Nakdan, Samson or Simson

Nakdan, Samson or Simson a Jewish writer noted for his mastery of the Hebrew tongue, and hence surnamed "the Grammarian," flourished about 1240. He was familiar with the best works of his Spanish coreligionists. such as those of Chajug (q.v.), Jona ibnGanach (q.v.), Parchon (q.v.), Aben-Ezra (q.v.), and other grammarians, and is the author of a grammatical work entitled חַבּוּר הִקּוֹנַים, or סֵ שַׁמשׁוֹנַי, which discusses the vowel-points and accents. Elias Levita refers to this work of SamsonNakdan in his Massoreth ha- Massoreth, but it has not as vet appeared in print. Excerpts of it, however, have been published in Abicht's Accentus Hebr. ex antiquissimo usu lectorio vel musico explicati, etc.; acced. Porta accentuum Ltt. conversa et notis illustr. (Leips. 1713); Delitzsch, in Jesurun, pages 16, 86, 92, 192, 249, 252; comp. Furst, Bibl. Jud. 3:16; De Rossi, Dizionario (Germ. transl.), page 242; Wolf. Bibliotheca Hebraea, 1:1152; 3:1160; 4:1003; Geiger, Schimschon ein Lexicograph in Deutschland, in the Wissenschaftl. Zeitschriftlfur Jiidische Theologie, 5:413-30; Ginsburg, in Levita's Massoreth ha-Massoreth (Lond. 1867), page 257; Kalisch, Hebr. Grammar (Lond. 1863), 2:29; Zunz, Zur Geschichte u. Literatur, pages 113, 114. (B.P.)