Answer · confidence: thin

Which Mishneh Torah copies say 'wise men' in Melachim 8:11, and which came first?

Research question: Which early manuscripts and printed editions of Mishneh Torah Hilchot Melachim 8:11 attest the standard phrase and the Yemenite 'wise men' variant, and what do they show about which reading is earlier?

The provided records do not identify which specific early manuscripts or printed editions attest to the standard phrase or the Yemenite 'wise men' variant for Mishneh Torah Hilchot Melachim 8:11. While the facts mention that Rabbi Yosef Qafih's edition relies on Yemenite manuscripts ¹ and that a 1433 Yemenite manuscript exists ², they explicitly state that these documents do not specify the reading of this particular verse ¹². Additionally, the Huntington 80 manuscript is noted for a different feature and is not confirmed to contain the variant in question ⁴. Therefore, the evidence does not show which reading is earlier.

Checked 2026-10-16. Only documented and supported facts are used.

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Sources

[1] supported

Rabbi Yosef Qafih's edition of the Mishneh Torah is based mainly on Yemenite manuscripts. The document does not address Hilchot Melachim 8:11 or say which reading is earlier.

"Rabbi Yosef Qafih's edition is based mainly on Yemenite manuscripts"

Mishneh Torah

[2] supported

The document lists a Yemenite manuscript of Mishneh Torah's Sefer Shoftim (Book of Judges), dated 1433, but it does not say what reading of Hilchot Melachim 8:11 it contains.

"משנה תורה (ספר שופטים), תימן, 1433 , ב פרויקט "כתיב" באתר הספרייה הלאומית"

משנה תורה

[3] supported

Rabbi Yosef Qafih's edition of Mishneh Torah is based mainly on Yemenite manuscripts.

"In this edition the version is based mainly on Yemenite manuscripts, and includes an extensive commentary by Rabbi Qafih"

Mishneh Torah - New World Encyclopedia

[4] supported

The document lists the Huntington 80 manuscript, which carries Maimonides' own note "הוגה מספרי" ("revised by my books"), but it does not say whether this manuscript attests the Hilchot Melachim 8:11 variant.

"כתב יד הונטינגטון 80 שעליו הערת הרמב"ם "הוגה מספרי" , ב פרויקט "כתיב" באתר הספרייה הלאומית"

משנה תורה

[5] supported

Rabbi Shabsai Frankel's edition bases its main text on the printed editions rather than the early manuscripts, relegating manuscript variants to marginal notes and an apparatus.

"the actual text of Mishneh Torah in this edition is based heavily on the printed editions, rather than the early manuscripts, whose variant readings are relegated to marginal notes and an apparatus at the end of each volume."

Mishneh Torah - New World Encyclopedia