Karaite teacher of the tenth century, of whom little is known. As his name indicates, he was a native of the Persian province of Ḳumis. He died in Jerusalem in the year of the Hegira 334 (= 945 C.E.). His Biblical commentaries, written in Arabic, have been lost, and only two passages of his are known. One of them refers to the Passover sacrifice, which according to Karaites did not begin until the twilight of the 15th of Nisan, and which, being a private sacrifice, could not displace the Sabbath. When the 15th of Nisan fell on a Sabbath, the private sacrifice was omitted, only one lamb, according to David, being offered for the whole of Israel. It was not eaten, however, but burnt whole (See Passover). The other passage refers to the prohibition, generally accepted by the Karaites, against eating the fatty tail. David derived the prohibition from Lev. iii. 9, where the fatty tail is called simply "fat." This "proof," though refuted by Saadia, is repeated by all the Karaites.
Bibliography:- Harkavy, in Luaḥ Aḥiasaf, 1895, ii. 281:
- Poznanski, in Jew. Quart. Rev. viii. 681, and in Rev. Et. Juives, xiv. 50, 176.
K.S. P.
