Gzella, Lea

Although the subject goes by different names in different places, I studied Semitic Studies wherever I went. Over the course of my studies, Biblical Hebrew, Judeo-Arabic, and manuscript work emerged as particular areas of interest.
To bring together these adjacent but distinct fields of scholarship, I wrote my doctoral dissertation on Ibn Ǧanāḥ’s Kitāb al-uṣūl. This dictionary of Biblical Hebrew, written in Judeo-Arabic in the eleventh century, is a seminal work of Hebrew lexicography whose influence extends well beyond the Middle Ages into modern times. Specifically, I produced a partial edition of the work, comprising the introduction and the letter א, together with an English translation. Because Ibn Ǧanāḥ’s lexicographical endeavours provide the backdrop for his extensive explanations of the biblical text, I also examined his approach to literal and figurative language in the Hebrew Bible, also clarifying how their relationship is reflected in individual dictionary entries. In addition, I studied his Arabic translations of the Hebrew Bible, analysing his translation technique.
In May 2026, I was appointed postdoctoral researcher for the new Biblia Arabica Academies project. Over the course of the coming years, my aims within the project are threefold: to provide a critical edition and translation of an Arabic translation of Song of Songs; to identify and record manuscripts containing Jewish-Arabic translations of the Hebrew Bible; and to manage the Biblia Arabica Bibliography.

Areas of Interest

Judeo-Arabic, (medieval) Hebrew grammar and lexicography, biblical exegesis, Arabic translations of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament

Historical Periods of Interest

Middle Ages

Education

Positions

Awards and distinctions