Levison, Mordecai Gumpel

Levison, Mordecai Gumpel a learned Jewish physician and commentator, was born and educated at Berlin, where he was fellow-student of the celebrated philosopher Moses Mendelssohn. He afterwards removed to London, and was physician in one of the hospitals (1790); was then nominated by Gustavus III, of Sweden, to a professorial chair in Upsala. In 1781 he returned to his native place, but left again three years later for Hamburg, where he died February 10. 1797. His works illustrative of the Bible are A Commentary on Ecclesiastes, called, תוכחת מגלה, dedicated to Gustavus III (Hamburg, 1784). This elaborate work is preceded by five introductions, which respectively treat on the import of the book, the appropriateness of its name, Hebrew synonymes, roots, the verb and its inflexions, the names of the Deity, on the design of the Bible, etc.; whereupon follows the Hebrew text with a double commentary: one explains the words and their connection, and the other gives an exposition of the argument of the book: — A Treatise on Holy Scripture, published at the request of the king of Sweden (Lond. 1770): — A Treatise on the Pentateuch, the Prophets, and the Talmud, entitled סלת מנחה בלולה (Hamb. 1797): — A Hebrew Lexicon, called חשרשים: — A Work on Hebrew Synonymes, entitled ספר הנרדפים: — and a Hebrew Grammar, called , דר ִהקדש החדשה The last three works have not as yet been published. See Fürst, Bibliotheca Judaica, 2:238 sq.; Kitto, Cyclop. Bibl. Lit. vol. 2, s.v.