, present in facsimile; f 60 (7/12) in Kings, present in facsimile. Decorated woodcut initial word panels: Judges and Kings; Samuel in facsimile; Colophon (final leaf of Kings) in facsimile. Some minor staining; few early marginal annotations; first 7 leaves of Judges, holed, expertly repaired, costing some text; losses expertly repaired, Kings: lower corner (2/8) no text lost,  (5/5) a few words lost, and upper corner final 5 ff. no text lost), tear to lower corner (7/5) no text lost. Some worming, restricted to Kings, more prevalent in last several quires. Modern calf backed over wooden boards, brass clasps and catches.

Offenberg, 27; Vinograd, Soncino, 14; Steinschneider, col. 1, no 3;  Goff, Heb 22; Thesaurus, A-31, Iakerson 25.

The first Hebrew printed edition of Prophets

Joshua Solomon Soncino was the founder of the Soncino printing dynasty, which for three generations produced books remarkable for their number, contents, and typographical perfection. The family originated from Speyer on the Rhine, and settled in the first half of the fifteenth century at Soncino, a small town in Lombardy. 

Soncino's commercial acumen is evident in his selection of the Former Prophets as one of his first printed editions. At the time this volume appeared, there was as of yet, no complete Hebrew bible available in print.  Aside from the Pentateuch (Bologna, 1482), only the Book of Psalms (Italy, 1477) and The Five Scrolls (Bologna, 1482) had been brought to press. Soncino followed up the appearance of this work with an edition of Latter Prophets that appeared within a year.

The present volume comprises the biblical books of Judges, Samuel, and Kings, the book of Joshua being absent in this copy. The biblical text is accompanied by the commentary of David Kimhi (ca. 1160?–1235). In his biblical exegesis, Kimhi stressed scientific philological analysis and de-emphasized the homiletical approach that was prevalent at the time.  Still, Kimhi relied heavily on rabbinic literature, although he distinguished between those interpretations which conformed to the standards of peshat, (plain and often literal meaning of a text) and derashot (purely homiletical interpretations.) Kimhi is also remarkable for his rendering of a clear and readable commentary in an attempt to depart from the compression and obscurity of many of his predecessors.