A Prophecy of Esau and Jacob

Then after Esau found that he had lost his birthright to Jacob, he pleaded his father if he had anything left, and Isaac answered and prophesied, saying,

“And by your sword shall you live, you will go to every place, and wander, and you will be subject to your brother. But when his descendants abandon the commandments of the Torah, then you will break his yoke from your neck.”

“And Esau harbored hatred in his heart against Jacob, his brother, because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him.

And Esau said in his heart, ‘I will not do as Cain did, who killed Abel during their father’s lifetime and then their father had another son, Seth.

Rather, I will wait until the days of mourning for my father have passed, and then I will kill Jacob my brother, and I will be the sole heir.’” Genesis 27:41-42 Jonathan

Looking through the Scriptures with a blast of fresh air!

“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and until He has performed the intent of His thought; in the latter days ye shall understand it perfectly.” Jeremiah 23:20

Genesis 37

¹ And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. — in Genesis 36:6, we read that Esau went into a land away from Jacob. Upon this follows in Genesis 36:8, “And Esau dwelt in Mount Seir;”

— and now the necessary information concerning the other brother is given to us, “And Jacob dwelt in peace (Jonathan) in the land . . . of Canaan,” which is north of Mount Seir;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov settled in the land of his father’s residence, in the land of Canaan.

² These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought unto his father an evil report about them.

— and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his secondary wives or concubines; Joseph is the favorite of his father, but not of his brethren; especially those born of Leah; retaining the old grudge of their mother perhaps;

— the Targum Onkelos says

This is the history of Yaakov; Yoseif at the age of seventeen years, would tend the sheep with his brothers, and the lad was [he had been raised] with the sons of Bilhah, and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. Yoseif brought back bad reports about them to their father.

— the Targum of Jonathan reveals what the evils were, saying

“These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph was seventeen years old when he departed from the House of Study (Beit Midrasha). And he was a youth, brought up with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought an evil report of them—for he saw them eating meat torn from a living animal, specifically the ears and the tails; and he came and told their father.”

³ Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a coat of many colors.

— a coat of many colours; two explanations are given of this phrase; the first, that it was a long garment with sleeves or fringes; the other, that it was composed of patchwork of various colours; perhaps an upper coat reaching to the wrists and ankles, such as noblemen and kings’ daughters wore;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yisrael loved Yoseif more than any of his sons, for he was a [wise] son of his old age to him, and he made him a long, colorful cloak.

⁴ And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him and could not speak peaceably unto him.

— they not only inwardly hated him, but they could not conceal their hatred, but betrayed it by their speech unto him; they could not speak to him on any occasion, but in a cross, surly, ill natured manner;

— the Targum Onkelos says

His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, and they hated him. They could not [were not willing to] speak to him peaceably.

⁵ And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brethren; and they hated him yet the more. — as a dream; not understanding it; he told it not with any design to affront them, but as an amusement, perhaps, something in it odd and ridiculous, as he himself might think;

— and they hated him yet more; not only because he had carried an ill report of them to his father, but still more because of this dream; the meaning of which they at once understood, and that he told them it in a boasting manner, just to irritate them;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yoseif had a dream and he told his brothers, and they hated him even more.

⁶ And he said unto them, “Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: — hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed; hear now, immediately, directly, lest they should forget it;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said to them, Listen [now] to this dream that I dreamt.

⁷ For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.”

— the sheaves which his brethren bound up, they also stood upright, and all around his sheaf, and bowed unto it; so it appeared to him in his dream; so that his brethren hate him still more;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Behold, we were binding sheaves in the middle of the field. Behold my sheaf rose and stood up straight; and behold your sheaves surrounded it and prostrated themselves to my sheaf.

⁸ And his brethren said to him, “Shalt thou indeed reign over us? Or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us?” And they hated him yet the more for his dreams and for his words. — but this dream was evidently symbolical; its meaning easily discerned, and the brothers became furious;

— the Targum Onkelos says

His brothers said to him, Will you then be a king over us? [Do you imagine that you will reign over us?] Will you indeed rule over us? [Or do you think that you will rule over us?] They hated him even more because of his dreams and his words.

⁹ And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren and said, “Behold, I have dreamed one dream more; and behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.” — yet another dream; this repetition of the same thing in another shape, might have taught them that it was both certain and very observable;

— behold the sun and the moon; his father and mother, here signified by the sun and moon, were not represented in the first dream, because, in the event, his brethren only went at first to Egypt, and there did him obeisance, and it was not till afterward that his father went with them; and even then, both Rachel and Leah had died;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He had another dream and told it to his brothers. He said, Behold! I dreamed another dream. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were prostrating themselves to me.

¹⁰ And he told it to his father and to his brethren; and his father rebuked him and said unto him, “What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?”

— shall I, thy mother, and thy brethren, indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee? whereby it plainly shows he understood the meaning of the dream, though he would not seem to countenance it;

— and by the “moon” his wife, by whom is meant Rachel, the real mother of Joseph, who was dead; or rather Leah, who was now Jacob’s only true wife, and the stepmother of Joseph; or else Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid, who since her death was a mother to Joseph; 

— the Targum Onkelos says

He told it to his father and to his brothers. His father rebuked him, and said to him, What is this dream that you dreamed? Shall I, your mother and your brothers come and prostrate themselves on the ground to you?

¹¹ And his brethren envied him, but his father observed the saying. — and his brethren envied him; they suspecting and fearing that these dreams portended the pre-eminence of Joseph over them, or however served to fill his mind with the hopes and expectation:

— but his father observed the saying; what Joseph had said in relating his dream; he laid it up in his mind and kept it there, often thought of it, and waited to see its accomplishment;

— the Targum Onkelos says

His brothers were jealous of him but his father kept the matter in mind.

¹² And his brethren went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem. — Shechem belonged to Jacob; part of it by purchase, and the rest by conquest; Jacob’s sons seem to have retained Shechem, by right of their high-handed proceedings; related to Dinah in Genesis 34:27-29

— the Targum Onkelos says

His brothers went off to pasture their father’s sheep in Shechem.

¹³ And Israel said unto Joseph, “Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send thee unto them.” And he said to him, “Here am I.” — and he said unto him, here am I; showing his readiness to obey his father, though it was a long journey, and he to go it alone;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yisrael said to Yoseif, Aren’t your brothers pasturing [the sheep] in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them. He [Yoseif] said to him, Here I am.

¹⁴ And he said to him, “Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren and well with the flocks, and bring me word again.” So he sent him out of the Vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

— so he sent him out of the vale of Hebron: the same with the plains of Mamre near the city of Hebron, which was built on a hill: and he came to Shechem: after he had travelled sixty miles;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He [Yisrael] said to him, Go please [now], see after the well-being of your brothers, and the welfare of the sheep, and bring me a report. He sent [Yoseif] from the depths [plain] of Chevron, and he came to Shechem.

¹⁵ And a certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, saying, “What seekest thou?”

— and the man asked him, saying, what seekest thou? seeing him walking about, and first looking one way, and then another, concluded he was in search of something, either of some man or of some creature, a sheep or an ox that was lost;

— the Targum Onkelos says

A man found him going astray in the field. The man asked him, What are you seeking?

¹⁶ And he said, “I seek my brethren. Tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.” — tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks; in what part of the country they are, what field they are in, how far to it, and which the way;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said, I am looking for my brothers, tell me please [now], where are they pasturing?

¹⁷ And the man said, “They have departed hence, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan. — Dothan; this town was twelve miles north of Shechem, and is famous as being the place where Elisha struck the Syrian army with blindness (II Kings 6:13-23);

— the Targum Onkelos says

The man said, They have traveled on from here, for I heard them say, Let us go to Doson. Yoseif went after his brothers and found them in Doson.

¹⁸ And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. — when they saw him they conspired against him; it was not in a heat, or upon a sudden provocation, that they thought to slay him, but from malice prepense, and in cold blood;

— the Targum Onkelos says

They saw him from a distance, and before he approached them they were plotting against him to kill [thinking about killing] him.

¹⁹ And they said one to another, “Behold, this dreamer cometh. — this dreamer; Heb, this lord of dreams, or Jonathan identying the brothers as Simeon and Levi, and say, “this master of dreams” cometh, a phrase expressive of contempt;

— the Targum Onkelos says

One man said to another, Here comes the dreamer.

²⁰ Come now therefore and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, ‘Some evil beast hath devoured him’; and we shall see what will become of his dreams.”

— cast him into some pit; partly, as unworthy of burial; partly, to cover their villanous action; and partly, that they might quickly put him out of their sight and minds;

— some evil beast hath devoured him; which would seem plausible, since wild beasts were frequent in those parts, as lions and bears; and we shall see what will become of his dreams;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Now, come let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say that a wild beast devoured him. Then we will see what will become [be the end] of his dreams.

²¹ And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands and said, “Let us not kill him.” — and Reuben heard it; overheard what they said, not being in the consultation; perhaps knowing his temper and disposition to be more mild and gentle;

— and being the eldest, Reuben knew he had responsibility for all his brothers in general; hence opposed such murderous proposal;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Reuvein heard and rescued him from their hands. He said, Let us not kill him.

²² And Reuben said unto them, “Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him” — Reuben issued a warning, shed no blood that he might free him out of their hands to deliver him to his father again;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Reuvein said to them, Do not commit bloodshed. Throw him into this pit which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him. His purpose was to rescue him from their hands, to bring him back to his father.

²³ And it came to pass, when Joseph had come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph of his coat, his coat of many colors that was on him; — that they stripped, Joseph his coat of many colours, that was on him; that with his coat of many colours;

— the Targum Onkelos says

When Yoseif came to his brothers, they stripped him of his coat, the long, colorful coat that he had on.

²⁴ and they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it. — the pit being empty, there was no water in it; only serpents and scorpions, as the Targum of Jonathan says;

— the Targum Onkelos says

They took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

²⁵ And they sat down to eat bread; and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and behold, a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices and balm and myrrh, going to carry them down to Egypt.

— a caravan of Ishmaelites; Dothan was situated on the great caravan line by which the products of India and Western Asia were brought to Egypt;

— the Targum Onkelos says

They sat down [reclined] to eat bread. They raised their eyes and saw—behold a Yishmaelite [Arabian] caravan was coming from Gilod. Their camels were carrying spices, balsam and lotus, bringing them down to Egypt.

²⁶ And Judah said unto his brethren, “What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? — one who know about the value of money, asks, what profit is it if (literally, what of advantage that) we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yehudah said to his brothers, What [monetary benefit] will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?

²⁷ Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh.” And his brethren were content. — the brothers readily approved of Judah’s suggestion to dispose of their obnoxious brother as a slave;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Come let us sell him to the Yishmaelites [Arabs], and let our hands not be upon him; for he is our brother, our own flesh. His brothers listened [to him.] [obeyed him].

²⁸ Then there passed by Midianite merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph into Egypt. — twenty pieces of silver; the money was probably in rings or pieces (shekels), and silver is always mentioned in the records of that early age before gold;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Midianite merchants passed by. They [the brothers] pulled Yoseif up from the pit and sold Yoseif to the Yishmaelites [Arabs] for twenty pieces of silver. They brought Yoseif to Egypt.

²⁹ And Reuben returned unto the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. — Reuben returned; evidently he was not present when Joseph was sold to the Midianites; and he rent his clothes; as a token of distress and anguish of mind, of sorrow and mourning;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Reuvein returned to the pit, but behold, Yoseif was not in the pit. He [then] tore his clothes [in grief.]

— the Targum of Jonathan reveals Reuben’s character and his reaction, saysing

“And Reuben returned to the pit; for he had not been with them to eat when they sold him, as he had been sitting in a fast because he had confused his father’s couch. And he had gone and sat among the mountains, intended to return to the pit to bring [Joseph] up to his father, so that perhaps [his father] would show him favor. And when he returned and saw, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit, he rent his garments.”

³⁰ And he returned unto his brethren and said, “The child is no more; and I, whither shall I go?” — the child comparatively to his brethren, as he was just seventeen years old, Genesis 37:2

— the Targum Onkelos says

He returned to his brothers and said, The boy is not there; and I—where can I go.

³¹ And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid from the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood.

— the Targum Onkelos says

They took Yoseif’s coat, slaughtered a [male] goat, and dipped the coat in the blood.

— and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; that being, as the Targum of Jonathan says, “like the blood of a man.”

³² And they sent the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father and said, “This have we found. Know now whether it be thy son’s coat or not?”

— under the influence of Satan, men taught themselves to commit one sin, then teaches them to try to conceal it with another; to hide theft and murder, with lying and false oaths:

— an atrocious crime of lying and false oaths are great wickedness, which is dealt with in Zechariah 5 (the flyinf scroll);

— the Targum Onkelos says

They sent the long, colorful coat and brought it to their father, and said, We found this. Please [Now] identify it. Is it your son’s coat or not?

— the Targum of Jonathan reveals the sons of Leah wanting the sons of the handmaids doing the dirty work, too, saying

“And they sent by the hand of the sons of Zilpah and by the hand of the sons of Bilhah the ornamented tunic; and they brought it to their father and said: ‘This we have found; identify now whether it is your son’s tunic or not.'”

³³ And he knew it, and said, “It is my son’s coat. An evil beast hath devoured him. Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.” — an evil beast hath devoured him; this was natural to conclude from the condition the coat was in, and from the country he was sent into, which abounded with wild beasts;

— and was the very thing Joseph’s brethren contrived to say themselves; and in this view they wished and hoped the affair would be considered, and so their wickedness concealed;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He recognized it and said, It is my son’s coat. An evil beast has devoured him. Yoseif has been torn to pieces [surely killed].

³⁴ And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. — many days; Jacob mourned for Joseph not merely during the usual period, or years, as days sometimes signify; twenty two years, but so long as to move even the hearts of those who had wronged him;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov tore his robes, and placed sackcloth on his loins. He mourned for his son for many days.

³⁵ And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, “For I will go down into the grave unto my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.

— “his daughters;” that is, besides Dinah, Jacob had other daughters who were never mentioned; and all his sons rose up to comfort him; his sons must act a most hypocritical part in this affair;

— his father wept for him; that is, his father Isaac, as the Targum of Jonathan, he wept for his son Jacob on account of his trouble and distress; as well as for his grandson Joseph; 

— the Targum Onkelos says

All his sons and all his daughters rose to console him, but he refused to be consoled [accept consolation]. He said, I will go down to the grave [while I am still] mourning for my son. His father wept for him.

³⁶ And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s and captain of the guard. — and the Midianites sold him into Egypt; or Medanites, who sprung from Medan, a brother of Midian, and son of Keturah;

— Potiphar; Captain of the guard; Heb, chief of the slaughterers, by which the LXX understand the slaughterers of animals for food, and translate “chief cook;” other versions understand the commander to be the king’s body-guard,

— the Targum Onkelos says

The Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the chief of the slaughterers.

Genesis 38

¹ And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned unto a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

— Judah went down from his brethren; withdrew for a time from his father’s family, and got intimately acquainted with one Hirah an Adullamite; of the city of Adullam; a city which afterwards fell to the tribe of Judah;

— the Targum Onkelos says

And it was at that time, that Yehudah descended from his brothers. He turned away [from them], until [he came to] a man, an Adullamite, whose name was Chirah.

² And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shua; and he took her, and went in unto her. — an Adullamite; a Canaanitish woman; which was forbidden by his ancestors Abraham and Isaac, and which his father avoided:

— but Jonathan says he proselyted her, her father’s name was Shua, not the name of the woman he married, and he took her; to be his wife, with her father’s consent, but her name wasn’t mentioned, as Shua was the name of her father, as appears from Genesis 38:12;

— the Targum Onkelos says

There Yehudah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man [merchant] whose name was Shu’a. He took her and consummated a marriage with her.

³ And she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. — he called his name Er; which signifies a “watchman”: but the reason of the name given by the Targum of Jonathan is, “because he should die without a child;”

— the Targum Onkelos says

She conceived and gave birth to a son. He named him Er.

⁴ And she conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. — and she called his name Onan; the first son Judah gave the name to, but his wife named the second child, so called from grief or sorrow; and the reason, according to Targum of Jonathan, was, “because his father would have to mourn for him;”

— the Targum Onkelos says

She conceived again and gave birth to a son. She named him Onan.

⁵ And she yet again conceived and bore a son, and called his name Shelah. And he was at Chezib when she bore him. — and called his name Shelah; as she was at Chezib when she bare him; Chezib is the name of a place, by some taken to be the same with Achzib or Ecdippe;

— the Targum Onkelos says

She conceived once again and gave birth to a son. She named him Sheilah. He [Yehudah] was in Keziv when she gave birth to him.

⁶ And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar. — and Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn; chose one for him, and presented her to him for his liking, whom he approving of married: whose name was Tamar;

— the Targum of Jonathan says, she was the daughter of Shem; of course “daughter” could mean granddaughter or just principally female from the posterity of Shem;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yehudah took a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.

⁷ And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord slew him. — and Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Er, Yehudah’s firstborn was wicked in the eyes of [before] Adonoy, and Adonoy put him to death.

— wicked in the sight of the Lord; that is, exceedingly wicked, as this phrase signifies, Genesis 13:13; but here “because he had not given his seed unto his wife,” as Jonathan says.

⁸ And Judah said unto Onan, “Go in unto thy brother’s wife and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.” — the law later given through Moses, by which the brother of the dead husband was required to marry the widow, 

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yehudah said to Onan, Consummate marriage with your brother’s wife, and fulfill the yibum rite with her, and establish seed for your brother.

⁹ And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest he should give seed to his brother.

— that he spilled it on the ground, lest he should give his seed to his brother: lest his brother’s wife he had married should conceive by him, and bear a son that should be called his brother’s, and inherit his estate;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Onan knew that the descendants would not be his [called by his name]. Whenever he cohabited with his brother’s wife, he let it go to waste [destroyed his way] on the ground, in order not to give [establish] progeny to his brother.

¹⁰ And the thing which he did displeased the Lord; therefore He slew him also. — it was also a sin against the divine institution of marriage and its object of populating the earth, and was therefore punished by the Lord with sudden death;

— the Targum Onkelos says

What he did was evil in the eyes of [before] Adonoy, and He also put him to death.

¹¹ Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow at thy father’s house, until Shelah my son is grown”; for he said, “Lest perhaps he die also, as his brethren did.” And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.

— and Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house; she had dwelt separately in the time of her two husbands, but now by his advice she removed to her own father’s house; 

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yehudah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, Live as a widow in your father’s house until my son Sheilah is of age. He said, Lest he also die like his brothers. Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.

¹² And in process of time, the daughter of Shua, Judah’s wife, died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

— time passed; and Judah’s wife, Shua’s daughter, died; and when the time of mourning was over, Judah with his friend Hirah of Adullam went to Timnah for the sheep shearing;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Many days passed, and Shu’a’s daughter, the wife of Yehudah died. Yehudah sought consolation, and went up to his sheep-shearers—he and his friend, Chirah the Adullamite—to Timnah.

¹³ And it was told Tamar, saying, “Behold, thy father-in-law goeth up to Timnah to shear his sheep.”

— the Targum Onkelos says

Tamar was told, Behold your father-in-law has come to Timnah, to shear his sheep.

¹⁴ And she put her widow’s garments off from her and covered herself with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place which is on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him as wife.

— for Tamar saw that Shelah was grown: and she was not given unto him as a wife: to her disappointment;

— the Targum Onkelos says

She took off her widow’s garb, covered herself with a veil, and disguised [adorned] herself. She sat at the crossroads which is on the road to Timnah, for she saw that Sheilah had come of age and she had not been given to him for a wife.

¹⁵ When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot, because she had covered her face.

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yehudah saw her and thought she was a harlot [like one who goes outside], because she had covered her face.

¹⁶ And he turned unto her on the wayside and said, “Come, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee” (for he knew not that she was his daughter-in-law). And she said, “What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?”

— when Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; by her posture and the place she was in;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He turned aside to her on the road, and said, Please [Now], let me be with you, for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, What will you give me for the privilege of being with me?

¹⁷ And he said, “I will send thee a kid from the flock.” And she said, “Wilt thou give me a pledge until thou send it?” — a kid from the flock; a goodly price at which her chastity and honour were valued!

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said, I will send you a kid from the flock. She said, [Only] if you give me some security until you send it.

¹⁸ And he said, “What pledge shall I give thee?” And she said, “Thy signet and thy bracelets and thy staff that is in thine hand.” And he gave it to her and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.

— signet, bracelets, including armlets, were worn by men as well as women among these ancients; the Septuagint renders, “thy ring, and thy bracelet, and the staff in thy hand,” or Jonathan, “thy seal, and thy mantle, and thy staff which is in thy hand,”

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said, What security shall I give you? She said, Your signet ring, your wrap, and your staff that is in your hand. He gave them to her and was with her, and she became pregnant by him.

¹⁹ And she arose and went away, and laid aside her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood. — and she arose and went away; to her father’s house immediately, as soon as ever she had parted with Judah; and lest she should be found out;

— the Targum Onkelos says

She got up and went away. She took off her veil, and put on her widow’s garb.

²⁰ And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand, but he found her not.

— to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand; his signet, bracelets, and staff, or whatever they were: but he found her not; for she had gone from the place where she sat;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yehudah sent the goat-kid with his friend the Adullamite, to retrieve the security from the woman, but he could not find her.

²¹ Then he asked the men of that place, saying, “Where is the harlot who was openly by the wayside?” And they said, “There was no harlot in this place.”

— and they said, there was no harlot in this place; they had not known any harlot to frequent that place lately, and Tamar sat there so short a time as not to have been observed by them;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He asked the men of her place, Where is the harlot that was at the junction, on the road? They said, There was [is] no harlot here.

²² And he returned to Judah and said, “I cannot find her, and also the men of the place said that there was no harlot in this place.” — there was no harlot in this place; by which it appears, that near the place where Tamar was;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He returned to Yehudah and said, I did not find her, and the men of her place also said that there was [is] no harlot there [here].

²³ And Judah said, “Let her take them for herself, lest we be shamed; behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.”

— Judah said, “Let her have it then. If we keep looking, everyone will shame us. I kept my part of the bargain; I sent the kid goat but you couldn’t find her.”

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yehudah said, Let her take it, lest we are humiliated [become a laughingstock]. Behold I sent her this kid, and you could not find her.

²⁴ And it came to pass about three months after that it was told Judah, saying, “Tamar thy daughter-in-law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom.” And Judah said, “Bring her forth, and let her be burned.”

— let her be burnt; as by the law, Tamar was condemned by Judah as head of the family, to the punishment usual for adultery;

— the Targum Onkelos says

About three months later, Yehudah was told, Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has been promiscuous, moreover, her promiscuity has resulted in pregnancy. Yehudah said, Take her out and let her be burned.

²⁵ When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “By the man whose these are, am I with child.” And she said, “Discern, I pray thee, whose are these — the signet, and bracelets, and staff.”

— the Targum Onkelos says

She was being taken out, and she sent [word] to her father-in-law saying, By the man to whom these belong [from him] am I pregnant. She said, Please [Now] recognize to whom this signet, wrap and staff belong.

— the Targum of Jonathan says,

“Tamar was being led out to be burned, and she sought the three pledges (the signet, wrap, and staff) but could not find them. She lifted her eyes to the heavens on high and said: ‘I pray for mercy before You, O Lord; answer me in this hour of my distress and enlighten my eyes that I may find the three witnesses. I promise to raise from my loins three holy ones who will sanctify Your name and descend into the furnace of fire in the Plain of Dura.’

“In that hour, the Holy One, blessed be He, signaled to Michael, and he enlightened her eyes and she found them. She took them and cast them at the feet of the judges and said: ‘By the man to whom these pledges belong, from him I am pregnant. Even though I am being burned, I will not publish his name; but let the Master of the World put it in his heart to recognize them and save me from this great judgment.’

“When Judah saw them, he recognized them. Then he said in his heart: ‘It is better for me to be ashamed in this world, which is a passing world, and not be ashamed before my righteous fathers in the World to Come. It is better for me to burn in this world in a fire that can be extinguished, rather than burn in the World to Come in a fire that consumes fire. Because I said to Jacob my father, “Identify now your son’s tunic,” I am forced to hear in the court: “To whom do these signets, wraps, and staffs belong?”‘”

²⁶ And Judah acknowledged them and said, “She hath been more righteous than I, because I gave her not to Shelah my son.” And he knew her again no more.

— and she said; discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff; which were the things given her as a pledge till she received the kid, the hire she was to have for his lying with her;

— and he knew her again no more; he did not repeat the sin, but abstained from it having, no doubt, true repentance for it;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yehudah recognized them and said, She is righteous, [it is] from me [that she conceived], inasmuch that I did not give her to my son Sheilah. He was not intimate with her any more.

²⁷ And it came to pass in the time of her travail that, behold, twins were in her womb. — that, behold, twins were in her womb; which the midwife could discover before the birth of either.

— the Targum Onkelos says

When the time came for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb.

²⁸ And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand; and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, “This came out first.” — Tamar bears Perez and Zerah to Judah; but a breach be upon them, or be imputed to them;

— the Targum Onkelos says

As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand. The midwife took it and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, This one emerged first.

²⁹ And it came to pass as he drew back his hand that, behold, his brother came out; and she said, “How hast thou broken forth? This breach be upon thee.” Therefore his name was called Perez [that is, A breach]. — but breach be upon thee; and Pharez was born first;

— the Targum Onkelos says

When he put back his hand, behold his brother emerged, and she said, With what [great] strength you have pushed yourself. He named him Peretz.

³⁰ And afterward came out his brother who had the scarlet thread upon his hand, and his name was called Zerah. — and the one with a scarlet thread; his name was called Zarah; 

— the Targum Onkelos says

Then his brother emerged—the one upon whose hand was the scarlet thread. He named him Zorach.

Posted in Books of Moses

Then after Esau found that he had lost his birthright to Jacob, he pleaded his father if he had anything left, and Isaac answered and prophesied, saying,

“And by your sword shall you live, you will go to every place, and wander, and you will be subject to your brother. But when his descendants abandon the commandments of the Torah, then you will break his yoke from your neck.”

“And Esau harbored hatred in his heart against Jacob, his brother, because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him.

And Esau said in his heart, ‘I will not do as Cain did, who killed Abel during their father’s lifetime and then their father had another son, Seth.

Rather, I will wait until the days of mourning for my father have passed, and then I will kill Jacob my brother, and I will be the sole heir.'” Genesis 27:41-42 Jonathan

Looking through the Scriptures with a blast of fresh air!

“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and until He has performed the intent of His thought; in the latter days ye shall understand it perfectly.” Jeremiah 23:20

Genesis 33

¹ And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau came and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two handmaids. — as Jacob went forward, he saw Esau coming to meet him with his 400 mean;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov raised his eyes and saw that Eisov was coming, and with him there were four hundred men. He then divided the children among Leah, Rochel and the two handmaids [concubines].

² And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindmost. — he then arranged his wives and children in such a manner, that the maids with their children went first, Leah with hers in the middle, and Rachel with Joseph behind, thus forming a long procession;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He placed the handmaids [concubines] and their children foremost, Leah and her sons behind them, and Rochel and Yoseif in the rear.

— the Targum of Jonathan says

and placed the concubines and their sons foremost; for he said, If Esau come to destroy the children and abuse the women, he will do it with them, and meantime we will arise and encounter him in fight; and Leah and her children after, and Rahel and Joseph after them.

³ And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times until he came near to his brother. — he bowed seven times; the manner of doing this is by looking towards a superior and bowing to the ground;

— then advancing a few steps and bowing again, and repeating his obeisance till, at the seventh time; members of his family did the same; this was a token of profound fear of terror rather than respect;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He went ahead of them, and he prostrated himself to the earth seven times, until he approached his brother.

⁴ And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him; and they wept. — and they wept; Jacob wept for joy to be thus kindly received; Esau, perhaps, with grief and shame, to think of the ill design he had conceived against his brother;

— and they wept, both Jacob and Esau, for joy at the sight of each other, and both seriously; and especially there can be no doubt of Jacob, who must be glad of this reconciliation, and the lives of his wives and children, would be spared;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Eisov ran to meet him. He hugged him and fell on his neck and kissed him. They [both] wept.

— the Targum of Jonathan says

And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell upon his neck and kissed him, and they wept. Esau wept on account of the pain of his teeth which were shaken; but Jakob wept because of the pain of his neck.

⁵ And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children, and said, “Who are those with thee?” And he said, “The children which God hath graciously given thy servant.” — Jacob speaks of his children as God’s gifts; a heritage of the Lord, and as choice gifts, graciously given him;

— the Targum Onkelos says

[Eisov] raised his eyes and saw the women and children. He said, Who are these to you? He [Yaakov] said, These are the children whom God has graciously [compassionately] granted your servant.

⁶ Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves. — the handmaidsand their children came near; they, being foremost, and next to, Jacob, as Bilhah and her two sons, Dan and Naphtali, and Zilpah and her two sons, Gad and Asher;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The handmaids [concubines] [then] approached, they, and their children, and prostrated themselves.

⁷ And Leah also with her children came near and bowed themselves; and after these came Joseph and Rachel near, and they bowed themselves.

— and Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves; who were in the next division or company; their children were seven, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah, six sons and one daughter:

— and after came Joseph and Rachel, and they bowed themselves; it is observed that Joseph is mentioned before his mother; it may be, because they might put him before her in the procession, for greater safety; or she might present him to Esau, being a child of little more than six years of age;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Leah and her children also approached and prostrated themselves, and finally Yoseif and Rochel approached and prostrated themselves.

⁸ And he said, “What meanest thou by all this drove which I met?” And he said, “These are to find grace in the sight of my lord.” — and he said, these are to find grace in the sight of my lord; to gain his favour and good will; and which, as it was a token of Jacob’s good will to him;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He [Eisov] said, What do you have to do with that whole camp that approached me? He [Yaakov] said, It was to find favor in the eyes of my master.

⁹ And Esau said, “I have enough, my brother. Keep what thou hast unto thyself.” — and Esau said, I have enough; literally, I have abundance; keep that thou hast unto thyself, let be to thee what is to thee;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Eisov said, I have plenty. My brother, let what you have remain yours [be successful].

¹⁰ And Jacob said, “Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand; for therefore I have seen thy face as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.

— as though I had seen the face of God. It is in a manner as pleasant a sight to me as the sight of God himself, because in thy reconciled face I see the face and favour of God thus manifested unto me;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov said, Please, no. If I have found favor in your eyes [now], take [accept] my present from my hand, because I have seen your face [and it was] like seeing the face of a God[ly being] [great ones]; and you have received me favorably.

¹¹ Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee, because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” And he urged him, and he took it. — and Jacob urged him, and Esau took it: being pressing on him, or importunate with him, Esau accepted of his present;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Please [Now] accept my blessing [present] as it was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me, for I have everything. He thus urged him and he took [accepted] it.

¹² And he said, “Let us take our journey; and let us go, and I will go before thee.” — and Esau offers himself to be Jacob’s guide and companion, in token of a sincere reconciliation;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He [Eisov] said, Go and we will move on, and I will move on with you.

¹³ And he said unto him, “My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me; and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die. — and Jacob said unto Esau; the children are tender; the eldest of them, Reuben, not being yet fourteen years old;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He [Yaakov] said to him, My master knows that the children are delicate, and that the sheep and cattle with me are nursing. If they are driven hard for [even] one day, all the sheep will die.

¹⁴ Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant; and I will lead on gently, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children are able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir.”

— unto Seir; this implies a purpose of visiting Esau, but not carried out probably because Esau hadn’t settled there yet, he instead returned to Hebron to his father;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Please [Now] my master, go on ahead of your servant. I will lead on gently, in my slow pace, according to the pace of the work that is before me, and according to the pace of the children, until I come to my master in Seir.

¹⁵ And Esau said, “Let me now leave with thee some of the folk who are with me.” And he said, “What need is there? Let me find grace in the sight of my lord.” — and he said, what needeth it? Jacob knew the direct way very probably; he thought himself in no danger;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Eisov said, Let me leave [now] with you some of the people that are with me. He [Yaakov] said, What for? Let me find favor in the eyes of my master.

¹⁶ So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir. — Esau took his leave of Jacob the same day he met Jacob, and proceeded on in his journey towards Seir;

— the Targum Onkelos says

On that day Eisov returned on his way—going to Seir.

¹⁷ And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him a house, and made booths for his cattle. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth [that is, Booths].

— and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle; an house for himself and family, and booths or tents for his servants or shepherds, and for the cattle they had the care of, some for one, and some for the other;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov traveled to Sukkos and built himself a house, and for his livestock he made shelters. He therefore named the place Sukkos.

¹⁸ And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram, and pitched his tent before the city. — Shechem, where Jacob’s well is still there; where a woman of Samaria to draw water and met Jesus: John 4:6

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov arrived safely at the city of Shechem, which is in the Land of Canaan, when he came from Padan Aram. He encamped before the city.

¹⁹ And he bought a parcel of a field where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of money. — a hundred pieces of money; may signify either lambs, given in way of exchange for it, or a hundred pieces of silvers;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He bought the part [possession] of the field where he had spread his tent, from the sons of Chamor, father of Shechem, for one hundred kesitahs [sheep].

²⁰ And he erected there an altar, and called it El-elohe-Israel [that is, God, the God of Israel]. — Jacob erected there an altar; Abraham had already built an altar in this neighbourhood (Genesis 12:7), and Jacob now followed his example;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He erected an altar there and called it [worshiped upon it before] the Almighty is [the] God of Yisrael.

Genesis 34

¹ And Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she bore unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. — Dinah went out to see the daughters of the land; from her father’s house into the city, out of curiosity, to explore the daughters of the land;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Deenah went out, the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Yaakov, to see [visit] the local girls.

² And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her, and defiled her. — Shechem the Hivite, took her by force, and evilly defiled her;

— the Targum Onkelos says

She was seen by Shechem, son of Chamor, the Chivite, who was the prince of the land. He took her, was with her, and mistreated her.

³ And his soul cleaved unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel and spoke kindly unto the damsel.

— and his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob; his inclination was to her; it was not a mere lustful desire that was suddenly raised, but a constant and continued affection he bore to her; professing great love to her;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He became deeply attached to [He desired] Deenah, the daughter of Yaakov, and he loved the girl. He spoke to the girl’s heart.

⁴ And Shechem spoke unto his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this damsel for a wife.” — and Shechem spake unto his father Hamor; and told him the whole affair, at least what a strong affection he had for Dinah;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Shechem spoke to his father Chamor, saying, Take this young girl for me as a wife.

⁵ And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were with his cattle in the field, and Jacob held his peace until they had come. — Jacob held his peace; he as a father and a good man, must have been deeply distressed; baitded for time;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov heard that he had defiled his daughter, Deenah, [while] his sons were with the livestock in the fields. Yaakov remained silent until they returned.

⁶ And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him. — to commune with him; to talk with him about the affair of Dinah, to pacify him, and endeavour to gain his consent, that his son might marry her, and to settle the terms of the marriage;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Chamor, father of Shechem, went out to Yaakov to speak with him.

⁷ And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, which thing ought not to be done.

— and the men were grieved and were very wroth; they were grieved for the wickedness committed against God as well as for the injury done to their sister;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The sons of Yaakov returned from the field when they heard [what had happened]. The men grieved and were very angry, for he [Shechem] had committed an outrage against Yisrael to lie with a daughter of Yaakov. Such a thing should not be done [It is not fitting for such a think to have been done].

⁸ And Hamor communed with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter. I pray you give her to him for a wife; — Hamor communed with Jacob’s sons, to whom Jacob committed the business, being himself oppressed with shame and grief, and fear for his daughter;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Chamor spoke with them saying, My son, Shechem, desires your daughter. Please [Now] grant her to him for a wife.

⁹ and make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you.

— and make ye marriages with us; there was no objection on their side, it lay on Jacob’s; Abraham’s servant was charged by him not to take a wife of the Canaanites to his son Isaac; and the same charge was given Jacob by Isaac, Genesis 24:3

— the Targum Onkelos says

Intermarry with us. Give us your daughters, and take our daughters for yourselves.

¹⁰ And ye shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you. Dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein.” — ye shall dwell with us; Hamor proposes that Jacob’s family shall abandon their nomad life, and settle among the Hivites; and trade with them;

— the Targum Onkelos says

You will [then] live with us and the land will be open to you. Live and [do] trade in [with] it and possess it.

¹¹ And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, “Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me, I will give. — and what ye shall say unto me, I will give; to her, to her parents, to her brethren and relations; let what will be fixed, shall be given; 

— the Targum Onkelos says

Shechem said to her father and her brothers, Let me find favor in your eyes and what ever you say [ask of me], I will give.

¹² Ask me ever so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me; but give me the damsel for a wife.”

— and I will give according as ye shall say unto me; determine among yourselves whatever shall be the dowry and gift, and it shall be punctually observed: but give me the damsel to wife; only agree to that, and I care not what is required of me;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Increase greatly the amount I must pay for the bridal dowry and gifts. I will give whatever you say, but give me the girl for a wife.

¹³ And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said — because he had defiled Dinah their sister”

— and the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor deceitfully; or with carnal wisdom and wicked cunning, proposing the marriage of their sister, when they never intended it should ever be;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The sons of Yaakov answered Shechem, and his father Chamor, with guile [cleverness], when they spoke; because he had defiled their sister, Deenah.

¹⁴ and they said unto them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a reproach unto us. — and Levi and Simeon said unto Hamor and Shechem:

— nothing is said of their teaching the people to worship the true God, but only of their insisting on their being circumcised; a cloak to cover their diabolical design;

— the Targum Onkelos says

They said to them, We cannot do such a thing—to give our sister [in marriage] to an uncircumcised man, for that is a disgrace to us.

¹⁵ But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we are, that every male of you be circumcised, — as we are; that is; the sons of Jacob were all circumcised as they claimed;

— the Targum Onkelos says

This is the only way we will consent to you: if you will be like us, circumcising all your males.

¹⁶ then will we give our daughters unto you; and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. — and we will take your daughters to us; in marriage for wives: and we will dwell with you; not as sojourners but as fellow citizens;

— the Targum Onkelos says

[Then] we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters for ourselves. We will live together with you, and we will become one people.

¹⁷ But if ye will not hearken unto us to be circumcised, then will we take our daughter and we will be gone.” — then will we take our daughter; by force,

— the Targum Onkelos says

But if you do not listen to [obey] us to be circumcised, we will take our daughter and go.

— as the Targum of Jonathan adds: and we will be gone: depart from this part of the country, and go elsewhere.

¹⁸ And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem, Hamor’s son. — Hamor, and Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Their words were agreeable in the eyes of Chamor, and in the eyes of Shechem, the son of Chamor.

¹⁹ And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob’s daughter; and he was more honorable than all the house of his father.

— and he was more honourable than all the house of his father; for though in defiling Jacob’s daughter, yet in this he was honourable, that he sought to marry her, and to recompence the injury;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The young man did not delay doing the thing, because he desired the daughter of Yaakov. He was the most honored person in his father’s house.

²⁰ And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying, — and communed with the men of their city; upon the subject of entering into an alliance with Jacob’s family, of admitting them to be fellow citizens with them;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Chamor and his son, Shechem came to the gate of their city, and they spoke to the men of their city saying,

²¹ “These men are peaceable with us. Therefore let them dwell in the land and trade therein; for the land, behold, it is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters.

— let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters; this is not just a horror to Abraham or Isaac, but to God himself;

— alas! for how one sin leads on to another, and, like flames of fire, spread desolation in every direction! For this will put God’s direction to no effect:

“Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the River Euphrates: the Kenites and the Kenizzites and the Kadmonites, and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Rephaim, and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” Genesis 15:18-21

— the Targum Onkelos says

These men are completely at peace with us. Let them live in the land and [do] trade in [with] it. The land has ample room to be open to them. We will take their daughters for wives, and we will give them our daughters.

²² Only herein will the men consent unto us to dwell with us, to be one people: if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised.

— if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised; submitting to this rite, they agree to take up their residence with us, and be incorporated among us, and to God’s horror, become one people;

— the Targum Onkelos says

But only on these terms will the men consent to live with us, to become one people: every male among us must be circumcised, just as they are circumcised.

²³ Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours? Only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us.”

— only let us consent unto them; in the affair of circumcision: and they will dwell with us; and what by trading with them, and marrying among them, all their wealth and riches will come into our hands;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Their livestock, their possessions and all their cattle, will it not be ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will live with us.

²⁴ And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all who went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.

— they consented to be circumcised, in compliance with their young prince, whom they either feared or loved; to be willing to expose themselves to great pains and hazards;

— the purpose of circumcision was to keep the Israelites “unmixed” or maintained separated from all the neighbouring tribes, for Josephus (Antiquities. l. 1. c. 10. sect. 5) said:

The forementioned son was born to Abram when he was eighty-six years old: but when he was ninety-nine, God appeared to him, and promised him that he Should have a son by Sarai, and commanded that his name should be Isaac; and showed him, that from this son should spring great nations and kings, and that they should obtain all the land of Canaan by war, from Sidon to Egypt.

But he charged him, in order to keep his posterity unmixed with others, that they should be circumcised in the flesh of their foreskin, and that this should be done on the eighth day after they were born.

— the Targum Onkelos says

They listened to [obeyed] Chamor, and to his son, Shechem—all those who passed through the gate of his city. Every male was circumcised—all who passed through the gate of his city.

²⁵ And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly and slew all the males.

— Simeon and Levi, being Leah’s children; Dinah’s brethren; they act as sworn enemies to those to whom they were lately become sworn friends;

— the Targum Onkelos says

On the third day when they were in pain [their pain was strong upon them], two of Yaakov’s sons, Shimon and Leivi, brothers of Deenah, each took his sword. They approached the city with confidence [whose inhabitants dwell in security], and killed every male.

²⁶ And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went out.

— and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house; where she was detained from the time of her being ravished by Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, against her will, as hostage, with an evil intention of forcing a marriage on her;

— what a parallel in today’s environment where the Hamas terrorists killed many Jews on October 7, 2023; and captured over two hundreds of the others as hostages, trying to force “peace” onto Israel;

— the Targum Onkelos says

They killed Chamor and his son Shechem at the point of the sword. They took Deenah from the house of Shechem and they left.

²⁷ The sons of Jacob came upon the slain and despoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister. — although only two of Jacob’s sons were mentioned, they might be assisted by the rest; at least, no doubt, they were attended with servants, who were aiding: in accomplishing a bloody judgement;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The sons of Yaakov came upon the corpses [to strip the corpses], and they plundered the city that had defiled their sister.

²⁸ They took their sheep and their oxen and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Their sheep, their cattle, their donkeys, whatever was in the city and whatever was in the field—they took [plundered].

²⁹ and all their wealth, and all their little ones and their wives took they captive, and despoiled even all that was in the house. — and spoiled even all that was in the house; of Shechem or Hamor, or in any of the houses of the inhabitants; they rifled and plundered everyone, and took away whatsoever they found;

— the Targum Onkelos says

All their wealth, all their children, and their wives—they took captive, and plundered—including everything in the houses.

³⁰ And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “Ye have troubled me to make me a stench among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. And I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.”

— amongst the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and I being few in number; or men of number; he and his sons and servants, in all, making but a small number in comparison of the nations about him:

— they shall slay me: he could expect no other in human reason, and they were hindered from so doing only by the hand of the great God smiting them with terror, Genesis 35:5

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov said to Shimon and Leivi, You have made trouble for me, making me obnoxious to [putting hatred between us and] the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. [Since] I am few in number, they will gather together and attack me. I and my house [family] will be destroyed.

³¹ And they said, “Should he deal with our sister as with a harlot?” — should he deal with our sister as with an harlot? make a whore of her, and then keep her in his house as such?

— the Targum Onkelos says

They said, Should he make our sister [be treated] into a harlot [like one who goes outside]?

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

“Simeon and Levi answered: ‘It is not fitting that it should be said in the assemblies of Israel: Uncircumcised men defiled a virgin, and idol-worshippers polluted the daughter of Jacob.

“Rather, let it be said thus: Uncircumcised men were slain because of a virgin, and idol-worshippers because of the daughter of Jacob! Let not Shechem the son of Hamor mock us in his words, saying: “Like a straying woman, this girl went out; she has no one to avenge her.”

“Shall he treat our sister [as a harlot] if we had not done this thing?'”

Posted in Books of Moses

After Jacob had stolen his birthright, Esau pleaded with Isaac his father if he could still bless him.

Then Isaac his father answered and prophesied, saying, “Thy dwelling shall be away from the fatness of the earth; and away from the dew of heaven above; Genesis 27:39

“And by your sword shall you live, you will go to every place, and wander, and you will be subject to your brother. But when his descendants abandon the commandments of the Torah, then you will break his yoke from your neck.”

“And Esau harbored hatred in his heart against Jacob, his brother, because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, ‘I will not do as Cain did, who killed Abel during their father’s lifetime and then their father had another son, Seth. Rather, I will wait until the days of mourning for my father have passed, and then I will kill Jacob my brother, and I will be the sole heir.’” Genesis 27:41-42 Targum (Jonathan)

This is looking at the Scriptures with a blast of fresh air, because the deeper you dig, the more you’ll find!

“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and until He has performed the intent of His thought; in the latter days ye shall understand it perfectly.” Jeremiah 23:20

Genesis 31

¹ And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s; and from that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this glory.”

— their complaining word “glory” suggests that, enriched by cattle and commerce, Jacob had now become a person of great importance in the eyes of the people of Haran;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He [Yaakov] heard the words of Lavan’s sons [who were] saying, Yaakov has taken all that belonged to our father. From that which was our father’s, he made [acquired] all this wealth [these possessions].

— as the Targum of Jonathan says, by which he got the name and glory for himsel of these riches among men: and it was so far true what they say, that it was out of their father’s flock that Jacob got all his increase;

² And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and behold, it was not toward him as before. — and, behold, it was not as peaceful as before;

— he said nothing to Jacob, nor charged him with robbing of him, or any false dealing with him, yet was uneasy at his growing prosperity; he put on sour looks, and an envious countenance, sad, and surly, and lowering;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov saw [the expression of] Lavan’s face [demeanor] and it was not toward him as it was before.

³ And the Lord said unto Jacob, “Return unto the land of thy fathers and to thy kindred, and I will be with thee.” — the Lord said unto Jacob; in answer tohsi prayer, perhaps; or seeing what difficulties and discouragements Jacob laboured under, he appeared unto him for his encouragement and instruction how to proceed;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Adonoy said to Yaakov, Return to the land of your fathers and to your birthplace, and I will be with you [My Word will be your support].

⁴ And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, — and Jacob sent; having this encouragement and direction from the Lord, which seems while he was attending his flocks, he dispatched a messenger home to his wives, one of his servants or under shepherds;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov sent and called Rochel and Leah to [come to] the field, to his flock.

— the Targum of Jonathan says it was his son Naphtali, of Rachels’ maid, Bilhah, whom he sent, because he was a swift messenger;

⁵ and said unto them, “I see your father’s countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me. — his father-in-law’s countenance are becoming not peaceful;

— but the God of my father hath been with me; not only supported him under all his troubles; but by his good providence prospering him in his affairs, as well as he had lately appeared to him, and encouraged him to return to his own country;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said to them, I saw [the expression of] your father’s face; it is not toward me as it was before, but the God of my father was with me [my support].

⁶ And ye know that with all my power I have served your father. — and ye know, that with all my power I have served your father; with all faithfulness and uprightness;

— with all diligence and industry; with all wisdom and prudence; and sparing no pains by day or night to take care of his flocks, and increase his substance;

— the Targum Onkelos says

You know that I served your father with all my strength.

⁷ And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times, but God did not suffer him to hurt me. — hath changed my wages ten times; that is, oft-times, as is often the signification of the number ten;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Your father cheated me and changed my wage ten countings; but Elohim did not let him harm me.

⁸ If he said thus: ‘The speckled shall be thy wages,’ then all the animals bore speckled; and if he said thus: ‘The ringstreaked shall be thy hire,’ then all the animals bore ringstreaked.

— the ring-straked shall be thy hire; hence it appears that Laban through envy and covetousness did break his agreement made with Jacob, and altered it as he thought meet, and that Jacob patiently yielded to all such changes;

— the Targum Onkelos says

If he would say, The speckled will be your wage, then all the flock [sheep] gave birth to speckled ones. If he would say, Ringed ones will be your wage, all the flock [sheep] gave birth to ringed ones.

⁹ Thus God hath taken away the flocks of your father, and given them to me. — Laban’s flock was much lessened by those means, and more were taken away, and came to Jacob’s share;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Thus God delivered [separated] your father’s livestock, and gave it to me.

¹⁰ And it came to pass at the time that the animals conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the animals were ringstreaked, speckled, and grizzled.

— not that the rams in the flock were really of those colours, for they were all white, but so they were represented to Jacob in the vision, to suggest to him, that such would be produced by them;

— the Targum Onkelos says

At the time the flock [sheep] were in heat [to mate], I lifted my eyes, and in a dream I saw that the males [rams] going upon the flock [sheep] were ringed, speckled and striped.

¹¹ And the angel of God spoke unto me in a dream, saying, ‘Jacob!’ And I said, ‘Here am I.’ — saying, Jacob; and I said, here am I; the angel called him by his name, to which he answered, and signified that he was ready to attend to whatsoever he should say to him;

— the Targum Onkelos says

An angel of Elohim said to me in a dream, Yaakov, and I said, Here I am.

¹² And he said, ‘Lift up now thine eyes and see: all the rams which leap upon the animals are ringstreaked, speckled, and grizzled; for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. — and the angel said, for I have seen all that Laban doeth to thee;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said, Lift up your eyes [now] and see, all the males [rams] going up on the flock [sheep] are ringed, speckled, and striped; for I have seen all that Lavan is doing to you [is revealed before Me].

¹³ I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointed the pillar, and where thou vowed a vow unto Me. Now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.’” — I am the God of Bethel; the same Angel that appeared to Jacob in a dream, the God of Bethel; hence this ‘angel’ is the Son of God;

— the Targum Onkelos says

I am the Almighty of Elohim who appeared to you in Beis Eil, where you anointed a monument, where you made a vow to [before] Me. Now arise and leave this land, and return to the land of your birthplace.

¹⁴ And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, “Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? — having heard his views, Rachel and Leah answered; they expressed their entire approval;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Rochel and Leah replied and said to him, Do we still have a portion and an inheritance in our father’s house?

¹⁵ Are we not counted by him strangers? For he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money. — are we not confuted of him strangers? as if we had no more right to his estate than strangers? instead of a good part of his estate, which by the law of God and nature belongs to us;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Are we not considered by him as strangers? For he has sold us, and has completely consumed our money.

¹⁶ For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours and our children’s. Now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.”

— now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do; this was well spoken indeed; they mean, that he should leave their father’s house, and go into the land of Canaan, as God had directed him;

— the Targum Onkelos says

All the wealth that Elohim rescued [separated] from our father belongs to us and our children. Now, whatever God has said to you, do it.

¹⁷ Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels. — then Jacob rose up; and went with them to Laban’s house, where his children were, as is plain from Rachel’s theft, Genesis 31:19

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov rose and lifted his sons and his wives upon the camels.

¹⁸ And he carried away all his flocks and all his goods which he had gotten, the flocks of his getting which he had gotten in Padanaram, to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.

— for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan; but staying at several places by the way. No mention is made of his mother Rebekah, she perhaps being now dead;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He led away all his livestock, and all his possessions that he had acquired, which he had purchased with his own livestock that he had acquired in Padan Aram, [in order] to come to Yitzchok, his father, to the land of Canaan.

¹⁹ And Laban went to shear his sheep; and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father’s. — images; images of angels, teraphim, called Laban’s gods in Genesis 31:30, which he made use of in an idolatrous and superstitious manner;

— Rachel had a lingering attachment to those idols of her family, and secretly carried them away as relics of a home she was to visit no more; and we find that such idolatry worship continued throughout their pre-Babylonian history;

— when we read of Rachel’s stealing her father’s images, what a scene of the family of Nahor, and even Terah, his father, who left the idolatrous Chaldees; is not this family itself had been tainted or even deeply idolatrous? Until the days they were purified during the Babylonian captivity;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lavan [meanwhile] had gone to shear his flock [sheep], and Rochel stole [hid] the idols that belonged to her father.

— the Targum of Jnathan says

And Laban had gone to shear his flock; and Rahel stole the images. For they had slain a man, a firstborn, and had cut off his head; they salted it with salt and balsams, and wrote incantations on a plate of gold, and put it under his tongue, and set it up in the wall, and it spake with them; and unto such their father bowed himself.

²⁰ And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled. — Jacob stole away; he thought the prudence and necessity of departing secretly; otherwise, Laban might have detained him by violence or artifice if he waited;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov fooled [concealed his intentions from the heart of] Lavan, the Aramean, by not telling him that he had fled [gone].

²¹ So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up and passed over the river, and set his face toward the mount of Gilead. — and he rose up, and passed over the river; the river Euphrates, as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it, which lay between Mesopotamia and Canaan;

— and set his face toward Mount Gilead: this, was a mountain on the border of the land of Canaan, adjoining to Lebanon, near which was a very fruitful country, which had its name from it;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He fled [went] with all that he possessed. He set out and crossed the river [P’ras], setting out in the direction of Mount Gilod.

²² And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled. — and it was told Laban on the third day, that Jacob was fled; three days after Jacob was gone he had the report to him;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lavan was told on the third day that Yaakov had fled [gone].

— the Targum of Jonathan adds more concerning Jacob’s blessings while living there:

But after Jakob had gone, the shepherds went to the well, but found no water; and they waited three days, if that it might (again) overflow; but it overflowed not; and then came they to Laban on the third day, and he knew that Jakob had fled; because through his righteousness it had flowed twenty years.

²³ And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days’ journey; and they overtook him on the mount of Gilead. — seven days’ journey; the route chosen by Jacob was apparently the more easterly one, past Damascus to the west; the hill, which subsequently was called Mount Gilead, lay to the south of the Jabbok;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He took his brothers [kinsmen] with him, and pursued him a distance of seven days. He overtook him in Mount Gilod.

²⁴ And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, “Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.” — God came to Laban and warn him of any altercations, or any use no harsh language with him, which may occasion a quarrel;

— God can put a bridle in the mouth of wicked men, to restrain their malice, though he do not change their hearts. Though they have no love to God’s people, they will pretend to it, and try to make a merit of necessity;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Elohim appeared [The Word came from before Elohim] to Lavan the Aramean, in a dream that night, and said to him, Guard yourself, that you do not speak to Yaakov either good or evil.

— the Targum of Jonathan adds a sword from an angel, warning “Laban the Deceiver”

And there came an angel with a word from before the Lord; and he drew the sword against Laban the Deceiver in a dream of the night, and said to him, Beware lest thou speak with Jakob from good to evil.

²⁵ Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent on the mount; and Laban with his brethren pitched on the mount of Gilead. — then Laban overtook Jacob; he was come to the mount overnight, and now in the morning he came nearer to him;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lavan overtook Yaakov. Yaakov had set up [spread] his tents on the mountain, and Lavan and his brothers had set up [encamped] on Mount Gilod.

²⁶ And Laban said to Jacob, “What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters as captives taken with the sword? — despite being warned by God, Laban still took a hostile approach: What hast thou done?

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lavan said to Yaakov, What have you done? You fooled [hid from] me, and led my daughters away like prisoners of war.

²⁷ Why didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth and with songs, with taboret and with harp,

— thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me? but that he had no need to have used such privacy, and go away like a thief by stealth, as if he had done something he had reason to be ashamed of:

— and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret and with harp: so that he would have given him a pleasant leave to depart;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Why did you flee [go] so stealthily? You robbed [hid from] me and did not tell me. I would have sent you away, with joy and with song, with drum[s] and harp[s].

²⁸ and hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Thou hast now done foolishly in so doing. — thou hast done foolishly in so doing: since, as he would have him believe that he was both a loser by this step he took;

— and exposed himself foolishly to danger, as Laban has means to do him hurt; but Jacob knew what he did, and that it was the wisest part to follow the direction of God; yet God didn’t direct Jacob to fled in stealth in the night, so to speak, or by stealing his idols in the process;

— the Targum Onkelos says

You did not let me kiss my [grand]sons and daughters. Now see how foolishly you acted.

²⁹ It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt; but the God of your father spoke unto me yesternight, saying, ‘Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.’ — the God of your father, Isaac or Abraham, by which Laban seemed to distance himself and disowned him for his God;

— speak not to Jacob either good or bad; this, though greatly to Jacob’s honour, and against Laban’s interest, God was warning him of staying out of his business;

— the Targum Onkelos says

It is within the power of my hand to harm you, but the God of your father spoke to me last night saying, Guard yourself not to speak to Yaakov either good or evil.

³⁰ And now, though thou wouldest be gone, because thou sorely longed after thy father’s house, yet why hast thou stolen my gods?”

— yet, wherefore, hast thou stolen my gods? what reason had he for that? if he took away himself, his wives, his children, his goods, what business had he with his gods? 

— thou stolen my gods? teraphim, small images of human figures, used as idols or objects of worship, and as talismans, for superstitious purposes;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Now you have gone for you yearned for your father’s house, but why did you steal [take] my gods?

³¹ And Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid; for I said, ‘Perhaps thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me.’

— Jacob answered; he gives the true reason for his flight: thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me; which of right belonged to him; for though they were Laban’s daughters, they were Jacob’s wives;

— after which, indignant at the charge of theft, he returns, in his anger, as rash an answer about the teraphim as Joseph’s brethren a generation later did about the stolen cup;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov replied and said to Lavan, Because I was afraid, for I said you might forcibly take your daughters from me.

³² With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live. Before our brethren, discern thou what is thine with me, and take it with thee.” For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them. — real foolish for Jacob to say this: “thou findest thy gods, let him not live”

— for Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them; the images or gods; or he would have been more careful of his expression, in love and tenderness to his most beloved wife;

— the Targum Onkelos says

With whomsoever you find your gods, he shall not live. In the presence of our brethren, identify anything belonging to you that is here with me and take it back with you. Yaakov did not know that Rochel had stolen [taken] them.

— the Targum of Jonathan says

“With whomsoever thou shalt find the images of thy idols, let him die before his time. Before all our brethren take knowledge of what with me is thine, and take it. But Jakob knew not that Rahel had stolen them.”

³³ And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the two maidservants’ tents, but he found them not. Then went he out of Leah’s tent, and entered into Rachel’s tent.

— and Laban went into Jacob’s tent; into that first where he most suspected they were, being taken not out of value for them, but contempt of them;

— and into Leah’s tent; and not Leah’s tent next, whom next to Jacob he might suspect of taking them, out of veneration to them, because her tent lay next: and into the two maidservants’ tents: Bilhah and Zilpah; but he found them not; in neither of these tents:

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lavan came into Yaakov’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the tents of the two handmaids [concubines], but he found nothing. He left Leah’s tent and came into Rochel’s tent.

³⁴ Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel’s saddle and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not.

— then went he out of Leah’s tent, and entered into Rachel’s tent; which he went into last of all, the least suspecting of her, but covertly more addicted to the superstition and idolatry of his family than Leah and the maidservants;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Rochel had taken the idols, and placed them in the camel’s saddle-pillow, and sat upon them. Lavan searched the whole tent and found nothing.

³⁵ And she said to her father, “Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee, for the custom of women is upon me.” And he searched, but found not the images.

— Rachel pleads the custom of women as an excuse for keeping her seat; either of ceremonial defilement; or she was already pregnant with Benjamin;

— but found not the images; and so left off searching; nor do we find that he searched the flock for any of his cattle there, knowing full well Jacob’s “honesty and integrity.”

— the Targum Onkelos indicates her pregnancy, saying

She said to her father, Let there not be anger in the eyes of my master that I cannot rise before you, for the way of women is upon me. He searched but did not find the idols.

³⁶ And Jacob was wroth, and chided Laban; and Jacob answered and said to Laban, “What is my trespass? What is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?

— Jacob was wroth; naturally he regarded the accusation about the teraphim as a mere device for searching his goods, and when nothing was found gave free vent to his indignation;

— having answered Laban’s questions to the silencing of him, and nothing of his upon search, being found with him, Jacob took heart, and was of good courage and in high spirits, and in his turn was heated also;

— what is my trespass? what is my sin? what heinous offence have I committed? what law of God or man have I broke? that thou hast so hotly pursued after me? with so much haste and swiftness, and with such a number of men, as if he came to take a thief, a robber, or a murderer;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov was angry and he argued with Lavan. Yaakov replied and said to Lavan, What is my crime? What sin did I commit that you were in such hot pursuit of me?

³⁷ Whereas thou hast searched all my goods, what hast thou found of all thy household things? Set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge between us both.

— set it here before my brethren and thy brethren; publicly before them all, and let it be thoroughly inquired into whose property it was, and whether lawfully taken or not;

— the Targum Onkelos says

When you searched all my goods, what did you find of all your household goods? Place it here in the presence of my brethren and your brethren, and let them decide between the two of us.

³⁸ These twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy shegoats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten. — in the twenty years I’ve worked for you, ewes and she-goats never miscarried; neither have  I feasted on the rams from your flock;

— the Targum Onkelos says

These twenty years that I was with you, your ewes and she-goats never miscarried, and I did not eat any rams of your flocks.

³⁹ That which was torn by beasts I brought not unto thee; I bore the loss of it. From my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.

— that which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; the shepherds are strictly responsible for losses in the flock, unless they can prove these were occasioned by wild beasts;

— the Targum Onkelos says

I never brought you a mutilated animal. I will take the blame for it. You demanded compensation from my hand whether [an animal] was stolen from me by day or whether it was stolen from me by night. [You demanded compensation from me for that which was missing from the total. I guarded by day and I guarded by night.]

⁴⁰ Thus I was: in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from mine eyes. — all the blessings because it was through my extraordinary thoughtfulness and care about thy cattle, especially in cases of danger;

— the Targum Onkelos says

I was consumed by the burning heat by day and ice [frost came down upon me] at night. My sleep was taken from my eyes.

⁴¹ Thus have I been twenty years in thy house. I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy flocks; and thou hast changed my wages ten times.

— and six years for thy cattle, to have as many of them for his hire, as were produced from a flock of white sheep, that were speckled, spotted, or ringstraked, or brown;

— the Targum Onkelos says

These twenty years that I have been in your house, I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your sheep, but you changed my wages ten times.

⁴² Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou would have sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.”

— and rebuked thee yesternight; in a dream, charging him to say neither good nor evil to Jacob, which he himself had confessed;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Had not the God of my father, the God of Avraham and the Fear of Yitzchok been with me [my support], you would have sent me away empty-handed. My misery [toil] and the labor [weariness] of my hands was seen by [revealed before] Elohim, and He reprimanded you last night.

⁴³ And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, “These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these flocks are my flocks, and all that thou seest is mine. And what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children whom they have borne?

— though Laban does not attempt any reply to Jacob’s angry invectives, he answers affectionately; but offers a compromise;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lavan replied and said to Yaakov, The daughters are my daughters, and the sons are my sons, and the[se] flocks are my flocks. All that you see is mine. What can I do unto these, my daughters, today, or to their children that they have born.

⁴⁴ Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be a witness between me and thee.” — a covenant; that all past differences and quarrels subside, and that for the future peace and good will subsist; of which a covenant made between them would be a testimony;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Now come [therefore] let us make a pact, I and you. Let Him be witness between me and you.

⁴⁵ And Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov took a boulder and raised it as a monument.

⁴⁶ And Jacob said unto his brethren, “Gather stones”; and they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there upon the heap.

— Jacob set it up for a pillar, to show his readiness to agree to the motion, he immediately took a large stone that lay upon the mount, to be a standing monument of the agreement now about to be made between them;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov said to his brethren, Gather stones. They took stones and made a mound, and they ate on the mound.

⁴⁷ And Laban called it Jegarsahadutha [that is, The heap of witness], but Jacob called it Galeed. — but Jacob called it Galeed; which in the Hebrew tongue signifies “an heap of witness” or an heap, the witness;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lavan called it Yegar Sohadusa, but Yaakov called it Galeid.

⁴⁸ And Laban said, “This heap is a witness between me and thee this day.” Therefore was the name of it called Galeed,

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lavan said, This mound is witness between me and you this day. He therefore called its name Galeid.

⁴⁹ and Mizpah [that is, A beacon or watchtower]; for he said, “The Lord watch between me and thee when we are absent one from another. — and Mizpah; which being an Hebrew word, it looks as if the heap had also this name given it by Jacob, which signifies a “watch” or “watchtower”

— the Targum Onkelos says

And [he also called it] Mitzpah [Watchtower] because he said, [The Word of] Adonoy will watch between me and you, when we are concealed from each other[’s sight].

⁵⁰ If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take other wives besides my daughters, no man is with us—see, God is witness between me and thee!”

— if thou shall afflict my daughters; in body or mind, by giving them hard blows, or ill words, and by withholding from them the necessaries of life, food and raiment, and the like;

— or if thou shall take other wives besides my daughters; which also would be an affliction and vexation to them; Laban, though he had led Jacob into polygamy, and even obliged him to it, did not choose he should go further into it;

— the Targum Onkelos says

If you afflict my daughters, or marry other wives in addition to my daughters, there may be no man with us, but see, [the Word of] Elohim is witness between me and you.

⁵¹ And Laban said to Jacob, “Behold this heap and behold this pillar, which I have cast between me and thee.

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lavan said to Yaakov, Here is this mound, and here is this monument that I have cast [established] between me and you.

⁵² This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass beyond this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm.

— the Targum Onkelos says

This mound is witness, and the monument is witness, that I will not cross over to you beyond this mound; and you are not to cross over to me beyond this mound and this monument for harmful purposes.

⁵³ The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” And Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac. — the God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us; and the father of these was Terah;

— so that the god of them was not the true God, and is not meant, at least not as truly worshipped; but the god or gods of Terah and Nahor worshipped while idolaters, and Laban still continued to do; but Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac; that is, by the true God his father Isaac feared, served, and worshipped;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The God of Avraham and the god of Nachor, the god of their fathers will judge between us. Yaakov swore by the Fear of his father, Yitzchok [He who Yitchok his father feared].

⁵⁴ Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread; and they ate bread, and tarried all night on the mount. — Jacob offered sacrifice; the meaning is, that Jacob slaughtered cattle, and made a feast after offering sacrifices;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov slaughtered animals on the mountain, and invited his brethren to eat bread [a meal]. They ate bread and spent the night on the mountain.

⁵⁵ And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them. And Laban departed, and returned unto his place. — and kissed his sons and his daughters; Jacob and his sons, who were his grandsons;

— and his daughters Rachel and Leah, with Dinah his granddaughter, as was the custom of relations and friends in those countries and times, at parting: and blessed them; wished all happiness to them;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lavan rose early in the morning. He kissed his sons and daughters and blessed them. Lavan departed and returned to his place.

Genesis 32

¹ And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. — the angels (plural) appear in warlike guise as they were seen by Jacob; but were the “messengers of Elohim,”

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov went on his way, and the angels of Elohim met him.

² And when Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God’s host.” And he called the name of that place Mahanaim [that is, Two hosts or camps].

— he said, this is God’s host: or army, hence he is often called the Lord of hosts; angels have this name from their number, order, strength, and military exploits they perform;

— the Targum Onkelos says

When Yaakov saw them, he said, This is Elohim’s camp. [This is a camp from before Elohim.] He named the place Machanayim.

— the Targum of Jonathan says

And Jakob said when he saw them, These are not the host of Esau who are coming to meet me, nor the host of Laban, who have returned from pursuing me; but they are the host of the holy angels who are sent from before the Lord. Therefore the name of that place he called, in the language of the sanctuary, Machanaim.

³ And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom. — as they approached the eastern confines of Canaan, Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau;

— it was a prudent precaution to ascertain the present temper of Esau, lay near the wild district where his brother was now established; land of Seir, a highland country on the east and south of the Dead Sea;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov sent messengers before him to Eisov, his brother, to the Land of Seir, to the field of Edom.

⁴ And he commanded them, saying, “Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau, ‘Thy servant Jacob saith thus: I have sojourned with Laban and stayed there until now,

— speak unto my lord Esau; Jacob calls Esau his lord, and himself his servant, to indicate that he did not insist on the prerogatives of the birthright and blessing which he had obtained for himself;

— thy servant Jacob saith thus, expressing great humility and modesty; for though his father not being yet dead; and besides, was to have its accomplishment not in his own person, but in his posterity;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He commanded them saying, This is what you should say to my master, Eisov. Your servant, Yaakov says, I lived as a stranger with Lavan, and was delayed until now.

⁵ and I have oxen and asses, flocks and menservants and womenservants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.’”

— and I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants; this he would have said, lest he should think he was come to ask anything of him, and put himself and his family upon him; and lest he should treat him with contempt;

— and I have sent to tell my lord; of his coming: that I may find grace in thy sight; share in his good will, which was all he wanted, and that friendship, harmony, and brotherly love, might subsist between them, which he was very desirous of;

— the Targum Onkelos says

I acquired oxen, donkeys, sheep, servants and maidservants. I have sent [these messengers] to tell my master, to find favor in your eyes.

⁶ And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.” — he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him; he is now weary of waiting for the days of mourning for his father, and before they come resolves to slay thee;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The messengers returned to Yaakov saying, We came to your brother, to Eisov, and he is also coming to meet you; and there are four hundred men with him.

— the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem call these four hundred chiefs or warriors;

⁷ Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and the camels into two bands. — conscious how deeply he had offended his brother, Jacob became greatly afraid and distressed;

— and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, herds, and camels, into two bands: some of his servants and shepherds, with a part of the flocks and herds, in one band, and some with the rest of them, and the camels, and his wives, and his children, in the other;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov was very frightened, and distressed. He divided the people that were with him, along with the sheep, cattle and camels, into two camps.

⁸ And he said, “If Esau come to the one company and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.”

— and said, if Esau come to the one company, and smite it; the first, which perhaps consisted only of servants, with a part of his cattle; so that if Esau should come in an hostile manner, and fall upon that, and slay the servants, and take the cattle as a booty;

— then the other company which is left shall escape; by flight, in which most probably were he himself, his wives and children, and the camels to carry them off who would have notice by what should happen to the first band;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said, If Eisov comes to one camp and attacks it, the remaining camp will survive.

⁹ And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord who saidst unto me, ‘Return unto thy country and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee’

— and in this distress Jacob does not consult the teraphim Rachel had taken from her father; nor does he call upon the hosts of angels that had just appeared to him, but to God only, the God of his fathers;

— the Lord which saidst unto me, return unto thy country, and to thy kindred; the same God had appeared to him, when in Laban’s house, and bid him return to his own country, and I will deal well with thee: bestow good things on thee;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov said, God of my father Avraham, and God of my father Yitzchok, Adonoy Who said to me, Return to your land, to your birthplace, and I will do good with you.

¹⁰ I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which Thou hast shown unto Thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I have become two bands. — I am not worthy; it is a surprising plea:

— one would think he should have pleaded that what was now in danger was his own against all the world, and that he had earned it dear enough; no, he pleads, Lord, I am not worthy of it. Of the least of all thy mercies;

— the Targum Onkelos says

I am unworthy [My merits are few] because of all the kindness and of all the faithfulness [goodness] that you have done with Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan [only] with my staff [alone], and now I have become two camps.

¹¹ Deliver me, I pray Thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me and the mother with the children. — for I fear him; the fear that quickens prayer is itself pleadable. It was not a robber, but a murderer that he was afraid of:

— but the mothers’, and the children’s; thou said, I will surely do thee good; God’s promises, as they are the surest guide of our prayer, and furnish us with the best petitions; so they are the firmest ground of our hopes, and furnish us with the best pleas;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Rescue me, I pray [now], from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Eisov, for I fear him, that he will come and attack me—mother and children alike.

¹² And Thou saidst, ‘I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’” — Jacob draws an argument for a special preservation of him and his family, he was now pleading for; and the rather he might hope to succeed;

— the Targum Onkelos says

You have said, I will do very good with you, and I will make your offspring [many] like the sands of the sea, which are too numerous to count.

¹³ And he lodged there that same night, and took from that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother: — in order to pacify him, the present of Jacob consisted of five hundred fifty head of cattle, of different kinds, such as would be most prized by Esau;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He spent that night there. He took from that which comes into his hand, [for] a present to his brother, Eisov.

¹⁴ two hundred shegoats and twenty hegoats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,

— the Targum Onkelos says

Two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams.

¹⁵ thirty milk camels with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty sheasses and ten foals.

— the Targum Onkelos says

Thirty nursing camels and their young, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.

¹⁶ And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said unto his servants, “Pass over before me, and put a space between drove and drove.” — and put a space between drove and drove; his meaning is, that they should not follow each other closely;

— but that there should be a considerable distance between them: his view in this was, partly to prolong time, Esau stopping, as he supposed he would, at each drove, and asking questions of the men; and partly that he might the better and more distinctly observe the largeness of his present;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He placed them in the hand of his servants, each herd by itself. He said to his servants, Pass on ahead of me, and keep a space between each herd.

¹⁷ And he commanded the foremost, saying, “When Esau my brother meeteth thee and asketh thee, saying, ‘Whose art thou? And whither goest thou? And whose are these before thee?’

— the Targum Onkelos says

He commanded the first one, saying, When my brother, Eisov meets you and asks you saying, To whom do you belong, and where are you going; and who is the owner of this that is before you?

¹⁸ then thou shalt say, ‘They are thy servant Jacob’s. It is a present sent unto my lord Esau; and behold also, he is behind us.’”

— the repetition of the announcement of the gift, and they are of “thy servant Jacob’s,” was calculated to appease Esau, and persuade him that Jacob was approaching him in all brotherly confidence and affection;

— and behold also he is behind us: that is, Jacob: this they were bid to tell, lest he should think that Jacob was afraid of him, and was gone another way; but that he was coming to pay a visit to him, and might expect shortly to see him, which would prepare his mind how to behave towards him.

— the Targum Onkelos says

You should [then] say, [They belong] to your servant, Yaakov. It is a present sent to my master, Eisov, and see, he is also [coming] behind us.

¹⁹ And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all who followed the droves, saying, “In this manner shall ye speak unto Esau when ye find him.

— saying, on this manner shall you speak to Esau, when you find him; that is, when they met him and perceived it was he that put questions to them;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He also commanded the second and also the third, and to all who followed after the herds, saying, In like manner must you speak to Eisov when you find [meet] him.

²⁰ And say ye moreover, ‘Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us.’” For he said, “I will appease him with the presents that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face. Perhaps he will accept me.”

— I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterwards I will see his face: he hoped the present would produce the desired effect; that it would turn away his wrath from him, and pacify him; 

— the Targum Onkelos says

You should also say, See, your servant Yaakov is [coming] behind us. For he said, I will appease him [quieten his anger] with the present that goes before me, and afterwards I will see his face, perhaps he will forgive me.

²¹ So went the presents over before him, and he himself lodged that night in the company. — Jacob sends a series of presents to Esau, then he himself lodged that night with Esau’s company;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The present passed on ahead of him, but he spent the night in the camp.

²² And he rose up that night, and took his two wives and his two womenservants and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok.

— ford Jabbok; now the Zerka, a stream that rises among the mountains of Gilead, and running from east to west, enters the Jordan, about forty miles south of the Sea of Tiberias;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He got up that night and took his two wives, his two handmaids [concubines], and his eleven children, and crossed over the ford of the Yabbok [River].

²³ And he took them and sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. — and he took them, and sent them over the brook; his wives and children, under the care of some of his servants:

— he rose up and took, unable to sleep, Jacob waded the ford in the night time by himself; and having ascertained its safety, he returned to the north bank and sent over his family and attendants, remaining behind, to seek anew, in silent prayer, the divine blessing on the means he had set in motion;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He [then] took them and crossed them over the stream. He [also] brought over all that he possessed.

²⁴ And Jacob was left alone, and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. — there wrestled a man with him; the eternal Word, or Son of God, who often appeared in a human shape, before he assumed the human nature;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov remained alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.

— the Targum of Jonathan identifies that the man was angel Michael, but why only ten sons this time, for only Benjamin was not yet born? Seems like Reuben wasn’t counted, but why?

And Jakob remained alone beyond the Jubeka; and an Angel contended with him in the likeness of a man. And he said, Hast thou not promised to give the tenth of all that is thine? And, behold, thou hast ten sons and one daughter: nevertheless thou hast not tithed them.

Immediately he set apart the four firstborn of the four mothers, and there remained eight. And he began to number from Shimeon, and Levi came up for the tenth.

Michael answered and said, Lord of the world, this is Thy lot. And on account of these things he (Michael) remained from God at the torrent till the column of the morning was ascending.

— one possible explanation is that they cannot tithe a firstborn: they already belong to God. The Deduction: Jacob removed the four firstborns (Reuben, Dan, Gad, and Joseph). The Count: of the remaining 8 sons and 1 daughter (9 total), Jacob added the “count” from the previous generation or skipped the firstborns, and Levi became the 10th;

— the moment Levi is identified as the tenth, Michael presents him to God as the “tithe” — the tribe that would later serve in the Tabernacle and Temple. This transforms the wrestling match from a physical brawl into a formal sanctification of the Levites.

²⁵ And when the man saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint as he wrestled with him. — the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He [the man] saw that he could not defeat him, and he struck the socket [girth] of his hip. [The girth of] Yaakov’s hip joint was dislocated as he wrestled with him.

²⁶ And the man said, “Let me go, for the day breaketh.” And he said, “I will not let thee go, unless thou bless me.” — let me go; the asking of permission to depart was the acknowledgment of defeat;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He [the man] said, Let me go, for the dawn is breaking. He [Yaakov] said, I will not let you go unless you bless me.

— the Targum of Jonathan says

And he said, Let me go, for the column of the morning ascendeth; and the hour cometh when the angels on high offer praise to the Lord of the world: and I am one of the angels of praise, but from the day that the world was created my time to praise hath not come until now. And he said, I will not let thee go, until thou bless me.

²⁷ And he said unto him, “What is thy name?” And he said, “Jacob.” — What is thy name? and he replied, Jacob; that is, a supplanter, as the word signifies;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He [the man] said to him, What is your name? And he replied, Yaakov.

²⁸ And he said, “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” — Israel signifies a prince or prevailer with God; or a prince of God, that is, a great prince and conqueror;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He [the man] said, No longer will your name be spoken of as Yaakov, but as Yisrael, for you have contended with God[ly beings] [are great before God] and with men, and you have won.

²⁹ And Jacob asked him, and said, “Tell me, I pray thee, thy name.” And he said, “Why is it that thou dost ask after my name?” And he blessed him there. — in much the same manner the angel refuses to tell Manoah his name (Judges 13:18)

— but probably in the blessing which followed there was a clear proof that Jacob’s opponent was a Divine personage, the Son of God;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov asked him, and said, Please [Now] tell me your name. He said, Why then do you ask my name? He then blessed him [Yaakov] there.

³⁰ And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel [that is, the face of God]: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” — Peniel; that is, the face of God: for I have seen God face to face;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov named the place Peniel [God’s Face], For I have seen God[ly beings] [Angles of God] face to face, and my soul has survived.

³¹ And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he limped upon his thigh. — and he limped upon his thigh; he being out of joint, of which he became more sensitive when he came to walk upon it;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The sun shone for him as he passed by Penuel, and he limped due to his hip.

³² Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day, because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew that shrank.

— the sinew which shrank; the nerve that fastens the thigh bone in its socket: the practice of the Jews in abstaining from eating this in the flesh of animals, is not founded on the law of Moses, but is merely a traditional heritage;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Therefore, the children of Israel must not eat the displaced tendon [nerve] which is on the [girth of the] hip joint to this very day; because he struck [the girth of] Yaakov’s hip joint on the displaced tendon.

Posted in Books of Moses

~~~~

But when Abraham’s servant went to look for a wife for Isaac, he came with ten camels, carrying gifts of “jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment,” to Rebekah; her brother and to her mother precious things, Genesis 24:10,53

Genesis 29

¹ Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east. — the people of the East; and arrives at the well of Haran, which was about four degrees east of Beer-sheba;

— and the distance was about four hundred and fifty miles, and therefore it would take Jacob fifteen days to journey there;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov [then] lifted his feet and went toward the land of the people of the East.

² And he looked, and behold, a well in the field, and lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks; and a great stone was upon the well’s mouth.

— a well in the field; near Haran; having travelled that far, he might purposely look out for a well; as knowing these people frequently came for water for their families,

— as knowing these people frequently came for water for their families, or shepherds to water their flocks, of whom he might get intelligence concerning Laban’s family, and where they dwelt;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He looked and [saw] a well in the field; and behold there were three flocks of sheep lying beside it, for from that well the flocks are watered. There was a large stone over the mouth of the well.

³ And thither were all the flocks gathered; and they rolled the stone from the well’s mouth and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well’s mouth in his place.

— and they rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the sheep; that is, when they watered the sheep, they used to roll away the stone from the mouth of the well in order to do it; and put a stone back upon the well’s mouth in this place; 

— the Targum Onkelos says

When all the flocks would gather, [the shepherds] would roll the stone from the well’s mouth, and water the sheep. They would [then] return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.

⁴ And Jacob said unto them, “My brethren, from whence be ye?” And they said, “Of Haran are we.” — and they said, of Haran are we; the very place he was bound for, and was sent unto;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov said to them, My brothers, from where do you come? They said, We are from Charan.

⁵ And he said unto them, “Know ye Laban the son of Nahor?” And they said, “We know him.” — Laban the son of Nahor; Laban was really the son of Bethuel and grandson of Nahor;

— but Nahor was the founder of the family, as being the original immigrant from Ur, who came to supply Abraham’s place on his departure;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said to them, Do you know Lavan, the son of Nachor? They said, We know him.

⁶ And he said unto them, “Is he well?” And they said, “He is well; and behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep.” — and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep;

— at that very instant Rachel was coming out of the city with her father’s flock of sheep, to water them at the well; an instance of great humility, diligence, and simplicity; this was very providential to Jacob;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said to them, Is he doing well? They said, He is doing well. Behold Rochel, his daughter, is coming with the sheep.

⁷ And he said, “Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together. Water ye the sheep, and go and feed them.”

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said to them, The day is yet long, it is not yet time for the sheep to be gathered, water the sheep and go pasture them.

⁸ And they said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and until they roll the stone from the well’s mouth. Then we water the sheep.”

— the Message Bible has this passage clearer as:

⁶ “Are things well with him?” Jacob continued.
“Very well,” they said. “And here is his daughter Rachel coming with the flock.”
⁷ Jacob said, “There’s a lot of daylight still left; it isn’t time to round up the sheep yet, is it? So why not water the flocks and go back to grazing?”
⁸ “We can’t,” they said. “Not until all the shepherds get here. It takes all of us to roll the stone from the well. Not until then can we water the flocks.” Genesis 29:6-8 MSG

— the Targum Onkelos says

They said, We cannot [do so] until all the flocks have gathered and [the shepherds] roll the stone from the mouth of the well. Then we can water the sheep.

⁹ And while he yet spoke with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she kept them. — for she kept them; having, no doubt, servants under her who performed the meaner and more laborious offices, and whom it was her place to oversee;

— the Targum Onkelos says

While he was still speaking with them, Rochel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess.

— the Targum of Jonathan says

“While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess at that time. For a plague from the Lord had been among Laban’s sheep, and only a few of them remained; therefore, he [Laban] had dismissed his shepherds, and those that remained he placed before Rachel his daughter.”

¹⁰ And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth and watered the flock of Laban, his mother’s brother.

— Laban his mother’s brother; the threefold repetition of these words signifies the importance of this relationship;

— the Targum Onkelos repeats the threefold repetition, saying

When Yaakov saw Rochel, the daughter of Lavan, his mother’s brother, with the sheep of Lavan, his mother’s brother, he stepped near and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well. He then watered the sheep of Lavan, his mother’s brother.

¹¹ And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept. — Jacob kissed Rachel and wept; Jacob first made himself, useful to Rachel, and then discloses to her who he is, claims her as a cousin, and kisses her;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov kissed Rochel and cried in a loud voice.

¹² And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s brother, and that he was Rebekah’s son; and she ran and told her father. — and Rachel ran and told her father; leaving the care of her flock with Jacob; earlier, Rebekah, in a like case, ran and told her mother;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov told Rochel that he was a relative of her father [the son of her father’s sister], that he was the son of Rivkah. She ran and told her father.

— the Targum of Jonathan says

“And Jacob told Rachel that he had come to be a relative to her father and to take one of his daughters. Rachel answered and said: ‘It is not possible for you to dwell with him, for he is a cunning man.’ Jacob said to her: ‘I am as cunning and wiser than he, and he has no power to do me harm, for the Word of the Lord is my help.’ And when she knew that he was the son of Rebekah, she ran and told her father.”

¹³ And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister’s son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things.

— and he told Laban all these things; how he was sent hither by his parents on account of the hatred of his brother Esau, because he had got the birthright and blessing from him;

— the Targum Onkelos says

When Lavan heard the news of Yaakov, his sister’s son, he ran to greet him. He embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. [Yaakov] told Lavan all that had happened.

— the Targum of Jonathan says

“And it was, when Laban heard the report of the mighty deeds and the righteousness of Jacob, his sister’s son—how he had taken the birthright and the order of the blessings from the hand of his brother; and how the Lord had revealed Himself to him at Bethel; and how he had fenced in the stone; and how the well had overflowed and risen to its surface—he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And Jacob recounted to Laban all these things.”

— in the Masoretic Text, “all these things” is vague; the Targum Jonathan makes it clear that Jacob was open about his past; that he was a fugitive from Esau, that he had experienced divine miracles; which sets up the irony: to let Laban knows Jacob is divinely blessed, yet Laban spends the next twenty years cunningly trying to outwit him.

¹⁴ And Laban said to him, “Surely thou art my bone and my flesh.” And he abode with him the space of a month. — and Laban said to him, surely thou art my bone and my flesh; closely allied in blood, being his sister’s son;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lavan said to him, Nevertheless, you are my bone [relative] and flesh. [Yaakov] lived with him for a month.

¹⁵ And Laban said unto Jacob, “Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? Tell me, what shall thy wages be?” — doubtless Laban had seen, during Jacob’s stay of a month, that his services would be very valuable; hence the offer;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lavan said to Yaakov, Just because you are my relative, must you work for me without pay? Tell me, [what should] your wages [be]?

¹⁶ And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. — and the name of the elder was Leah; which signifies labour or weariness: and the name of the younger was Rachel; before mentioned, whom Jacob met at the well;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lavan had two daughters. The name of the older one was Leah, and the name of the younger one was Rochel.

¹⁷ Leah was tendereyed, but Rachel was beautiful and wellfavored. — “Tender eyed” is the KJ translation; other translations are weak eyes, though other versions call her eyes blue (apparently a real turn-off), or dull, or soft, or lacking sparkle;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The eyes of Leah were tender [beautiful]. Rochel was of beautiful form and of beautiful appearance.

— the Targum of Jonathan says

“And the eyes of Leah were clouded/sore from weeping (tzirnaytan di-vachya); for she was praying before the Lord that He would not designate her for the wicked Esau. But Rachel was beautiful in form and fair in appearance.”

¹⁸ And Jacob loved Rachel, and said, “I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.” — Jacob, not having any gold and silver, offer to serve seven years for Rachel;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov loved Rochel. and he said, I will work for you seven years for Rochel, your younger daughter.

¹⁹ And Laban said, “It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man. Abide with me.” — it is better that I should give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man; by which he not only intimates that he preferred him, a relation, to another man, a stranger;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lavan said, Better that I give her to you than I should give her to another man. [Remain] living with me.

²⁰ And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had for her. — they seemed unto him but a few days; Jacob was at least fifty-seven years of age, but the late marriages hitherto of the patriarchs show that they only slowly arrived at manhood;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov worked seven years for Rochel, but they seemed to him like a few days, so much did he love her.

²¹ And Jacob said unto Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her.” — the seven years were up he agreed to serve him for his daughter; that I may go in unto her; as his lawful wife, and it was high time Jacob had her;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov said to Lavan, Give me my wife, for my term [of labor] is completed; and thus I will consummate the marriage with her.

²² And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. — and made a feast; a marriage or marriage feast; normally lasting seven days;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lavan gathered all the local people and he made a [wedding] feast.

— the Targum of Jonathan reveals how Laban tried to outwit Jacob

“And Laban gathered all the men of the place and made a banquet for them. And he said to them: ‘Behold, for the seven years that Jacob has been with us, the wells have not failed and our watering places have increased. And now, come, let us take counsel against him with a plan of cunning counsel so that he will remain with us.’ And they made a plan of cunning counsel against him, to bring to him Leah instead of Rachel.”

²³ And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to him; and he went in unto her. — and he went in unto her; or lay with her as his wife; a modest expression of the use of the bed;

— the conduct of Laban is perfectly intelligible as the outcome of his sordid avarice; but it is difficult to understand how Leah could acquiesce in a proposal so base as to wrong her sister by marrying one who neither sought nor loved her;

— the Targum Onkelos says

When it was evening, he took Leah, his daughter, and brought her to him [Yaakov]. He consummated the marriage with her.

²⁴ And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah, Zilpah his maid for a handmaid. — instead of Rachel, Laban took his elder daughter Leah into the bride-chamber, and Jacob went in unto her, without discovering in the dark;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lavan gave Zilpah, his servant to her, to Leah, his daughter as a handmaid.

— the Targum of Jonathan says, “and Laban gave her Zilpah his daughter, whom his concubine bore unto him:” hence some Jewish authorities say that the daughters of a man by his concubines are called maids.

²⁵ And it came to pass that in the morning, behold, it was Leah; and he said to Laban, “What is this thou hast done unto me? Did not I serve with thee for Rachel? Why then hast thou beguiled me?”

— wherefore then hast thou beguiled me? by giving Leah instead of her: though Laban is not to be justified in this action;

— yet it appears in Providence a righteous retaliation of Jacob; he beguiled his own father, pretending he was his brother Esau; and now his father-in-law beguiles him, giving him blear eyed Leah instead of beautiful Rachel;

— the Targum Onkelos says

When it was morning, behold it was Leah! He [Yaakov] said to Lavan, What have you done to me? Did I not work with you for Rochel? Why did you deceive me?

²⁶ And Laban said, “It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. — it is still the custom not to give the younger in marriage before the older, unless the latter be deformed or in some way defective;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lavan said, It is not done so in our place, to give the younger [daughter in marriage] before the firstborn.

²⁷ Fulfill her week, and we will give thee this other also, for which service thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.” — fulfil her week; not Rachel’s week,

— or a week of years of servitude for her, but Leah’s week, or the week of seven days of feasting for her marriage; for a marriage feast used to be kept seven days;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Complete the [marriage] week for this one. We will then give you the other also—in return for the work that you will do with me for another seven years.

²⁸ And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week; and he gave him Rachel his daughter for a wife also. — and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also; not after seven years’ service, but after the seven days of feasting for Leah;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov did so, and he completed the [marriage] week for this one [Leah]. He [Lavan] then gave Rochel, his daughter to him as a wife.

²⁹ And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid. — also giving Bilhah her handmaid unto him; and this the Targum of Jonathan is said to be a daughter of Laban by a concubine also;

— the Targum Onkelos says

To his daughter, Rochel, Lavan gave his servant Bilhah, to be her handmaid.

³⁰ And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years. — and served with him, yet seven other years; that is, Jacob served so many years with Laban after he had married his two daughters, and fulfilled the weeks of feasting for each of them;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He [Yaakov] also consummated his marriage with Rochel. He loved Rochel more than Leah, and he worked with [Lavan] additionally, another seven years.

³¹ And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. — Leah was hated; for plainly Leah was not the object of love at all; it was her fruitfulness which gave her value in her husband’s eyes, and when this ceased, Jacob utterly neglected her (Genesis 30:15);

— the Targum Onkelos says

Adonoy saw that Leah was the hated one, and He opened her womb [allowed her to conceive]. Rochel remained barren.

³² And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben [that is, See a son]; for she said, “Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction. Now therefore my husband will love me.” — Reuben ~ France;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Leah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuvein, as she said, Adonoy has seen my affliction [was revealed before Adonoy]; for now my husband will love me.

³³ And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord hath heard that I was hated, He hath therefore given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon [that is, Hearing]. — Germany?

— the Targum Onkelos says

She conceived again and gave birth to a son. She said, Since Adonoy [it was] heard [before Adonoy] that I am the hated one, He also gave me this one, and she named him Shimon.

³⁴ And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore was his name called Levi [that is, Joined]. —  Judah and Levi ~ Israel;

— the Targum Onkelos says

She conceived again and gave birth to a son. She said, This time my husband will become attached to me, for I have born him three sons. He therefore named him Leivi.

³⁵ And she conceived again and bore a son; and she said, “Now will I praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name Judah [that is, Praise], and ceased bearing.

— the Targum Onkelos says

She conceived again and gave birth to a son. She said, This time I will [give] praise [before] Adonoy. She therefore named him Yehudah. She then stopped giving birth.

— Judah; which signifies “praise” the Targum of Jonathan adds this as a reason, “because from this my son shall come forth kings, and from him shall come forth David the king, who shall praise the Lord,” and a son in whose line, and from whose tribe, the Messiah was to spring.

Genesis 30

¹ And when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said unto Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die.” — Give me children, or else I die’this is the stress proverb that a childless person is as good as dead;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Rochel saw that she was not bearing children to Yaakov. Rochel became jealous of her sister, and she said to Yaakov, Give me children; if not I am [considered] dead.

² And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel; and he said, “Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?” — Am I in God’s stead? that is, do you take me to be God, for it is God’s prerogative to give children;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov became very angry with Rochel, and he said, Am I in God’s place? [Are you asking me? Is it not from before God that you should ask?] [It is He] who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb.

³ And she said, “Behold my maid Bilhah. Go in unto her, and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.” — behold my maid Bilhah; in desperation, she would rather have children by reputation than none at all; children that she can call her own, though they be not so;

— the Targum Onkelos says

She said, Here is my handmaid, Bilhah, consummate a marriage with her. Let her give birth upon my knees [and I will rear them], and I too will have a son [be built up] through her.

⁴ And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid for a wife; and Jacob went in unto her. — and Jacob went in unto her; consenting to what Rachel his wife proposed to him:

— having concubines, as well as more wives than one, were not thought criminal in those times, and were suffered of God, and in this case for the multiplication of Jacob’s seed;

— the Targum Onkelos says

She gave him Bilhah, her handmaid, as a wife and Yaakov consummated the marriage with her.

⁵ And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

— the Targum Onkelos says

Bilhah conceived and bore Yaakov a son.

⁶ And Rachel said, “God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice and hath given me a son.” Therefore she called his name Dan [that is, Judging]. — Dan means judging; signifies judgment; Dan ~ Ireland, Denmark;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Rochel said, Elohim has judged me. He has also heard my voice [accepted my prayer], and has given me a son. She therefore named him Don.

⁷ And Bilhah, Rachel’s maid, conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

— the Targum Onkelos says

She conceived again, and Bilhah, Rochel’s handmaid, bore a second son to Yaakov.

⁸ And Rachel said, “With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed.” And she called his name Naphtali [that is, My wrestling]. — Naphtali ~ Sweden;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Rochel said, With Elohim’s bonds, I have been joined to my sister, and I have also prevailed [Elohim accepted my request, when I pleaded in my prayer, I desired that I would have offspring like my sister, it was also given to me]. She [therefore] called him Naftali.

⁹ When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing, she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob for a wife;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Leah realized that she was no longer bearing children. She [therefore] took Zilpah, her handmaid, and gave her to Yaakov as a wife.

¹⁰ and Zilpah, Leah’s maid, bore Jacob a son.

— the Targum Onkelos says

Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid, bore Yaakov a son.

¹¹ And Leah said, “A troop cometh.” And she called his name Gad [that is, A troop or company]. — Gad ~ Switzerland;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Leah said, Unexpected success has come, and she named him Gad.

¹² And Zilpah, Leah’s maid, bore Jacob a second son.

— the Targum Onkelos says

Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid bore a second son to Yaakov.

¹³ And Leah said, “Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed.” And she called his name Asher [that is, Happy]. — Asher ~ Belgium;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Leah said, It is in my good fortune that daughters [women] will consider me fortunate. [Praise is mine, because women will praise me from now.] She named him Asher.

¹⁴ And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Give me, I pray thee, of thy son’s mandrakes.” — mandrakes; arose from the popular belief that it was a specific against barrenness;

— Rachel, therefore, who still hankered after children of her own, was anxious to obtain some of the fruit, and Leah consents only upon the proffered condition that Jacob shall spend the night in her tent;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Reuvein went in the days of the wheat harvest, and found jasmine flowers in the field. He brought them to Leah, his mother. Rochel said to Leah, Please [Now] give me some of your son’s jasmine flowers.

¹⁵ But she said unto her, “Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? And wouldest thou take away my son’s mandrakes also?” And Rachel said, “Therefore he shall lie with thee tonight, for thy son’s mandrakes.”

— and Rachel said, therefore he shall lie with thee tonight for thy son’s mandrakes; which showed no great affection to her husband, and a slight of his company, to be willing to part with it for such a trifle;

— and it seems by this as if they took their turns to lie with Jacob, and this night being Rachel’s turn, she agrees to give it to Leah for the sake of the mandrakes;

— the Targum Onkelos says

She [Leah] said to her, Isn’t it enough that you took my husband? Would you also take my son’s jasmine flowers? Rochel said, Therefore, he shall be with you tonight in exchange for your son’s jasmine flowers.

¹⁶ And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him and said, “Thou must come in unto me, for surely I have hired thee with my son’s mandrakes.” And he lay with her that night.

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him. She said, You will come to me, for I have hired you with my son’s jasmine flowers, and he was with her at night.

¹⁷ And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob the fifth son.

— the Targum Onkelos says

Elohim perceived [accepted] Leah’s [wish] [prayer]. She conceived and bore [her] fifth son to Yaakov.

¹⁸ And Leah said, “God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband.” And she called his name Issachar [that is, A hire]. —  Issachar ~ Finland;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Leah said, Elohim has given me my reward because I gave my handmaid to my husband. She named him Yissachar.

¹⁹ And Leah conceived again and bore Jacob the sixth son.

— the Targum Onkelos says

Leah conceived again and bore [her] sixth son to Yaakov.

²⁰ And Leah said, “God hath endued me with a good dowry. Now will my husband dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” And she called his name Zebulun [that is, Dwelling]. —  Zebulun ~ Holland;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Leah said, Elohim has given [me] a goodly portion. Now my husband will make his [main] home with me, for I have borne him six sons. She named him Zevulun.

²¹ And afterwards she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah [that is, Judgment].

— and here from the Message Bible:

¹⁴ One day during the wheat harvest Reuben found some mandrakes in the field and brought them home to his mother Leah. Rachel asked Leah, “Could I please have some of your son’s mandrakes?”

¹⁵ Leah said, “Wasn’t it enough that you got my husband away from me? And now you also want my son’s mandrakes?”

Rachel said, “All right. I’ll let him sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”

^16-21 When Jacob came home that evening from the fields, Leah was there to meet him: “Sleep with me tonight; I’ve bartered my son’s mandrakes for a night with you.” So he slept with her that night.

God listened to Leah; she became pregnant and gave Jacob a fifth son. She said, “God rewarded me for giving my maid to my husband.” She named him Issachar (Bartered).

Leah became pregnant yet again and gave Jacob a sixth son, saying, “God has given me a great gift. This time my husband will honor me with gifts—I’ve given him six sons!”

She named him Zebulun (Honor). Last of all she had a daughter and named her Dinah. Genesis 30:14-16 MSG

— the Targum Onkelos says

Afterwards she gave birth to a daughter, and named her Deenah.

²² And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her and opened her womb. — God remembered Rachel; her long barrenness had probably humbled and disciplined her; and cured of her former petulance, she trusts no longer to mandrakes or “love-apples” but looks to God for the great blessing of children;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Elohim remembered Rochel [The remembrance of Rochel came before Elohim, and Elohim perceived her plight] [accepted her prayer] and opened her womb [allowed her to conceive].

— the Targum Jerusalem says

“Four keys are delivered into the hand of the Lord of all the world, and He has not delivered them to angel or seraph: The Key of Rain, the Key of Sustenance, the Key of the Graves (Resurrection), and the Key of the Barren Woman.

• The Key of Rain: As the explicit scripture says: ‘The Lord will open for you His good treasury [the heavens, to give rain]’ (Deut. 28:12).
• The Key of Sustenance: As the explicit scripture says: ‘You open Your hand [and satisfy the desire of every living thing]’ (Psalm 145:16).
• The Key of the Graves: As the explicit scripture says: ‘When I open your graves [O My people]’ (Ezekiel 37:13).
• The Key of the Barren Woman: As the explicit scripture says: ‘And God remembered Rachel…’ (Gen. 30:22).

And the Word (Memra) of the Lord in His good mercies remembered Rachel; and the Word of the Lord heard the voice of her prayer, and He said by His Word to give her children.”

²³ And she conceived and bore a son, and said, “God hath taken away my reproach.” — and she conceived and bare a son; through the goodness of God unto her, and for which she was greatly thankful;

— the Targum Onkelos says

She conceived and gave birth to a son. She said, Elohim has removed my shame.

²⁴ And she called his name Joseph [that is, Adding], and said, “The Lord shall add to me another son.” — the name appears to be, that they were influenced by the promises of God to Abraham; whose posterity were promised the richest blessings: Manasseh ~ UK; Ephraim ~ US;

— the Targum Onkelos says

She named him Yoseif, saying, May Adonoy add to me another son.

²⁵ And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, “Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place and to my country.

— that Jacob said unto Laban, send me away; give me leave to depart thy house: he had a right to demand his liberty, and to insist upon it, since the time of his servitude was up; but he chose to have leave;

— that I may go unto mine own place, to Beersheba, where his father and mother lived, and whom, no doubt, he longed to see; and to the land of Canaan, in which that place was, which was his native country and was given him by promise, and was to be the inheritance of his seed;

— the Targum Onkelos says

When Rochel had given birth to Yoseif, Yaakov said to Lavan, Send me on my way, and I will go to my own place and to my homeland.

— the Targum of Jonathan reveals how the posterity of Joseph, not Judah, were to be a yoke (Genesis 27:40) and a flame unto the house of Esau, saying

“And it was, when Rachel had given birth to Joseph, that Jacob said through the Holy Spirit that the House of Joseph is destined to be like a flame to consume the House of Esau. He said: ‘From now on, I am not afraid of Esau and his legions.’ And he said to Laban: ‘Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my own land.'”

²⁶ Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served thee, and let me go; for thou knowest my service which I have done thee.” — give me my wives; his two wives, Leah and Rachel, and the two maids, Bilhah and Zilpah, which he had given him for wives also;

— Jacob desires leave not only to have them, but to take them away with him;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Give me [permission to take] my wives and my children, for whom I worked for you, and I will go; for you know my work that I did for you.

²⁷ And Laban said unto him, “I pray thee, if I have found favor in thine eyes, tarry; for I have learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake.”

— that the Lord hath blessed me: Laban, the good things he had, from the Lord, as the author and giver; that it was for Jacob’s sake that he was thus blessed;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lavan said to him, If [now] I have found favor in your eyes, I have divined [determined] that Adonoy has blessed me because of you.

²⁸ And he said, “Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.” — and he went on, “So name your wages. I’ll pay you.”

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said, Set your wage for me, and I will give it.

²⁹ And he said unto him, “Thou knowest how I have served thee and how thy flocks have been with me. — and Jacob said to Laban: thou knowest that I have served diligently and faithfully, without any salary, excepting for his wives; had no wages for his service all this time;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He [Yaakov] said to him, You know how I worked for you, and how your livestock were with me.

³⁰ For it was little which thou had before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the Lord hath blessed thee since my coming. And now, when shall I provide for mine own house also?” — for it was little before I came; perhaps just a single flock, since Rachel, his youngest daughter, had the care of it;

— and it is now increased unto a multitude; or “broke forth,” spread itself over the fields and plains, hills and mountains adjacent, so that they were covered with his sheep, these bringing forth thousands and ten thousands;

— the Targum Onkelos says

For the little you had before I came here has increased and has become a multitude. Adonoy has blessed you with my coming [for my sake]. Now when will I also do something for my own house?

³¹ And he said, “What shall I give thee?” And Jacob said, “Thou shalt not give me anything. If thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock: — I will again feed and keep thy flock; it seems by this that Jacob had relinquished the care of the flock, upon the time of his servitude being out;

— but, upon the following condition, proposes to return to it, lead it out to the pastures, and feed it on them, and keep it night and day, as he had used to do;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He [Lavan] said, What shall I give you? Yaakov said, Do not give me anything—if you do this thing for me. I will continue to tend your flock and guard it.

³² I will pass through all thy flock today, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted animals, and all the brown animals among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and of such shall be my hire.

— sheep are generally white, the goats black, and spotted or speckled ones comparatively few and rare;

— the Targum Onkelos says

I will go through all your flocks this day. I will remove from them every lamb that is speckled, or spotted, and every dark one among the sheep, and every goat that is spotted and speckled. That [kind] will be my wage.

³³ So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.”

— Jacob proposed to remove all existing ones of that description from the flock, and to be content with what might appear at the next lambing time. The proposal seemed so much in favor of Laban, that he at once agreed to it;

— the Targum Onkelos says

My righteousness shall testify for me in the future when it comes before you regarding my wage. Any goat which is not speckled or spotted, and any sheep that is [not] dark, is stolen [if it is] in my possession.

³⁴ And Laban said, “Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.” — and everyone that is not speckled and spotted amongst the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be accounted stolen with me;

— if any such were found among those that Jacob should hereafter call his flock, as were without specks and spots, or were not brown, he was content they should be reckoned as stolen;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lavan said, Agreed, may it be as you say.

³⁵ And he removed that day the hegoats that were ringstreaked and spotted, and all the shegoats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.

— and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted; so that there might be neither male nor female of those mixed colours; this he did to prevent any generation of them:;

— the Targum Onkelos says

That day he [Lavan] removed the he-goats that were ringed and spotted, and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, everyone that had white in it, and all the dark ones among the sheep; and he gave them to his sons.

— and everyone that had some white in it; any white spot in it, as the Targum of Jonathan; that is, everyone of the brown or black colour, that had any white in it: and all the brown among the sheep: that were entirely so: and, gave them into the hands of his sons; the sons of Laban, who were now grown up and fit for such service.

³⁶ And he set three days’ journey between himself and Jacob; and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks. — he set three days’ journey betwixt himself and Jacob; this means that Laban required that there should be an interval of between thirty and forty miles between himself, that is, his flocks, and those of Jacob;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He placed a three days journey between himself and Yaakov. Yaakov tended Lavan’s remaining flocks.

³⁷ And Jacob took rods of green poplar and of the hazel and chestnut tree, and peeled white strips in them and made the white appear which was in the rods. — and pilled white strakes in them; took off the bark of them in some places, and left it on in others, which made white strakes;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov took rods of poplar that were fresh, hazel and chestnut [trees], and peeled white stripes in them by uncovering the white which is in the rods.

³⁸ And he set the rods which he had peeled before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.

— in the gutters in the watering troughs, when the flocks came to drink; that is, in places of water, where troughs or vessels were made, into which the water ran convenient for the cattle to drink out of; and here he placed his party coloured rods right over against the flocks;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He stuck [inserted] the rods that he had peeled into the ducts of the [place of the] watering troughs [the place] where the flock [ewes] came to drink, facing the flock [rams]; that they should become heated when they came to drink.

³⁹ And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth animals ringstreaked, speckled and spotted. — brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted; such as Jacob was to have for his hire;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The flock [sheep] became heated [and mated] before the rods, and the flock [sheep] gave birth to ringed, speckled and spotted [offspring].

⁴⁰ And Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstreaked and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not with Laban’s flocks. — Jacob did separate the lambs, such as were ring-straked and brown from the white;

— and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban’s cattle; partly that they might not be mixed together, but kept distinct; and so his flocks be lessened;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov separated the lambs. He set the faces [at the head] of the flock [sheep] toward [all] the ringed ones and all the dark ones; [he did so] with Lavan’s flocks. He formed separate flocks of his own, and did not set [mix] them with Lavan’s flocks.

⁴¹ And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger animals conceived, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the animals in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.

— and it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive; whose limbs were well compact, and were strong and healthy: that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters;

— the Targum Onkelos says

When the early-bearing flock [sheep] were heated [to mate], Yaakov placed the rods before the flock’s [sheep’s] eyes at the ducts, so they would be in heat among the rods.

⁴² But when the animals were feeble, he put them not in; so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s. — so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s; not only his flocks became more numerous than Laban’s, but were a better quality;

— the Targum Onkelos says

But when the flock [sheep] were late-bearing, he did not place [the rods before them]. Thus the late-bearing ones were Lavan’s, and the early-bearing ones became the possession of Yaakov.

⁴³ And the man increased exceedingly and had large flocks, and maidservants and menservants, and camels and asses. — and the man increased exceedingly; Jacob grew very rich:

— and here from the Message Bible:

^37-42 But Jacob got fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled the bark, leaving white stripes on them. He stuck the peeled branches in front of the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink.

When the flocks were in heat, they came to drink and mated in front of the streaked branches. Then they gave birth to young that were streaked or spotted or speckled. Jacob placed the ewes before the dark-colored animals of Laban. That way he got distinctive flocks for himself which he didn’t mix with Laban’s flocks.

And when the sturdier animals were mating, Jacob placed branches at the troughs in view of the animals so that they mated in front of the branches. But he wouldn’t set up the branches before the feebler animals. That way the feeble animals went to Laban and the sturdy ones to Jacob.

⁴³ The man got richer and richer, acquiring huge flocks, lots and lots of servants, not to mention camels and donkeys. Genesis 30:37-43 MSG

— the Targum Onkelos says

The man became tremendously prosperous. He had multipying flocks, female slaves and male slaves, camels and donkeys.

Posted in Books of Moses

After Jacob had stolen his birthright, Esau pleaded with Isaac his father if he could still bless him.

Then Isaac his father answered and prophesied, saying, “Thy dwelling shall be away from the fatness of the earth; and away from the dew of heaven above; Genesis 27:39

“And by your sword shall you live, you will go to every place, and wander, and you will be subject to your brother. But when his descendants abandon the commandments of the Torah, then you will break his yoke from your neck.”

“And Esau harbored hatred in his heart against Jacob, his brother, because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, ‘I will not do as Cain did, who killed Abel during their father’s lifetime and then their father had another son, Seth. Rather, I will wait until the days of mourning for my father have passed, and then I will kill Jacob my brother, and I will be the sole heir.'” Genesis 27:41-42 Targum (Jonathan)

This is looking at the Scriptures with a blast of fresh air, because the deeper you dig, the more you’ll find!

“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and until He has performed the intent of His thought; in the latter days ye shall understand it perfectly.” Jeremiah 23:20

Genesis 25

¹ Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. — and her name was Keturah; who she was, or of what family, is not said. Abraham was 137 years of age at Sarah’s death, and lived to be 175;

— it is quite possible that, left solitary by Isaac’s marriage, he took Keturah to wife, and had by her six sons; yet Keturah is called Abraham’s concubine, or secondary wife (1Ch 1:32)

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham again took a wife. Her name was Keturah.

— the Targum Jerusalem says

She is Hagar, who had been tied to him from the beginning.

— the Targum of Jonathan says that Keturah was Hagar

“And Abraham added and took a wife, and her name was Keturah; she is Hagar, who had been bound to him from the beginning.”

— Targum Pseudo-Jonathan (along with Rashi and Midrash Genesis Rabbah 61:4) explicitly identifies Keturah as Hagar; which could explain why she was still called Abraham’s concubine, 1Ch 1:32. The logic is that after Sarah died and Isaac was married, Abraham returned to his original concubine.

² And she bore him Zimran and Jokshan and Medan, and Midian and Ishbak and Shuah. — Midian is the one son of Keturah who had a great future before him, for his race became famous traders (Genesis 37:28); Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, belonged to them (Exodus 2:15-16)

— the Targum Onkelos says

She bore him Zimran, Yokshon, Medan, Midian, Yishbok, and Shuach.

³ And Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim and Letushim and Leummim. — Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim; these are certainly not the names of men, but of the three tribes;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yokshon fathered Shevah and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were Ashurim [those who dwell in camps], Letushim [those who dwell in tents] and Leumim [those who dwell on islands].

⁴ And the sons of Midian: Ephah and Epher, and Hanoch and Abidah and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. — they to be sons of Abraham by Keturah, when they were his actually grandchildren;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The sons of Midian were Eiphah, Eipher, Chanoch, Avidah and Eldoah. All these were children of Keturah.

⁵ And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. — And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac; as he was bound to do, not only in justice to Sarah his first wife, but also to Rebekah, who married Isaac upon this assurance;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham gave all that he possessed to Yitzchok.

⁶ But unto the sons of the concubines whom Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts; and while he yet lived he sent them away from Isaac his son, eastward unto the east country.

— but unto the sons of the concubines; that is, of Hagar and Keturah; migrated to “the east country,” that is, Arabia and Southern Mesopotamia;

— the Targum Onkelos says

To the sons of the concubines that Avraham had, Avraham gave gifts. He sent them away from Yitzchok, his son, while he [Avraham] was still alive. [He sent them] eastward to the Land of the East.

⁷ And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived, a hundred threescore and fifteen years.

— Abraham’s years were a hundred and seventy-five; he survived Sarah thirty-eight years, and Isaac’s marriage thirty-five, and Jacob and Esau must how be fifteen years of age at this time;

— the Targum Onkelos says

These are the days of the years of Avraham which he lived, one hundred years, seventy years and five years.

⁸ Then Abraham gave up the ghost and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.

—‘full of years’ in the original it is only, “and full” and does not seem to be a mere synonym for longevity; but appreciating all the good and unpleasantness of life, much like Job and David also had;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham expired and died in a good old age, old and satisfied [and in the fullness of days], and he was gathered to his people.

⁹ And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre,

— none of the six sons of Keturah were present; and had no particular blessing bestored upon them; perhaps they were apparently already sent far away into the far end of Arabia, while Ishmael was nearer at Paran;

— the Targum Onkelos says

His sons Yitzchok and Yishmael buried him in the Machpeilah cave, in the field of Ephron, son of Tzochar, the Chitite, which faces Mamrei.

¹⁰ the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth. There was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife. — there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife; Sarah had been buried there thirty eight years before, which was the reason why his sons buried, him there;

— the Targum Onkelos says

[This was] the field that Avraham purchased from the sons of Cheis. Avraham and his wife, Sarah, were buried there.

¹¹ And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi. — God blessed Isaac; for the blessing of Abraham did not die with him, but was perpetuated to his posterity, and especially to the children of the promise;

— the Targum Onkelos says

After Avraham died, Elohim blessed his son Yitzchok. Yitzchok lived near Be’er Lachai Ro’i [the well at which a living angel appeared].

— the Targum of Jonatham adds some complexities, saying:

And because Abraham had not designed to bless Ishmael, therefore he blessed not Isaac; for had he blessed Izhak and not Ishmael, it would have kept them in enmity.

But, after the death of Abraham, the Lord blessed Isaac; and Isaac dwelt near the well at which was revealed the glory of the Living and Eternal One, who seeth and is not seen.

— the Targum fills the silence by explaining Abraham’s dilemma. Abraham loved both sons; he knew the primary blessing belonged to Isaac, but he feared that a public formal blessing of Isaac would incite Ishmael’s enmity, a grudge or hatred. To maintain peace in the family while he was alive, Abraham refrained from blessing either.

¹² Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bore unto Abraham. — Ishmael had twelve sons, whose families became distinct tribes; they populated a very large country that lay between Egypt and Assyria, called Arabia;

— the Targum Onkelos says

These are the descendants of Yishmael son of Avraham, whom Hagar, the Egyptian, Sarah’s slave, bore to Avraham.

¹³ And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar and Adbeel and Mibsam,

— the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth: mentioned in Isaiah 60:7; and from whence a people of the Arabs are called Nabathaeans, and their country Nabathaea; they inhabit the town and capital at Petra;

— the Targum Onkelos says

These are the names of Yishmael’s sons, by their names according to their birth. Nevayos was Yishmael’s first born, [he also had] Keidar, Adbeil and Mivsom,

¹⁴ and Mishma and Dumah and Massa,

— the Targum Onkelos says

Mishma, Dumah and Masa,

¹⁵ Hadar and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.

— the Targum Onkelos says

Chadad, Teima, Yetur, Nofish and Keidmah.

¹⁶ These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns and by their castles, twelve princes according to their nations. — twelve princes according to their nations; these were princes, or heads of tribes, and there were twelve of them;

— the Targum Onkelos says

These are the sons of Yishmael, and these are their names in their open villages and in their fortified strongholds, twelve princes in their nations.

¹⁷ And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, a hundred and thirty and seven years; and he gave up the ghost and died, and was gathered unto his people. — then Ishmael also died at the age of a hundred and thirty-seven; in the presence of all his brethren;

— the Targum Onkelos says

These are the years of Yishmael’s life, one hundred years, thirty years and seven years. He expired and died and was gathered to his people.

¹⁸ And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt as thou goest toward Assyria; and he died in the presence of all his brethren. — and he died; they being present when he died, or in peace with them, in all prosperity along with them;

— the Targum Onkelos says

They lived from Chavilah to Shur [Chagar], which borders on Egypt, going towards Asshur. He lived in the presence of all his brethren.

¹⁹ And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham begot Isaac.

— the Targum Onkelos says

And these are the descendants of Yitzchok son of Avraham. Avraham was the father of Yitzchok.

— the Targum of Jonatham says

“And these are the generations of Isaac, the son of Abraham: And because the features (Ikunin) of Isaac were similar to the features of Abraham, the people said, ‘Truly, Abraham fathered Isaac.'”

²⁰ And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah for a wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister of Laban the Syrian.

— the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian, they were originally Chaldees, being descended from Nahor the brother of Abraham, who both were of Ur of the Chaldees; so Jacob is called a Syrian;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yitzchok was forty years old when he took Rivkah, the daughter of Besueil, the Aramite, of Padan Aram, sister of Lavan, the Aramite, for a wife.

²¹ And Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord was entreated by him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. — and Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife; though God had promised to multiply his family, he prayed for it;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yitzchok prayed to [before] Adonoy across from [opposite] his wife, for she was barren. Adonoy granted his prayer and his wife, Rivkah, conceived.

— the Targum of Jonathan says, that, after twenty years, Isaac took her and went with her to Mount Moriah, to the place where he was bound, and prayed that she might conceive; putting the Lord in mind of the promise he there made of the multiplication of Abraham’s seed; and Rebekah conceived; two sons at once;

²² And the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it be so, why am I thus?” And she went to inquire of the Lord.

— the Targum Onkelos says

The children clashed [pressed] inside her, and [when this happened] she said, If this is so, why did I desire this? She [then] went to inquire of [to ask for instruction from before] Adonoy.

— say the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem; and she went to inquire of the Lord; to the school of Shem the great;

²³ And the Lord said unto her, “Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy body; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people, and the elder shall serve the younger.”

— the Targum Onkelos says

Adonoy said to her, Two nations are in your womb, and two Kingdoms will separate from within you. One government will be mightier than the other, but the greater one will serve the smaller one.

— the Targums of Jonathan says

“And the children struggled within her, and it was like men fighting. And she said, ‘If this is the pain of pregnancy, why do I desire children?’ So she went to the study hall of Shem the Great to seek mercy from before the Lord.”

“And the Lord said to her, ‘Two nations are in your womb, and two kingdoms will separate from your belly. One kingdom will be stronger than the other, and the elder will serve the younger if the descendants of the younger keep the commandments of the Torah.'” Genesis 25:22-23 Jonathan

— important to note that “the elder will [only] serve the younger if the descendants of the younger keep the commandments of the Law.”

²⁴ And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.

— the Targum Onkelos says

When her days of pregnancy were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb.

— and when her days to be delivered were fulfilled; the nine months were up from the time of her conception; or, as the Targum of Jonathan, when the two hundred and seventy days she went with child were completed;

²⁵ And the first came out red, all over like a hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. — red, like a hairy garment; with red hair all over his body, whence he had his name, Esau, made, reared already;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The first one came out with a reddish complexion, covered completely with what was like a hairy robe, and they named him Eisov.

— the Targum of Jonathan says Esau was born as if he was already a grown man

and the first came forth wholly red, as a garment of hair: and they called his name Esau, because he was born altogether complete, with the hair of the head, and the beard, and teeth, and grinders;

²⁶ And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob. And Isaac was threescore years old when she bore them.

— and his name was called Jacob; by his parents; because he took his brother by the heel, which his name has the signification of, and Esau has respect to in Genesis 27:36,

— the Targum Onkelos says

After that his brother came out, his hand grasping the heel of Eisov, and he [Yitzchok] named him Yaakov. Yitzchok was sixty years old when she [Rivkah] gave birth to them.

²⁷ And the boys grew. And Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.

— Esau a cunning hunter and equally had a tent for his abode, but Jacob stayed at home, and busied about the flocks and cattle; hence he was the mother’s darling, while Isaac preferred his more enterprising son;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The lads grew up. Eisov became a skilled trapper [an idle man], a man of the field [a man going out to the field]. Yaakov was a wholesome man, living in tents [serving in the house of study].

²⁸ And Isaac loved Esau, because he ate of his venison; but Rebekah loved Jacob. — because he did eat of his venison, literally, because the venison—that is, the produce of Esau’s hunting—was in his mouth; in our phrase, was to his taste—was what he liked;

— but Rebekah loved Jacob upon better grounds, both because of his more pious and meek temper, and because of the oracle and promise of God;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yitzchok loved Eisov because he ate of his trappings, but Rivkah loved Yaakov.

²⁹ And Jacob boiled pottage; and Esau came from the field, and he was faint. — and Esau came from the field, and be was faint: for want of food, and weary with hunting, and perhaps more so, having toiled and got nothing;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov was simmering a pottage when Eisov came in from the field, exhausted.

— the Targum of Jonathan says

“And on that day that Abraham died, Jacob cooked a dish of lentils and went to comfort his father [Isaac]. And Esau came from the field, and he was exhausted; for on that day he had committed five transgressions: he worshipped a foreign worship [idolatry], he shed innocent blood [murder], he went in unto a betrothed maiden [adultery], he denied the life of the World to Come, and he despised the birthright.”

³⁰ And Esau said to Jacob, “Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage, for I am faint”; therefore was his name called Edom. — therefore was his name called Edom; besides from his red hair, but more from this red pottage; for Edom signifies red;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Eisov said to Yaakov, Please [Now] give me a swallow of this red [pottage], for I am exhausted. He was therefore named Edom [Red].

³¹ And Jacob said, “Sell me this day thy birthright.” — and Jacob said, sell me this day thy birthright; which had many privileges annexed to it; a double portion of inheritance; some say the exercise of priesthood, but that is questioned; the parental blessing;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov said, As of this day [Like this day], sell your birthright to me.

³² And Esau said, “Behold, I am at the point of dying. And what profit shall this birthright be to me?” — Esau said, I am at the point to die; that is, I am running daily risk of my life; and of what use will the birthright be to me;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Eisov said, Here I am going to die, what [good] is this birthright to me.

³³ And Jacob said, “Swear to me this day.” And he swore unto him, and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. — and he swear unto him; that he would abide by the bargain, and never give him any trouble on that account; God himself being appealed to as a witness of it;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov said, Swear to me as of this day [like this day]. He swore to him, and sold his birthright to Yaakov.

³⁴ Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he ate and drank, and rose up and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. — thus Esau despised his birthright; he used no means to get the bargain revoked, made no appeal to his father about it;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yaakov then gave Eisov bread and a pottage of lentils. He [Eisov] ate and drank, got up and left. [Thus] Eisov scorned the birthright.

— the Targum of Jonathan says

“And Jacob gave to Esau bread and a cooked dish of lentils; and he ate and drank, and rose up and went. And Esau despised the birthright and [his] portion in the World to Come.”

Genesis 26

¹ And there was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines, unto Gerar.

— it is probable that Abraham was now dead; in that case, Esau and Jacob would be at least fifteen years of age when the following event occurred;

— the Targum Onkelos says

There was a famine in the land, aside from the first famine that was in the days of Avraham. Yitzchok went to Avimelech, king of the Philistines, in Gerar.

² And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, “Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of. — and the Lord appeared unto Isaac, Go not down into Egypt; it being a very fruitful place, washed by the Nile;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Adonoy appeared [became revealed] to him and said, Do not go down to Egypt. Settle in the land that I will make known to you.

— and Jonathan says it was in the heart of Isaac to go down into Egypt.

³ Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee and will bless thee. For unto thee and unto thy seed I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I swore unto Abraham thy father.

— and I will be with thee, and I will bless thee, Isaac; with a supply of all the necessaries of life; for unto thee, and to thy seed, will I give these countries; inhabited at that time by the Philistines, Canaanites, and the several tribes of them;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Stay temporarily in this land and I will be with you and bless you [My Word will be your support and I will bless you], for to you and your descendants I will give all these lands. I will [thus] keep the oath that I swore to Avraham, your father.

⁴ And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed,

— for I will make thy seed to multiply; a renewal to Isaac of all God’s promises made to Abraham; in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

— perhaps Abraham might suppose God spoke of his immediate seed, namely, of Isaac; but when the promise was renewed to him in the very same words, it became evident that the seed which was to be this universal blessing was still to come;

— the Targum Onkelos says

I will make your descendants [as numerous] as the stars of the heavens, and I will give your descendants all these lands. Through [Because of] your descendants shall be blessed all the nations of the world.

⁵ because Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” — my voice, my charge, my commandments: this variety of expression seems to be designed to show the universality and exactness of Abraham’s obedience, that he readily complied with every intimation of the divine will;

— the Targum Onkelos says

[All this is] because Avraham listened to [accepted] My voice [Word], and minded My mandate [the mandate of My Word], My commandments, My decrees and My teachings.

⁶ And Isaac dwelt in Gerar. — Gerar was probably a trading town between Syria and Egypt, and therefore Isaac’s needs during the famine are here supplied;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yitzchok [thus] settled in Gerar.

⁷ And the men of the place asked him concerning his wife. And he said, “She is my sister”; for he feared to say, “She is my wife,” lest, said he, “the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah, because she was fair to look upon.”

— we now find Isaac imitating his father’s example with even less reason for his unjustifiable conduct;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The local men asked about his wife, and he said, She is my sister. He was afraid to say, [she is] my wife, lest the local men kill me for Rivkah, for she is so good looking.

⁸ And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out a window and saw, and behold, Isaac was frolicking with Rebekah his wife. — Abimelek observes Isaac sporting with Rebekah as only husband and wife should;

— constrains him to confess that she is his wife, charges him with the impropriety of his conduct, and commands his people to refrain from harming either of them on pain of death;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Once, after [Yitzchok] had been there a long while, Avimelech, king of the Philistines, looked at the window, and he saw, and behold, Yitzchok was amusing himself with Rivkah, his wife.

⁹ And Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Behold, of a surety she is thy wife; and how saidst thou, ‘She is my sister’?” And Isaac said unto him, “Because I said, ‘Lest I die for her.’”

— lest I die for her; for her sake, that another might have and enjoy her; it was fear of losing his life that led him to take such a step, and give out that she was his sister, like his father, Abraham;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avimelech called Yitzchok and he said, But she is your wife. How could you have said, She is my sister? Yitzchok said to him, Because I said, I might die because of her.

¹⁰ And Abimelech said, “What is this thou hast done unto us? One of the people might lightly have lain with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.”

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avimelech said, What have you done to us? One of the people [The unique one among the people] could have easily slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.

¹¹ And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, “He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.” — whoever shall go near to injure this man or his wife, shall verily be put to death.

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avimelech [then] commanded all his people, saying, Whoever touches [injures] this man or his wife, shall die.

¹² Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. — an hundredfold, that is, a hundred times as much as he sowed; the same degree of increase is repeated in Matthew 13:8;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yitzchok planted in that land, and in that year he reaped a hundred fold [more than that which they estimated], for Adonoy had blessed him.

¹³ And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great. — Isaac became increasingly great and strong, until he was very powerful and his wealth very great;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The man prospered. He continued to prosper [and increase] until he became very great.

¹⁴ For he had possession of flocks and possession of herds, and great store of servants; and the Philistines envied him. — so that the Philistines envied Isaac, which makes men grieve at the good of others;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He owned flocks of sheep, herds of cattle, and many slaves, and the Philistines were jealous of him.

¹⁵ For all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them and filled them with earth. — and the Philistines endeavoured to do him injury by stopping up and filling with rubbish all the wells that had been dug in his father’s time;

— the Targum Onkelos says

All the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of his father, Avraham—the Philistines plugged them, and filled them with earth.

¹⁶ And Abimelech said unto Isaac, “Go from us, for thou art much mightier than we.” — and even Abimelech requested Isaac to depart, because he was afraid of his power; his family being greatly increased, his servants numerous;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avimelech said to Yitzchok, Go away from us. You have become much more powerful than us.

¹⁷ And Isaac departed from thence, and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar and dwelt there. — Isaac’s retreats from Gerar and its suburbs, and takes up his abode in the valley, or wady of Gerar;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yitzchok went away from there. He camped in the valley of Gerar and settled there.

¹⁸ And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham; and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.

— and Isaac digged those rather than new ones, partly to keep up his father’s memory, and partly because he had most right to them, and others less cause of quarrel with him about them;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yitzchok returned and excavated the wells of water which were dug in the days of his father, Avraham, and were plugged by the Philistines after Avraham’s death. He gave them the same names that his father had given them.

¹⁹ And Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. — and found there a well of springing water; or “living water” which flows continually;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yitzchok’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of spring [flowing] water.

²⁰ And the herdsmen of Gerar strove with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” And he called the name of the well Esek [that is, Contention], because they strove with him. — and Isaac called the name of the well Esek: which signifies “contention” because they strove with him;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The shepherds of Gerar argued with the shepherds of Yitzchok, saying, the water is ours. He named the well Eisek [Quarrel], because they had quarreled with him.

²¹ And they dug another well, and strove for that also; and he called the name of it Sitnah [that is, Hatred]. — signifies “hatred” it being out of hatred and malice to him that they gave him so much trouble;

— the Targum Onkelos says

They dug another well and they also argued about it. He named the well Sitnah [Obstruction].

²² And he removed from thence, and dug another well, and for that they strove not; and he called the name of it Rehoboth [that is, Room]. And he said, “For now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”

— and we shall be fruitful in the land; his flocks and his herds increase, having good pasturage and watering for them, and so he and his family be in prosperous circumstances;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He moved away from there and he dug another well, and there was no argument over it. He named it Rechovos [Wide Spaces], and said, For now Adonoy has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.

²³ And he went up from thence to Beersheba. — and Isaac went south from thence to Beer-sheba;

— this was a very serious act on Isaac’s part as he leaves the solitudes where he had found a refuge from the enmity of the Philistines, and returns to a place scarcely five leagues distant from their city;

— the Targum Onkelos says

From there he went to Beer Sheva.

²⁴ And the Lord appeared unto him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham thy father. Fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for My servant Abraham’s sake.” — Isaac is again and again reminded of the relation in which his father stood to God;

— fear not; any future famine, nor want of any good things, nor any enemies, the Philistines his neighbours, who had driven him from their country, and had harassed him from place to place;

— and multiply thy seed, for my servant Abraham’s sake; who was a faithful, diligent, servant of his; whose service was, not forgotten by him;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Adonoy appeared [became revealed] to him that night and said, I am the God of your father, Avraham. Do not fear for I am with you [My Word is your support]. I will bless you and make your descendants numerous, because of My servant, Avraham.

²⁵ And he built an altar there, and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

— and he builded an altar there; at Beersheba, where his father Abraham had planted a grove before, and very probably had built an altar also, though it might not be now standing, Genesis 21:33,

— and there Isaac’s servants digged a well; in order to find water for the family, and for the flocks and herds; and called upon the name of the Lord; and gave him thanks for all his mercies to him; especially during the time of famine; 

— the Targum Onkelos says

He [Yitzchok] built an altar there, and proclaimed [prayed in] the Name of Adonoy. He set up his tent there, and Yitzchok’s servants dug a well there.

²⁶ Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath one of his friends and Phichol the chief captain of his army.

— then Abimelech went to Isaac; as there was a lapse of ninety years between the visit of Abraham and of Isaac, the Abimelech and Phichol spoken of must have been different persons’ official titles;

— then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, after Isaac was settled at Beersheba, and was still increasing in his family and substance;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avimelech came to Yitzchok from Gerar along with a group of friends and Pichol, his general.

²⁷ And Isaac said unto them, “Why come ye to me, seeing ye hate me and have sent me away from you?” — wherefore come ye to me? Isaac’s return had brought matters to a crisis, and the king must now decide whether there was to be peace or war;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yitzchok said to them, Why have you come to me? You hate me and drove me away from you.

²⁸ And they said, “We saw certainly that the Lord was with thee; and we said, ‘Let there be now an oath between us, even between us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee,

— Let there be now an oath; the word literally signifies a curse; each side uttered an imprecation, with the prayer that it might fall upon himself if he broke the terms of the covenant;

— the Targum Onkelos says

They said, We have indeed seen that Adonoy is with you [the Word of Adonoy is your support], and we said, Let there now be an oath between us, [Let the oath that was between our fathers now be established] between ourselves and you, and let us make a covenant with you;

²⁹ that thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace. Thou art now the blessed of the Lord.’”

— as we have not touched thee; not done the least injury to him, to his person, family, and substance, but suffered him to go away with nothing but good; by royal authority;

— the Targum Onkelos says

that you will do us no harm, just as we did not touch [injure] you. We did nothing but good to you, and sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed one of Adonoy.

³⁰ And he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. — and they did eat and drink; freely and in a friendly manner; for both having spoken their minds, they agreed to bury all former things oblivion, and live in peace and friendship;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He [Yitzchok] made a feast for them, and they ate and drank.

³¹ And they rose up early in the morning and swore one to another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace. — and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace; he took his leave of them in a friendly manner to mutual satisfaction;

— the Targum Onkelos says

They got up early in the morning, and they each swore to the other. Yitzchok sent them away and they left in peace.

³² And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac’s servants came and told him concerning the well which they had dug, and said unto him, “We have found water.”

— not only had dug a well, but they had found plenty of water, and that which was good; or otherwise it would not have been worth while to have troubled Isaac;

— the Targum Onkelos says

On that day Yitzchok’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug; and they said to him, We have found water.

³³ And he called it Shebah [that is, An oath]; therefore the name of the city is Beersheba [that is, The well of the oath] unto this day. — the well of the oath: it had been so called by Abraham an hundred years ago or more; but now upon this occasion it was renewed and confirmed;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He named it Shiva. Therefore the city is called Beer Sheva until this very day.

³⁴ And Esau was forty years old when he took for a wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite,

— Esau, by thus inter marrying with idolaters he violated the great principle laid down by Abraham (Genesis 24:3), forfeited thereby his birthright, and, as such marriages were beyond righteousness;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Eisov was forty years old and he married Yehudis, the daughter of Be’eri, the Chittite and Bosmas, the daughter of Eylon the Chittite.

³⁵ who were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah. — which were a grief of mind unto Isaac, and to Rebekah; although Esau partially repented, and took as a third wife a daughter of Ishmael (Genesis 28:9)

— the Targum Onkelos says

They were rebellious of spirit to [They were rebels and aggravators against the words of] Yitzchok and Rivkah.

Posted in Books of Moses

~~~~

Genesis 23

¹ And Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years old; these were the years of the life of Sarah. — Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old; Sarah is the only woman whose age at her death is mentioned in the Bible, an honour doubtless given her as the ancestress of the Hebrew heritage;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The lifetime of Sarah consisted of one hundred years, twenty years and seven years. [These were] the years of Sarah’s life.

— the Targum of Jonathan says

And the days of the life of Sarah were an hundred and twenty and seven years, the years of the life of Sarah.

² And Sarah died in Kirjatharba (the same is Hebron) in the land of Canaan; and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

— Abraham came to mourn; at this period Abraham was in quiet possession of several homes, and apparently was himself at Beersheba when Sarah died at Hebron, where probably he had left Isaac in charge of his mother and the cattle;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Sarah died in Kiryas Arba, which is Chevron, in the land of Canaan. Avraham came to eulogize Sarah and to weep for her.

— the Targum of Jonathan says,

“And Sarah died in Kiryath Arba, which is Hebron. And Abraham came from the mountain of worship, and found that she was dead; and he sat to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.”

³ And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke unto the sons of Heth, saying, — the sons of Heth; now it appears that it was associates of the Hittites, a race who, while the Israelites sojourned in Egypt, became so powerful as to contend for empire with the Egyptians themselves;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham rose from the presence of his dead, and spoke to the sons of Cheis saying,

⁴ “I am a stranger and a sojourner with you. Give me a possession for a burying place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”

— sell me a possession of a buryingplace with you; not that he desired it as a free gift, but that he might be allowed to make a purchase of a piece of ground to bury his dead;

— the Targum Onkelos says

I am a foreigner and a resident among you. Grant me the possession of a grave site with you, so that I may bury my dead from my presence.

⁵ And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him, — the children of Heth, so called from Heth the son of Canaan, Genesis 10:15, “And Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Heth;”

— the Targum Onkelos says

The sons of Cheis replied to Avraham saying to him,

⁶ “Hear us, my lord: Thou art a mighty prince among us; in the choicest of our sepulchers bury thy dead. None of us shall withhold from thee his sepulcher, that thou mayest bury thy dead.”

— in the choice of our sepulchres; the meeting between Abraham and the Hittites is marked by the utmost courtesy on both sides;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Hear [Accept] us my [our] master, you are a prince of God [you are respected before God] in our midst. Bury your dead in the choicest of our grave sites. No man among us will deny his grave site from you to bury your dead.

⁷ And Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth. — Abraham bowed himself; thus returning them thanks for their kind offer, with all proper decency and respect;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham rose and bowed to the people of the land, the sons of Cheis.

⁸ And he communed with them, saying, “If it be in your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar, — hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar; a principal man among the Hittites, who had a field and a cave in it;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham spoke to them, saying, If it is really your will [the will of your soul] that I bury my dead from my presence, listen to [accept] me and intercede for me with Ephron, son of Tzochar.

⁹ that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he hath, which is in the end of his field. For as much money as it is worth he shall give it to me as a possession for a burying place amongst you.”

— the Targum Onkelos says

Let him give me the Machpeilah [double] cave, which belongs to him, which is at the end of his field. Let him give [sell] it to me for its full value, as a grave site among you.

— the Message Bible has these few verses as:

Then Abraham got up, bowed respectfully to the people of the land, the Hittites, and said, “If you’re serious about helping me give my wife a proper burial, intercede for me with Ephron son of Zohar.

“Ask him to sell me the cave of Machpelah that he owns, the one at the end of his land. Ask him to sell it to me at its full price for a burial plot, with you as witnesses.” Genesis 23:87-9 MSG

— the cave of Machpelah; was a double cave as the Targum of Jonathan confirms it, “the double cave” consisting probably of an outer and an inner compartment;

¹⁰ And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all who went in at the gate of his city, saying,

— the transaction now comes to be between Abraham and Ephron; the sons of Heth were seated in council, and Ephron among them;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Ephron lived in the midst of the sons of Cheis, Ephron the Chitite replied to Avraham in the ears [audience] of [before] the sons of Cheis, for all who came to the city gate, saying,

¹¹ “Nay, my lord, hear me: The field give I thee; and the cave that is therein, I give it to thee. In the presence of the sons of my people give I it to thee; bury thy dead.” — the field give I thee; not only the cave had been mentioned, but for its quiet possession the land around it as well;

— the Targum Onkelos says

No, my master, hear [accept] me: I have given you the field, and the cave that is in it, I have [also] given to you. Before the eyes of the sons of my people I have given it to you. Bury your dead.

¹² And Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land. — and Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land; showing hereby great respect, and giving much honour both to them and Ephron; 

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham bowed to the people of the land.

¹³ And he spoke unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, “But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me. I will give thee money for the field. Take it from me, and I will bury my dead there.”

— I will give thee money; Abraham was rich in silver and gold, and therefore thought it unjust to take advantage of Ephron’s generosity;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He spoke to Ephron in the ears [audience] of [before] the people of the land saying, If you will only listen to me. [If you will do a kindness for me, accept me.] I have given the money for the [value of the] field. Take it from me and I will bury my dead there.

¹⁴ And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him,

— the Targum Onkelos says

Ephron replied to Avraham, saying to him,

¹⁵ “My lord, hearken unto me: The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver. What is that between me and thee? Bury therefore thy dead.”

— the Message Bible has these few verses as:

Abraham bowed respectfully before the assembled council and answered Ephron: “Please allow me—I want to pay the price of the land; take my money so that I can go ahead and bury my wife.”

Then Ephron answered Abraham, “If you insist, master. What’s four hundred silver shekels between us? Now go ahead and bury your wife.” Genesis 23:12-15

— the Targum Onkelos says

My master, hear [accept] me. A land [worth] four hundred silver shekel—what is that between me and you? Bury your dead.

¹⁶ And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed the silver for Ephron which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth: four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant. — Abraham weighed; current money with the merchant; shekel literally means weight, and money was not coined until long afterwards;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham listened to [accepted] Ephron, and Avraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he spoke of in the hearing of [before] the sons of Cheis, four hundred silver shekel, negotiable currency [which are accepted by merchants in every city].

¹⁷ And the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field that were in all the borders round about, were secured

— the Targum Onkelos says

The field of Ephron was established [as Avraham’s possession], [the field] which was in Machpeilah, facing Mamrei; [this included] the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field that were in the entire circumference of its boundaries.

¹⁸ unto Abraham as a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.

— the Targum Onkelos says

This became Avraham’s [possession] through a purchase before the eyes of the sons of Cheis, all who had come to the gate of his city.

¹⁹ And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (the same is Hebron) in the land of Canaan.

— the Targum Onkelos says

After that Avraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the Machpeilah field, which faces Mamrei, which is Chevron, in the land of Canaan.

²⁰ And the field and the cave that is therein were secured unto Abraham as a possession for a burying place by the sons of Heth.

— that’s how Ephron’s field next to Mamre—the field, its cave, and all the trees within its borders—became Abraham’s property; with the town council of Hittites witnessing the transaction;

— the Message Bible has these few verses as:

Abraham then proceeded to bury his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah that is next to Mamre, present-day Hebron, in the land of Canaan. The field and its cave went from the Hittites into Abraham’s possession as a burial plot. Genesis 23:17-20

— the Targum Onkelos says

The field and its cave was established as Avraham’s possession as a gravesite, by the sons of Cheis.

Genesis 24

¹ And Abraham was old and well stricken in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.

— Abraham, who was a centenarian at Isaac’s birth, would now be nearly 140; as he lived to be 175 (Genesis 25:7), he survived Isaac’s marriage thirty-five years, and lived to see Esau and Jacob nearly grown up;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham was old, advanced in days [years], and Adonoy had blessed Avraham in all things.

² And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham said to his servant, the senior [servant] of his household, who was in charge of all that he owned, Place your hand under my thigh.

— the Targum of Jonathan named him, Eliezer, his servant, the senior of his house, put thy hand under my thigh; as Jacob requires that Joseph should swear to him in the same manner (Genesis 47:29), this form of oath was evidently regarded as a very solemn one;

³ and I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell.

— that thou wilt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites; these being not only idolaters, and very wicked people, the seed of the accursed Canaan; 

— the Targum Onkelos says

I will have you swear by [the Word of] Adonoy, God of heaven and God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live.

⁴ But thou shalt go unto my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” — my kindred, the family of Nahor, concerning the increase whereof he had received information, Genesis 22:20, which he justly preferred before the wicked Canaanites;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Instead, to my [native] land, to my birthplace, shall you go, and take a wife for my son, for Yitzchok,

⁵ And the servant said unto him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land. Must I bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?”

— must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest? that is, must I agree with the woman on these terms, and promise that Isaac shall come and dwell with her in Mesopotamia?

— the Targum Onkelos says

The servant said to him, Perhaps the woman will not want to come back with me to this land? Shall I bring your son back to the land from where you came?

⁶ And Abraham said unto him, “Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again. — it was dangerous for Isaac to go, where, though there was some knowledge of the true God, yet there was much idolatry there, lest he should be corrupted, and degenerate from the true religion;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham said to him, Take care, not to bring my son back there.

⁷ The Lord God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke unto me and who swore unto me, saying, ‘Unto thy seed will I give this land,’ He shall send His angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife for my son from thence.

— saying, unto thy seed will I give this land; the land of Canaan; and therefore his son, in whom his seed was to be called, must not be removed from hence, and settled in another country;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Adonoy, God of heaven, Who took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my birth, Who spoke to me, and Who swore to me, saying, To your descendants I will give this land—He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.

⁸ And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath; only bring not my son thither again.”

— then thou shalt be clear from this my oath; the sense is, when he had done all he could to get the consent of the damsel to go with him and marry his master’s son; and after all she could not be prevailed upon to come with him, then he was free from his oath;

— the Targum Onkelos says

If the woman does not want to come back with you, you are absolved from this oath to me. But do not bring my son back there.

⁹ And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning that matter.

— and the servant, Eliezer, put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master; or being satisfied of the nature and extent of his oath, and thoroughly understanding how he was to act upon it;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The servant placed his hand under the thigh of Avraham, his master, and swore to him regarding this matter.

¹⁰ And the servant took ten camels from the camels of his master and departed, for all the goods of his master were in his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.

— the servant took ten camels to the city of Nahor; this was Harran (Genesis 27:43); the city of Nahor; this was the brother of Abraham;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The servant took ten camels from his master’s camels and departed, and all the property of his master was in his hand. He rose and went to Aram Naharayim [which is next to the river P’ras]; to the city of Nachor.

— the Targum of Jonathan reveals he took with him goodly treasures, saying

And the servant took ten camels from the camels of his lord, and went: for all the goodly treasures of his lord were in his hand; and he arose and went unto Aram, which was by the Pherat, to the city of Nachor.

¹¹ And he made his camels to kneel down outside the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water. — Eliezer made his camels to kneel down; probably to unload them; kneeling, however, is the posture in which they take their rest;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He made the camels kneel [rest] outside the city, beside a well of water, in the evening, at the time the women go out to draw water.

¹² And he said, “O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray Thee, send me good speed this day, and show kindness unto my master Abraham. — as a circumcised member of Abraham’s household, the servant also prays to Yehovah, Abraham’s God;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said, Adonoy, God of my master, Avraham, be present before me today, and act kindly [do goodness] with my master, Avraham.

¹³ Behold, I stand here by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water.

— Eliezer stand here by the well of water, wishing, hoping that something would turn out that would direct and instruct what further to do, and that would lead on to the business he came about;

— and during the evening, the daughters of the men of the city came out to draw water; which was the usual custom in those days;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Behold, here I stand by this well of water, and the daughters of the townsmen are coming out to draw water.

¹⁴ And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, ‘Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink,’ and she shall say, ‘Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also’

— let the same be she whom Thou hast appointed for Thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that Thou hast shown kindness unto my master.”

— the Message Bible says:

The servant took ten of his master’s camels and, loaded with gifts from his master, traveled to Aram Naharaim and the city of Nahor. Outside the city, he made the camels kneel at a well.

It was evening, the time when the women came to draw water. He prayed, “O God, God of my master Abraham, make things go smoothly this day; treat my master Abraham well!

As I stand here by the spring while the young women of the town come out to get water, let the girl to whom I say, ‘Lower your jug and give me a drink,’ and who answers, ‘Drink, and let me also water your camels’

—let her be the woman you have picked out for your servant Isaac. Then I’ll know that you’re working graciously behind the scenes for my master.” Genesis 24:10-14 MSG

— the Targum Onkelos says

Let it be that the girl to whom I say, Please [Now], tip over your pitcher that I may drink and she will say Drink, and I will also give your camels to drink, will be the one whom You have determined for your servant, Yitzchok. With her I will know that You have dealt kindly [with goodness] with my master.

¹⁵ And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. — the response was immediate and direct. “He had not yet done speaking,” when the answer came;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He had not yet finished speaking, and behold Rivkah came out. She had been born to Besu’eil, the son of Milkah, the wife of Nachor, Avraham’s brother. Her pitcher was on her shoulder.

¹⁶ And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her; and she went down to the well and filled her pitcher and came up. — neither had any man known her; not only was reckoned a virgin, but was really one, pure and incorrupt;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The girl was very good looking—a virgin—no man had known her. She went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up.

¹⁷ And the servant ran to meet her and said, “Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water from thy pitcher.” — and said, let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher; or taste a little of it, or suffer me to swallow a little of it;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The servant ran toward her and said, Please [Now] let me sip a little water from your pitcher.

¹⁸ And she said, “Drink, my lord”; and she hastened and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. — and she said, drink, my lord, signifying at once that he was welcome to drink what he would, giving him a very respectable title;

— the Targum Onkelos says

She said, Drink, my master, and she quickly lowered her pitcher to her hand, and let him drink.

¹⁹ And when she had done giving him drink, she said, “I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.” — she said, I will draw water for thy camels also; she proposed to go back to the well, and did, and fill her pitcher, and repeat it as often as was necessary, until the camels had enough;

— the Targum Onkelos says

When she had finished giving him to drink, she said, I will also draw water for your camels, until they will have finished drinking [had enough to drink].

²⁰ And she hastened and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. — and ran again to the well to draw water; and which must be repeated several times to have enough for all the camels;

— the Targum Onkelos says

She quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough and she ran to the well again to draw water. and she drew water for all his camels.

²¹ And the man, wondering at her, held his peace to learn whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not. — the servant, Eliezer, was astonished at the exactness and quickness with which his prayer was being answered;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The man, wondering at her, remained silent, waiting to determine [The man waited and observed silently to determine] whether Adonoy had made his mission successful, or not.

²² And it came to pass, as the camels were done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold, — earring; really nose-ring; for in Genesis 24:47 the man places it on her nose, wrongly translated face in our version;

— the Targum Onkelos says

When the camels had finished drinking [had enough to drink], the man took a gold nose ring, weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her arms, weighing ten gold shekel.

— the Targum of Jonathan transforms these jewelry items into prophetic symbols of Israel’s future; teaches that the marriage between Isaac and Rebecca was not a mere physical union: it was a Covenant

“And it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden ring, a drachma was its weight, corresponding to the drachma for the head (the half-shekel) which her children would give for the work of the Tabernacle; and two bracelets he placed upon her hands, the weight of which was ten selas of gold, their total weight corresponding to the two Tablets upon which were written the Ten Commandments.”

²³ and said, “Whose daughter art thou? Tell me, I pray thee, is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in?” — whose daughter art thou? the reason of this question is, because by her answer to it he would know whether she was of the family related to Abraham;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said to her, Whose daughter are you? Please [Now] tell me. Is there [a fitting] place in your father’s house for us to spend the night.

²⁴ And she said unto him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore unto Nahor.” — which she bare unto Nahor; Abraham’s brother; so that her father was Nahor’s son, not by his concubine Reumah, but by his lawful wife Milcah;

— the Targum Onkelos says

She said to him, I am the daughter of Besueil, the son of Milkah, whom she bore to Nachor.

²⁵ She said moreover unto him, “We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.” — we have both straw and provender enough; for the camels, straw for their litter, and provender for their food, as hay, barley;

— and room to lodge in; for him and his men; this she could venture to say, and invite him to come and take up his quarters in her father’s house;

— the Targum Onkelos says

She said to him, We have plenty of straw and fodder, and also a [fitting] place to spend the night.

²⁶ And the man bowed down his head, and worshiped the Lord. — Eliezer bowed his head and worshipped; the bowing of the head and of the body are here combined to indicate the aged servant’s deep thankfulness and respect for the guidance of the Lord;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The man bowed [his head] and prostrated himself to [before] Adonoy.

²⁷ And he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master from His mercy and His truth. I, being on the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.”

— blessed be the Lord God of my master; here again this servant shows a noble example in returning thanks to God, as soon as he finds that his errand is likely to succeed;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said, Blessed is Adonoy, God of my master, Avraham, Who has not abandoned His kindness [goodness] and truth [in dealing] with my master. I am still on the [straight] road and Adonoy has led me to the house of my master’s brethren.

²⁸ And the damsel ran and told those of her mother’s house these things. — and the damsel ran; having invited him to come and lodge at her father’s house, that he might not be brought in abruptly, she ran before to acquaint the family of what had passed;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The girl ran and told her mother’s household of these these happenings.

²⁹ And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban; and Laban ran out unto the man by the well. — her brother Laban had responsed to her account, hurried out to the stranger at the well, but her father Bethuel absent; perhaps being old, or sick in bed (but alive, verse 50), thus not involved;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Rivkah had a brother whose name was Lavan, and Lavan ran outside to the man [standing] at the well.

³⁰ And it came to pass, when he saw the earring, and bracelets upon his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, “Thus spoke the man unto me,” that he came unto the man; and behold, he stood by the camels at the well.

— the Targum Onkelos says

When he had seen the nose ring and the bracelets on the hands of his sister, and heard the words of his sister, Rivkah saying, this is what the man spoke to me, that he [then] came to the man, who was still standing beside the camels at the well.

³¹ And he said, “Come in, thou blessed of the Lord. Why standest thou outside? For I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.” — being hospitable, Laban ready himself with his sister to find the man, and invite him, as a matter of course, to his father’s house;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He [Lavan] said, Come, you who are blessed of Adonoy, why are you standing outside? I have emptied the house and [prepared] a [fitting] place for the camels.

³² And the man came into the house; and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.

— the Targum Onkelos says

The man came into the house and unmuzzled the camels. [Lavan] gave the camels straw and fodder, and water to wash his [the man’s] feet and the feet of the men who were with him.

— and Eliezer ungirded his camels; took off their bridles, which hindered them from eating, as the Targum of Jonathan says; or loosed their girts and took off their burdens, that they might have rest;

³³ And there was meat set before him to eat; but he said, “I will not eat until I have told mine errand.” And he said, “Speak on.” — aware of this feeling, Abraham’s servant will not partake of Laban’s bread and salt until he has told his request;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Food was set before him, but he said, I will not eat until I have spoken my words. He replied, Speak.

³⁴ And he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. — I am Abraham’s servant, Eliezer; not Abraham himself, this undeceived Laban, if he so thought, but a servant of his;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said, I am the servant of Avraham.

³⁵ And the Lord hath blessed my master greatly, and he is become great; and He hath given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and menservants and maidservants, and camels and asses. — and he is become great; in the world, and highly honoured and esteemed among men;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Adonoy blessed my master greatly and he prospered. He gave him sheep, cattle, silver, gold, male slaves, female slaves, camels and donkeys.

³⁶ And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old, and unto him hath he given all that he hath. — and Sarah, my master’s wife; who must be well known to this family, by name at least, being, as is generally supposed, the sister of Milcah, Nahor’s wife, and Bethuel’s mother;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Sarah, the wife of my master gave birth to a son to my master, after she had grown old, and he has given him all that he possesses.

³⁷ And my master made me swear, saying, ‘Thou shalt not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell; — and my master made me swear; the servant relates the oath his master made him take, and the charge he gave him,

— the Targum Onkelos says

My master placed me under oath, saying, Do not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live.

³⁸ but thou shalt go unto my father’s house and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son.’ — the servant declined all attention to his own comforts till he had told his master’s mission and his errand;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Instead, you must go to my father’s house, and to my family. Take a wife for my son.

³⁹ And I said unto my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’

— the Targum Onkelos says

I said to my master, Perhaps the woman will not come back with me?

⁴⁰ And he said unto me, ‘The Lord, before whom I walk, will send His angel with thee and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son from my kindred and from my father’s house.

— Abraham’s other children by Hagar and Keturah were dismissed with portions during his life, but the main bulk of his property was conveyed to Isaac;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said to me, Adonoy, before Whom I have walked [worshiped], will send His angel with you, and make your journey successful. You will then take a wife for my son from my family and from my fathers house.

⁴¹ Then shalt thou be clear from this my oath when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not thee one, thou shalt be clear from my oath.’ — the words oath and curse are often times indifferently used, because they commonly go together, and sometimes they are both expressed, as an example in Numbers:

— then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman; “the Lord make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the Lord doth make thy thigh to rot and thy belly to swell. Numbers 5:21

— the Targum Onkelos says

You will then be absolved from my oath, if when you come [go] to my family, and they will not give her to you. You will be absolved from my oath.

⁴² And I came this day unto the well and said, ‘O Lord God of my master Abraham, if now Thou do prosper my way which I go, — and said, O Lord God of my master Abraham; being come to the well, he prayed;

— the Targum Onkelos says

I came this day to the well, and I said, Adonoy, God of my master, Avraham, if You will grant success [if it is pleasing before You to grant success] to my journey on which I am going.

⁴³ behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, “Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink,”

— the Targum Onkelos says

Behold, here I stand at the well of water. When a girl comes out to draw water, I will say to her, Please [Now] let me drink a little water from your pitcher.

⁴⁴ and she say to me, “Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels,” let the same be the woman whom the Lord hath appointed out for my master’s son.’

— the Targum Onkelos says

If she says to me, You too may drink, and I will also draw water for your camels, then she is the one whom Adonoy has determined for the son of my master.

⁴⁵ And before I was done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well and drew water. And I said unto her, ‘Let me drink, I pray thee.’

— speaking in mine heart; the idiom is far more exact and true: namely, before I had done speaking to my heart;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Before I had finished speaking thus in my heart, when suddenly Rivkah came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. She went down to the well and drew water; and I said to her, Please [Now] give me a drink,

⁴⁶ And she made haste and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also’; so I drank, and she made the camels drink also.

— the Targum Onkelos says

She quickly lowered her pitcher and said, Drink, and I will also give your camels to drink. I drank and she also gave the camels to drink.

⁴⁷ And I asked her and said, ‘Whose daughter art thou?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore unto him’; and I put the earring upon her face and the bracelets upon her hands. — and she said, the daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bare unto him;

— the Targum Onkelos says

I asked her and said, Whose daughter are you? She replied, The daughter of Besueil, son of Nachor, whom Milkah bore unto him. I [then] placed a nose ring on her face and bracelets upon her hands.

⁴⁸ And I bowed down my head and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter for his son. — and Eliezer, the servant, bowed down his head and worshipped the Lord;

— the Targum Onkelos says

I bowed and prostrated myself to [before] Adonoy, and I blessed Adonoy, God of my master Avraham, Who led me on the true path [in order] to take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son.

⁴⁹ And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.” — and if not, tell me: if you do not choose to gratify my master, and are not hearty in this matter, let me know;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Now if you want to do what is kind [good] and true to my master, tell me. If not, tell me, and I will turn to the right or to the left.

⁵⁰ Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing proceedeth from the Lord; we cannot speak unto thee bad or good. — Rebekah’s father, Bethuel, is placed after the brother; is now finally in the scene; and his consent was finally given;

— but Josephus testifies differently:

Nor did she disdain to satisfy his inquiries, but told him her family. “They,” says she, “call me Rebeka; my father was Bethuel, but he is dead; and Laban is my brother; and, together with my mother, takes care of all our family affairs, and is the guardian of my virginity.” (Antiquities. l. 1. c. 16. sect. 2)

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lavan and Besueil answered and said, This is from [before] Adonoy, we cannot say anything to you, bad or good.

⁵¹ Behold, Rebekah is before thee; take her and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the Lord hath spoken.” — Bethuel, the father, had confirmed giving his consent;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Here, Rivkah is before you, take her and go. Let her be a wife to your master’s son, as Adonoy has spoken.

⁵² And it came to pass, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, that he worshiped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth. — and Eliezer, the servant, worshiped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth;

— the Targum Onkelos says

When Avraham’s servant heard their words, he prostrated himself to the ground to [before] Adonoy.

⁵³ And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah; he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things. — and Eliezer brought forth more jewels of silver, and gold;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The servant took out articles of silver, articles of gold and garments, and gave them to Rivkah. To her brother and mother, he gave precious fruits.

⁵⁴ And they ate and drank, he and the men who were with him, and tarried all night; and they arose up in the morning, and he said, “Send me away unto my master.” — and they did eat and drink, he, Eliezer and the men that were with him, every thing being settled with respect to the affair he came about,

— the Targum Onkelos says

They [then] ate and drank, he and the men that were with him, and they stayed over night. They got up in the morning and he said, Send me off to my master.

⁵⁵ And her brother and her mother said, “Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten. After that she shall go.” — no reason was given why they ask for a delay of ten days; or more, but;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Her brother and mother said, Let the girl abide with us a year or ten months, then she can go.

— the Targum of Jonathan reveals the father died feasting, asking for delays:

But as they were talking in the evening, Bethuel had eaten of that prepared food; and in the morning they found that he was dead.

And the brother and mother said therefore, Let the damsel dwell with us the days of one year or ten months, and then she shall go.

⁵⁶ And he said unto them, “Hinder me not, seeing the Lord hath prospered my way. Send me away, that I may go to my master.” — but Eliezer, the servant, resisted any more delays; knowing his master could be too anxious for any delay; and might end like Bethuel;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said to them, Do not detain me, for Adonoy has made my journey successful. Send me off, so that I can go to my master.

⁵⁷ And they said, “We will call the damsel, and inquire from her mouth.” — still urging his suit for permission to depart, they proposed the matter so important for all concern; so they decided to hear that from the horses’s mouth;

— the Targum Onkelos says

They said, Let us call the girl and ask her [and hear what she says].

⁵⁸ And they called Rebekah and said unto her, “Wilt thou go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.” — her agreeing to go with the man directly, having no manner of objection on her mind, perhaps was under a divine impulse;

— the Targum Onkelos says

They called Rivkah and said to her, Will you go with this man? She said, I will go.

⁵⁹ And they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant and his men. — Rebekah and her nurse, named as Deborah as appears in Genesis 35:8;

— the Targum Onkelos says

They sent off Rivkah their sister, along with her nurse, and with Avraham’s servant and his men.

⁶⁰ And they blessed Rebekah and said unto her, “Thou art our sister; be thou the mother of thousands of millions; and let thy seed possess the gate of those who hate them.” — “thousands of millions” are billions;

— they, her mother, father, and brother blessed Rebekah; the meaning of this verse is, that they prayed God to make her very fruitful, and to render her posterity, the Edomites and Israelites, both victorious over their enemies;

— and let thy seed possess the gate of those who hate them; exercise dominion and authority over their enemies: the Suez and Parama canals;

— the Targum Onkelos says

They blessed Rivkah and said to her, Our sister, may you become thousands of [and] myriads, and may your descendants inherit the gate [cities] of his foes.

⁶¹ And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels and followed the man; and the servant took Rebekah and went his way. — and Rebekah arose, and her maids that were given her by her parents to wait upon her, as was usual in those days and times;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Rivkah and her maidens set off. They rode on the camels and followed the man. The servant took Rivkah and left.

⁶² And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country. — for he dwelt in the south country: at Beersheba, to which Abraham, it seems, was returned again; for that they dwelt together;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yitzchok had just come from the well [called] Lachai Ro’i [the well at which a living angel appeared], for he lived in the land of the Negev [south].

⁶³ And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide; and he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, the camels were coming.

— to meditate; this is a characteristic of Isaac’s retiring, contemplative mood. Abraham was the active, authoritative father; Isaac was the passive, submissive son;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yitzchok went out to meditate [pray] in the field towards evening. He raised his eyes and suddenly saw camels approaching.

⁶⁴ And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she alighted from the camel. — she concludes at once that this must be he, and, alighting, asks if it be;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Rivkah raised her eyes and saw Yitzchok. She let herself down from [She inclined herself while upon] the camel.

⁶⁵ For she had said unto the servant, “What man is this who walketh in the field to meet us?” And the servant had said, “It is my master”; therefore she took a veil and covered herself. — on being informed by the servant that this is his young master, she puts on the veil, which covers the head;

— the Targum Onkelos says

She said to the servant, Who is that man walking through the field towards us? The servant said, He is my master. She then took the veil and covered herself.

⁶⁶ And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. — no reference was made of Abraham; where was he and what happened to him? Living elsewhere?

— the Targum Onkelos says

The servant told Yitzchok all the things he had done.

⁶⁷ And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. And Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

— Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, partly to give her possession of it, and partly to consummate the marriage. Women then had their tents apart from men

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yitzchok brought her into the tent of his mother, Sarah. [Yitzchok brought her into the tent, and behold, her deeds were good like the deeds of Sarah his mother.] He married Rivkah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. Yitzchok was then consoled for the loss of his mother.

~~~

And flashing forward for prophetic significance of Isaac and Rebekah’s twin sons:

“And upon thy sword shalt thou depend, entering at every place: yet thou shalt be supple and credulous, and be in subjection to thy brother [Jacob]; but it will be that when his sons [the children of Israel] become evil, and fall from keeping the commandments of the law, thou shalt break his yoke of servitude from off thy neck….and then will I kill Jakob my brother,” Genesis 27:40-41 Jonathan

or for a more modern unabridge version:

“And by your sword shall you live, you will go to every place, and wander, and you will be subject to your brother. But if his descendants abandon the commandments of the Torah, then you will break his yoke from your neck.”

“And Esau harbored hatred in his heart against Jacob his brother because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, ‘I will not do as Cain did, who killed Abel during their father’s lifetime and then their father had another son, Seth. Rather, I will wait until the days of mourning for my father have passed, and then I will kill Jacob my brother, and I will be the sole heir.'” Genesis 27:40-41 Jonathan (unabridge)

Posted in Books of Moses

The Targum, which originated in the Aramaic language, is strongly linked to the work of Ezra, holds significance for shedding light on biblical concepts. When the Masoretic Text can be vague, uncertain, or unclear, the Targum often offers clearer meaning, broader insight, and deeper understanding.

Yes, sometimes the Targum clarifies metaphors and interprets idioms or difficult passages instead of translating them literally, which often makes no sense. Such an endeavor should be highly commended rather than criticized.

For example, the Targum interprets natural imagery—like cedars, cypresses, oaks, forests, and fire—as metaphors for political political and social structures, especially kings, rulers, governors, and wealthy elites. Such imagery can be sweeping: forests laid waste, lions roaring as their habitat is destroyed, and power structures crumbling. Fire symbolizes divine punishment, sweeping through defenses and dismantling the very foundations of their power.

Translating such natural imagery literally could convey limited information or even distort it, but Ezra was determined to share their true meaning. He was a righteous man, for God had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, to follow it, and to teach the statutes and judgments in Israel, Ezra 7:10.

“The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart; and thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness” Deuteronomy 28:28-29

“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and until He has performed the intent of His thought; in the latter days ye shall understand it perfectly” Jeremiah 23:2

Genesis 21

~~~~

¹ And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as He had spoken. — and the Lord visited Sarah as he had said; to Abraham, Genesis 17:16; in a way of graciousness and kindness, by fulfilling his promise, giving strength to conceive and bear a child, and it is a son;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Adonoy remembered Sarah as He had said, and Adonoy did for Sarah as He had spoken.

² For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. — and bare Abraham a son in his old age; which circumstance is remarkable, that the favour might appear the greater, and the more wonderful;

— at the set time of which God had spoken to him, Genesis 17:21; God was not only faithful in fulfilling his promise, but in keeping the exact time of it;

— the Targum Onkelos says

She conceived and Sarah gave birth to Avraham’s son in his old age, at the designated time that Elohim had declared.

³ And Abraham called the name of his son who was born unto him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. — Isaac; this name not only recorded the fact of the laughter of the father (Genesis 17:17) and of the mother (Genesis 18:12),

— but was a standing memorial that Isaac’s birth was contrary to nature, and one of which the promise was provocative of ridicule in the sight even of his parents; who was born according to the promise, at the set time of which God had spoken;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham named his son that was born to him, to which Sarah had borne to him, Yitzchok.

⁴ And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac, being eight days old, as God had commanded him. — he circumcised his son; the covenant being established with him, the seal of the covenant, according to God’s command, was administered to him;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham circumcised his son, Yitzchok, when he was eight days old, as Elohim had commanded him.

⁵ And Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born unto him. — and Abraham was an hundred years old when son Isaac was born unto him; so that this was years after his departure from Haran, and coming into the land of Canaan, for then he was seventy five years of age;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham was one hundred years old when his son Yitzchok was born to him.

⁶ And Sarah said, “God hath made me laugh, so that all who hear will laugh with me.” — Sarah said, God has made me to laugh; not through diffidence and irreverence, as my own distrustful heart before made me to laugh; but through excess of holy joy. He hath given me both cause and a heart to rejoice;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Sarah said, Elohim has given me laughter [gladness]. All who hear will laugh [rejoice] with me.

⁷ And she said, “Who would have said unto Abraham that Sarah should have given children suck? For I have borne him a son in his old age.” — Sarah will nurse but one child, the plural number children for the singular, whereby the word sons or daughters is used when there was but one;

— for she shall bring forth a son in her old age! that she who was ninety years of age should bear a child, and suckle it, as she did; and in doing she set an example to her daughters to do likewise, since neither age nor grandeur, were any objection to this duty of nature;

— the Targum Onkelos says

She said, Who said to Avraham [Who is faithful that he said to Avraham and fulfills His promise], that Sarah would nurse children? For I have given birth to a son in his old age.

⁸ And the child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned. — the child grew, and was weaned; according to tradition, Isaac was two years old when weaned;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The child grew and was weaned. Avraham made a great feast on the day Yitzchok was weaned.

⁹ And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne unto Abraham, mocking. — mocking; the verb used here is the same as that rendered to laugh in Genesis 21:6, but in an intensive conjugation;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Sarah saw that the son of Hagar, the Egyptian, that she had born to Avraham, was mocking.

— the Targum of Jonathan reveals that Ismael was beginning strange idolatory worship

“And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking [with] foreign worship (idolatry) and bowing down to the Lord.”

— according to tradition, Ishmael had begun to build altars and perform pagan rituals he had learned from his mother’s Egyptian heritage. In Sarah’s eyes, this wasn’t just “kids being kids”—it was a spiritual idoltary, yet on Abraham’s order, he would bow to the Lord;

¹⁰ Therefore she said unto Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.” — for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son,

— even with Isaac; which he would seem to be, if continued, and would think himself so, and there would be continual bickerings about it;

— the Targum Onkelos says

She said to Avraham, Drive out this slave-woman and her son, for the son of this slave-woman will not inherit with my son, with Yitzchok.

— the Targum of Jonathan emphasizes the prospect of wars between them, saying

“And she said to Abraham: ‘Cast out this handmaid and her son; for it is not right (proper) that the son of this handmaid should inherit with my son, lest he wage war with Isaac.‘”

¹¹ And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son. — the issue was very grievous in Abraham’s sight, the matter was evil exceedingly in Abraham’s eyes;

— the Targum Onkelos says

This thing was very wrong in the eyes of Avraham, on account of his son.

— the Targum of Jonathan reveals why Sarah was mocking Ismael, saying

“And the matter was very evil in the eyes of Abraham on account of Ishmael his son, because he [Ishmael] might worship foreign worship (idolatry).“

¹² And God said unto Abraham, “Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman. In all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

— let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of the bondwoman: that is, let not the motion displease thee, which Sarah has made, to turn out the bondwoman and her son;

— do not look upon the new situation as an ill thing, or as an hard thing; it is but what is right and proper to be done, and leave the bondwoman and her son to me; I will take care of them, be under no concern for them and their welfare;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Elohim said to Avraham, Do not consider this wrong in your eyes on account of the boy and your slave-woman. Regarding all that Sarah tells you, listen to her voice [accept from her], for [only] through Yitzchok will seed be considered yours.

¹³ And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.” — the son of the bondwoman; the handmaid; Hagar is never acknowledged as Abraham’s wife, though her child, as Abraham’s son, receives a noble promise for the father’s sake;

— the Targum Onkelos says

[But] also the son of the slave-woman I will make into a nation, for he is [of] your seed.

¹⁴ And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread and a bottle of water; and he gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham got up early in the morning. He took bread and a skin [pouch] of water, and gave it to Hagar. He placed it on her shoulder with the lad, and sent her away. She went and lost her way in the desert of Beer Sheva;

— and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder; that is, the bread and the water, which might be put in one parcel or bundle, or in a basket, and so laid and carried on her shoulder:

— the Targum of Jonathan adds, “and bound it to her loins, to show that she was an handmaid and dismissed her with a letter of divorce:”

¹⁵ And the water in the bottle was spent, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. — and the water was spent in the bottle; it was all drank up by them, having wandered about some time in a wilderness, where they could not replenish their bottle;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The water in the skin was used up, and she threw the lad under one of the bushes.

— at the edge of the desert, Ishmael was seized with a burning thirst, and drank of the water till all the water was consumed, and he was dried up and withered in his flesh; and Hagar carried him, and was exhausted, and she cried unto the Fear of his father, and He answered her not; and she laid the youth down at once under one of the trees.

¹⁶ And she went and sat down apart from him a good way off, as it were, a bowshot; for she said, “Let me not see the death of the child.” And she sat opposite him, and lifted up her voice and wept.

— Hagar, in distress said, Let me not see the death of the child; she could not bear to hear his dying groans, and see him in his dying agonies;

— the Targum Onkelos says

She went and sat facing him, about [the distance] of bow-shots away. She said, Let me not see the lad die. She sat facing him and wept in a loud voice.

— the Targum of Jonathan says

And she went and sat on one side, and cast away the idol (or the strange worship), and removed from her son, as the distance of an arrow from the bow; for she said, I am not able to see the death of the child. And she sat over against her son, and lifted up her voice and wept.

¹⁷ And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven and said unto her, “What aileth thee, Hagar? Fear not, for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. — God had heard the voice of the lad: Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thy hand;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Elohim heard the voice of the lad [was heard before Elohim]. An angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, What is the matter, Hagar? Do not fear. Elohim has heard the voice of the lad [has been heard before Elohim] in the place where he is.

¹⁸ Arise; lift up the lad and hold him in thine hand, for I will make him a great nation.” — Hagar is assured that he would recover and live, and become a man and the father of children, who in time would become a great nation;

— the Targum Onkelos confirms Ismael was also to become a great nation, saying

Get up and lift up the lad. Keep your hand strong on him, for I will make him a great nation.

¹⁹ And God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. — God opened her eyes: directed her to a fountain close beside her, blinded earlier, to the waters of which her almost expiring son was revived;

— the Targum Onkelos says

“And the Lord opened her eyes, and a well of water was revealed to her; and she went and filled the skin-bottle with water and gave the boy a drink.”

²⁰ And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. — God was with the lad; He grew an archer, or multiplied into a tribe of archers;

— the Targum Onkelos says he became a skillful with bow and arrows

Elohim was with the lad [The Word of Elohim supported the lad] and he grew up. He settled in the wilderness, [where] he became an expert archer.

²¹ And he dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran, and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt. — a wife out of the land of Egypt; in Paran; that is, Arabia, where his posterity has ever dwelt;

— so the Arabians that live in the deserts and round about them, called Nabathees, from Nabaioth, another son of Ishmael; however natural this might be on Hagar’s part, it would nevertheless strengthen the heathen element in Ishmael and his descendants:

— Abraham’s posterity could be broken into four major groups: (1) Ismael: Arabs: Islam; (2) Esau: Catholics; (3) 10 Northern Tribes: Protestants; (4) Southern Tribes: Judaism

— the Targum Onkelos says

He lived in the desert of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

²² And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol, the chief captain of his host, spoke unto Abraham, saying, “God is with thee in all that thou doest.

— that Abimelech and Phichol spoke unto Abraham; Abimelech was king of Gerar, the same that is spoken of in the preceding chapter, and Phichol was the general of his army; these two great personages came together and paid Abraham a visit;

— the Targum Onkelos says

It was at this time, Avimelech and Pichol, his general spoke to Avraham, saying, Elohim is with you in all that you do [the Word of Elohim is your support in all that you do].

²³ Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son’s son; but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.”

— Abimelek, accompanied by Phikol, his commander-in-chief, proposes to form a league with Abraham; that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son’s son;

— perhaps they had heard that God had promised to give the whole land of Canaan to him and his posterity, and among the rest his kingdom, which was a part of it;

— and, seeing him grow great and powerful, he could not tell how soon it might be that he would take possession, whether in his time, or his son’s, or grandson’s; and therefore desires Abraham would swear to do no hurt to them whenever it should be;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Now, swear to me here, by [the Word of] Elohim, that you will not deal falsely with me, with my son, or my grandson. The kindness [goodness] that I have done to you, do to me and to the land in which you lived for a while.

²⁴ And Abraham said, “I will swear.” — and Abraham said, I will swear; grateful of the many favours he had received from Abimelech in times past, he very readily agreed to his proposal;

— that it would be over four hundred years before his posterity should be put into the possession of the land of Canaan; and therefore could take an oath that neither he, nor his son, nor his grandson, should be injured or dispossessed;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham said, I will swear.

²⁵ And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech’s servants had violently taken away. — which Abimelech’s servants had violently taken away: that is, had by force taken the use of it to themselves for their cattle, and had deprived Abraham of it;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham then reprimanded Avimelech regarding the well of water that Avimelech’s servants had taken by force.

²⁶ And Abimelech said, “I know not who hath done this thing; neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it until today.”

— neither yet heard of it but today: he had not heard of it from others, as the Targum of Jonathan rightly adds, by way of explanation, but that very day, and not till the moment he had it from Abraham himself;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avimelech said, I do not know who did this thing. You also never told me, and I also heard nothing of it until today.

²⁷ And Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them unto Abimelech, and both of them made a covenant. — and Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; in gratitude for former favours he had received from him, in token of the friendship that subsisted between them;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Avimelech. The two of them made a covenant.

²⁸ And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. — in the seven ewe-lambs which Abraham tenders, and Abimelek, in token of consent, accepts at his hand;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham set seven ewes apart by themselves.

²⁹ And Abimelech said unto Abraham, “What mean these seven ewe lambs, which thou hast set by themselves?” — what mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves? he understood what the sheep and oxen were for, that they were presents to him,

— at least some of them, and the rest were for the solemnizing and ratifying the covenant between them; but what these were for he could not devise;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avimelech said to Avraham. What is the reason for these seven ewes that you have set apart?

³⁰ And he said, “These seven ewe lambs shalt thou take from my hand, that they may be a witness unto me that I have dug this well.” — and he said; that is, Abraham replied to Abimelech:

— that they may be a witness to me that I have digged this well: these were to be a testimony that the well that had been taken away from Abraham was one that he had dug, and was his property, and which Abimelech acknowledged by his acceptance of these seven lambs; and his title to the well, which these were a witness of;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He [Avraham] said, Take these seven ewes from my hand so that it will be proof for me, that I dug this well.

³¹ Therefore he called that place Beersheba [that is, The well of the oath], because there they swore, both of them.

— the Targum of Jonathan says, “and therefore he called the well the well of seven lambs;” “Beer” signifying a well, and “sheba” seven; being expressed, because there they sware both of them; by the living God, to keep the covenant inviolably they had made between them;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Therefore he called that place Beer Sheva, since the two had made an oath there.

³² Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.

— and they returned into the land of the Philistines; from Beersheba, which was in the extreme border of it, unto Gerar, which was the capital city;

— the Targum Onkelos says

They made a covenant in Beer Sheva. Avimelech, and Pichol, his general, then rose and returned to the land of the Philistines.

³³ And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. — what sort of trees this grove consisted of cannot with certainty be said, nut probably the oak;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham planted an eishel [tree] in Beer Sheva, and there he proclaimed [and there he prayed in] the Name Adonoy, Almighty of the universe.

³⁴ And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines’ land many days. — many days; even many years, days being often times put for years;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham lived in the land of the Philistines for many days.

Genesis 22

¹ And it came to pass after these things, that God tested Abraham and said unto him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Behold, here I am.” — and he said, behold, here I am; signifying that he heard his voice, and was ready to obey his commands, be whatever they would be;

— the Targum Onkelos says

After these events, Elohim tested Avraham and said to him, Avraham! and he [Avraham] said, Here I am.

— and the Targum of Jerusalem says this was Abraham’s tenth trial “these things that the Lord tried Abraham with the tenth trial”

— the Maimonides lists the ten trials as follows:

1. G‑d tells him to leave his homeland to be a stranger in the land of Canaan
2. Immediately after his arrival in the Promised Land, he encounters a famine
3. The Egyptians seize his beloved wife, Sarah, and bring her to Pharaoh
4. Abraham faces incredible odds in the battle of the four and five kings
5. He marries Hagar after not being able to have children with Sarah
6. G‑d tells him to circumcise himself at an advanced age
7. The king of Gerar captures Sarah, intending to take her for himself
8. G‑d tells him to send Hagar away after having a child with her
9. His son, Ishmael, becomes estranged
10. G‑d tells him to sacrifice his dear son Isaac upon an altar

— the Targum of Jonathan says Isaac was 36 years of age, same as Chabad’s reckoning, but Josephus (Antiqu. l. 1. c. 13. sect. 2) says he was 25 years of age;

— besides, the Targum of Jonathan adds much details of the rivary between Isaac and Ishmael, which would be prophetic on the claimacy of being the firstborn:

“And it was after these things, after Isaac and Ishmael had contended; Ishmael said: ‘It is right for me to inherit the father, for I am his firstborn son.’

And Isaac said: ‘It is right for me to inherit the father, for I am the son of Sarah his wife, while you are the son of Hagar, my mother’s handmaid.’

Ishmael answered and said: ‘I am more righteous than you, for I was circumcised at thirteen years old; and if it had been my will to refuse, I would not have given my soul to be circumcised. But you were circumcised as a son of eight days; if you had possessed knowledge, perhaps you would not have given your soul to be circumcised!’

Isaac answered and said: ‘Behold, today I am thirty-six years old; and if the Holy One, blessed be He, required all my members, I would not refuse!’

Immediately these words were heard before the Lord of the world, and immediately the Memra (Word) of the Lord tested Abraham…”

² And He said, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.”

— thine only son Isaac; the words in the original are emphatic: “Take, I pray, thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, even Isaac;”

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said, Please [Now] take your son, your only one, who you love—Yitzchok—and go to the land of Moriah [worship]. Sacrifice him [before me] as a burnt-offering on one of the mountains which I will designate to you.

³ And Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he cleaved the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up and went unto the place of which God had told him.

— and saddled his ass; for his journey, not to carry the wood and provision on, which probably were carried by his servants, but to ride on;

— and Isaac his son: who was the principal person to be taken, since he was to be the sacrifice: whether Abraham acquainted Sarah with the affairs and she consented to it, cannot be said with certainty;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham awoke early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took his two assistants with him, and also his son, Yitzchok. He split the wood of the burnt-offering, rose, and went to the place that Elohim had designated to him.

— the Targum of Jonathan identifies who the two men were

And Abraham rose up in the morning and saddled his ass, and took two young men with him, Eliezer and Ishmael, and Izhak his son, and cut the small wood and the figs and the palm, which are provided for the whole burnt offering, and arose and went to the land of which the Lord had told him.

⁴ Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. — afar off; the summit called the Mountain of the House, usually identified with Mount Moriah;

— the Targum Onkelos says

On the third day, Avraham raised his eyes and saw the place from afar.

⁵ And Abraham said unto his young men, “Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.”

— I and the lad will come again to you; for he knew that God both could and would for his promise sake, either preserve Isaac from being sacrificed, or afterward raise him from the dead;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham said to his assistants, Remain here with the donkey and I and the lad will go to that place. We will prostrate ourselves [in worship] and return to you.

⁶ And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand and a knife, and they went both of them together.

— and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; a vessel in one hand, in which fire was to kindle the wood, and a knife in the other hand to slay the sacrifice;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham took the wood of the burnt-offering and placed it on his son Yitzchok. In his hand he took the fire and the knife, and they both went together.

⁷ And Isaac spoke unto Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here am I, my son.” And he said, “Behold the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”

— “Here am I, my son?” is a little formal as a rendering. It is equivalent to a father’s reply: “Well, boy, what is it?”

— and he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering; a great hint that the sacrificial system did not originate with Moses; and will be there again during the Millennium: Ezekiel 40-48

— the Targum Onkelos says

Yitzchok spoke to Avraham, his father, and said, Father, and he [Avraham] said, Here I am, my son. He said, Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt-offering?

⁸ And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering.” So they went both of them together.

— God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering; in which answer Abraham may have reference to the Messiah, the Lamb of God, John 1:29, whom he had provided in covenant before the world was; and who in promise, and type, was slain from the foundation of the world, Revelation 13:8

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham said, Elohim will show the lamb [the lamb is revealed before Elohim] for a burnt-offering, my son. And the two of them went together.

⁹ And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar upon the wood. — to the place which God had told him of; that is, Mount Moriah; this is the place where, later, David and Solomon built an altar in the threshing floor;

— the Targum Onkelos says

They came to the place that Elohim had designated to him. Avraham built the altar there, and arranged the wood. He bound his son Yitzchok, and placed him on the altar, on top of the wood.

— the Targum of Jonathan says

And they came to the place of which the Lord had told him. And Abraham builded there the altar which Adam had built, which had been destroyed by the waters of the deluge, which Noah has again builded, and which had been destroyed in the age of divisions; and he set the wood in order upon it, and bound Izhak his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

¹⁰ And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. — stretched forth his hand; all things being ready for execution, the altar built, the wood laid on it, nothing remained but to cut the throat of Isaac;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham extended his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.

— the Targum of Jonathan adds further details:

And Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

And Izhak answered and said to his father, Bind me properly (aright), lest I tremble from the affliction of my soul, and be cast into the pit of destruction, and there be found profaneness in thy offering.

(Now) the eyes of Abraham looked on the eyes of Izhak; but the eyes of Izhak looked towards the angels on high, (and) Izhak beheld them, but Abraham saw them not.

And the angels answered on high, Come, behold how these solitary ones who are in the world kill the one the other; he who slayeth delays not; he who is to be slain reacheth forth his neck.

¹¹ And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.”

— and the Angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven; most likely not an ordinary angel, but the Son of God, for that this was a divine Person is clear from his swearing by himself, and renewing the promise unto Abraham;

— the Targum Onkelos says

An angel of Adonoy called to him from heaven and said, Avraham, Avraham! and he said, Here I am.

¹² And He said, “Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him; for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from Me.”

— and he said, lay not thine hand upon the lad; which he was just going to stretch out, with his knife in it, to slay him; and though the Lord had bid him take his son, and offer him for a burnt offering, to try his faith;

— the Lord will provide; probably alluding to what Abraham had said, God will provide himself a lamb. The Lord will always have his eye upon his people, in their straits and distresses, that he may give them seasonable help;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He [God] said, Do not touch the lad, nor do anything to [harm] him; for now I know that you are one who fears Elohim and have not withheld your son, your only one, from Me.

¹³ And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked; and behold, behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

— and looked, and, behold, a ram caught in a thicket by his horns; where Abraham was, behind him and he saw it;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham looked up [afterwards] and beheld a ram after it had been caught in the thicket by its horns. Avraham went and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt-offering instead of his son.

— the Targum of Jonathan adds details which Christians could readily infer the ram foreordained before “the foundation of the world” as the Son, who would also later be ordained as the Messiah:

And Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw, and, behold, a certain ram which had been created between the evenings of the foundation of the world, was held in the entanglement of a tree by his horns. And Abraham went and took him, and offered him an offering instead of his son. Genesis 22:13 Jonathan

¹⁴ And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh [that is, The Lord will provide]; as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.” — God will provide himself a lamb; this was purely the Lord’s doing: where reference was made to the promised Messiah;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham called the name of that place, Adonoy will see; as it is said [to] this day, On Adonoy’s mountain, He will be seen. [Avraham worshiped and prayed there in that place, and he said before Adonoy, “Here will generations worship.” Therefore, as it is said [to] this day, “On this mountain Avraham worshiped before Adonoy.”]

— the Targum of Jonathan says

And Abraham gave thanks and prayed there, in that place, and said, I pray through the mercies that are before Thee, O Lord, before whom it is manifest that it was not in the depth of my heart to turn away from doing Thy decree with joy, that when the children of Izhak my son shall offer in the hour of affliction, this may be a memorial for them; and Thou mayest hear them and deliver them, and that all generations to come may say, In this mountain Abraham bound Izhak his son, and there the Shekina of the Lord was revealed unto him.

¹⁵ And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time — the angel having restrained him from slaying his son, and having provided another sacrifice, calls him again;

— the Targum Onkelos says

An angel of Adonoy called to Avraham, a second time, from heaven.

¹⁶ and said, “By Myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, — by myself have I sworn; is a great oath, and abides for ever; for because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself, his own nature, perfections, and life;

— the Targum Onkelos says

And said, I have sworn by Myself [My Word], declares Adonoy, that because you performed this deed, and did not withhold your only son.

¹⁷ in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.

— and this seed is also promised the possession of the gate of its enemies, that is, the conquest of the enemy and the capture of his cities (cf Genesis 24:60: “and let thy seed possess the gate of those who hate them”)

— the Targum Onkelos says

I will greatly bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky and like the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will inherit the gate [cities] of their enemies.

¹⁸ And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed My voice.” — and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore;

— both his natural seed, descending from him in the line of Isaac, and his spiritual seed, all the nations of the earth be blessed, both among Jews and Gentiles;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Through [Because of] your children, will be blessed all the nations of the world, because you heeded My voice [Word].

¹⁹ So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba. — Beersheba being south of both Hebron and Jerusalem;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham returned to his assistants, and they rose and went together to Beer Sheva. Avraham dwelt in Beer Sheva.

— the Targum of Jonathan says

And the angels on high took Izhak and brought him into the school (medresha) of Shem the Great; and he was there three years. And in the same day Abraham returned to his young men; and they arose and went together to the Well of the Seven, and Abraham dwelt at Beira-desheva.

²⁰ And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, “Behold Milcah, she hath also borne children unto thy brother Nahor: — saying, behold Milcah, she hath also borne children unto thy brother Nahor;

— as Sarah, supposed to be the same with Iscah, a daughter of Haran, had borne a son to him; so Milcah, another daughter of Harsh, had borne children to his brother Nahor, whom he had left in Ur of the Chaldees,

— the Targum Onkelos says

After these words, it was told to Avraham, saying, Behold, Milkah has also born children to Nachor, your brother.

— the Targum of Jonathan says

“And it was after these things, after Abraham had bound Isaac, that the Satan went and told Sarah that Abraham had slaughtered Isaac. And Sarah arose and cried out, and she was strangled [by her grief], and she died from the anguish.

And Abraham came and lodged on the way. And it was told to Abraham, saying: ‘Behold, Milkah, she also has been relieved (granted child) by the merit of her sister, to bear sons to Nahor your brother.'”

²¹ Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram, — Huz his (Nahor) firstborn, and Buz his brother; the first of these gave name to the land of Uz, where Job dwelt, and some speculate could be a descendant or related to Job;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Utz, his first born, Buz his brother, and Kemueil, the father of Aram.

²² and Chesed and Hazo, and Pildash and Jidlaph and Bethuel.” — all the names of Nahor’s eight children; and Bethuel became the father of Rebekah and Laban,

— the Targum Onkelos says

[Also] Kesed, Chazo, Pildash, Yidlaf and Besueil.

²³ And Bethuel begot Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.

— the Targum Onkelos says

Besueil fathered Rivkah. These eight, Milkah bore to Nachor, the brother of Avraham.

²⁴ And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bore also Tebah and Gaham, and Thahash and Maachah.

— the Targum Onkelos says

His concubine was named Re’umah. She also gave birth to Tevach, Gacham, Tachash and Ma’achoh.

Posted in Books of Moses

“We must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God,” Acts 14:22

Genesis 19

¹ And there came two angels to Sodom at evening, and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. And Lot, seeing them, rose up to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;

— here came two angels; that is, two of the three that had just before been with Abraham, who were now sent to execute God’s purpose concerning Sodom;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The two angels came to Sedom in the evening, while Lot was sitting at the gate of Sedom. Lot saw them, and he got up to greet them, and he bowed with his face to the ground.

² and he said, “Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early and go on your ways.” And they said, “Nay, but we will remain in the street all night.”

— they said, Nay, but we will abide in the street all night; so they not only give Lot an opportunity of evincing the sincerity and cordiality of his invitation, it was their real intention to abide in the street, to manifest the great difference between Lot and the barbarous Sodomites;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said, Behold [Please] now my lords, please [now] turn in to your servant’s house. Stay over night, bathe your feet, and get up early and continue on your way. They said, No, we will spend the night in the street.

³ And he pressed upon them greatly, and they turned in unto him and entered into his house; and he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. — Lot’s invitation; at first declined, is at length accepted; and they entered his house;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He urged them greatly, and they turned in to him and came to his house. He made a feast for them, and baked matzos [for them], and they ate.

⁴ But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom — both young and old, all the people from every quarter —compassed the house around. — here were the old and young, all vile and from every quarter; for practices too shameful to be mentioned!

— the Targum Onkelos says

They had not yet lain down when the men of the city, the men of Sedom, surrounded the house—young and old alike—all the people from one end [of the city] to the other end.

⁵ And they called unto Lot and said unto him, “Where are the men who came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them.”

— bring them out that we may know them; not who they were, or from whence they came; nor did they pretend anything of this kind to hide and cover their design from Lot, but they were open and impudent, and declared their sin without shame and blushing;

— the Targum Onkelos says

They called to Lot and said to him, Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them.

— the Targum of Jonathan says

And they cried to Lot, and said to him, Where are the men who entered with thee tonight? Bring them out to us, and we will lie with them.

⁶ And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him — and Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lot went out to them in front of the entrance, shutting the door behind him.

⁷ and said, “I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. — Lot pleaded, do not so wickedly; as to use ill a man’s guests, to abuse strangers, to break the laws and rules of hospitality, and especially to commit that unnatural sin they were bent upon;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said, My brothers, please [now] do not act wickedly.

⁸ Behold now, I have two daughters who have not known a man. Let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes. Only unto these men do nothing, for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.”

— I have two daughters; this was unadvisedly and unjustifiably offered, probably through the great discomposure and perturbation which his mind was in;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Behold! I have two daughters who have never known a man, I will bring them out to you, and do with them as you please; only do nothing to these men, since after all, they came under the shelter of my roof.

⁹ And they said, “Stand back.” And they said again, “This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will become a judge! Now will we deal worse with thee than with them.” And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.

— and they said, stand back; turn on one side, get away from the door, that we may come to it;

— this one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge; this one man, and he a stranger and sojourner, not a citizen of this city, sets himself against the whole body of the inhabitants, and takes upon himself to be judge what is right and wrong;

— the Targum Onkelos says

They said, Step back out of the way! They said, This one came as an immigrant, and now he wants to be a judge. We will now deal worse with you than with them. They pushed hard against Lot, and came near to break the door.

¹⁰ But the men put forth their hands, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut the door. — but the men, who were the two angels who had met Abraham, put forth their hand; they came to the door, and opened it, and put out their hands, one on one side the door, and the other on the other;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The men put out their hands, and pulled Lot to them, into the house, and closed the door.

¹¹ And they smote the men who were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door. — again the men, who were the two angels, smote the others with blindness;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The men who were at the entrance of the house, they struck with blindness—young and old alike—so that they wearied themselves trying to find the entrance.

¹² And the men said unto Lot, “Hast thou here any besides? Soninlaw, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whomsoever thou hast in the city — bring them out of this place. — the men said; these were the angels who had met Abraham earlier;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The men said to Lot, Who else do you have here—a son-in-law, your sons, your daughters? Whoever you have in the city, bring them out of his place.

¹³ For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them has waxed great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it.” — again, the “we” are the two angels; who said “we will destroy this place”

— might be clearer from the Message Bible:

^10-11 But the two men reached out and pulled Lot inside the house, locking the door. Then they struck blind the men who were trying to break down the door, both leaders and followers, leaving them groping in the dark.

^12-13 The two men said to Lot, “Do you have any other family here? Sons, daughters—anybody in the city? Get them out of here, and now! We’re going to destroy this place. The outcries of victims here to God are deafening; we’ve been sent to blast this place into oblivion.” Genesis 19:10-12 MSG

— the Targum Onkelos says

We are going to destroy this place, for the wailing concerning them has become great in the presence of Adonoy; and Adonoy has sent us to destroy it.

¹⁴ And Lot went out and spoke unto his sons-in-law, who married his daughters, and said, “Up, get ye out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” But he seemed as one who mocked unto his sons-in-law.

— Lot spoke to his sons-in-law; it is a possibilty that these sons-in- law had married other daughters of Lot; and according to Jewish sources, Lot had two other daughters that perished in Sodom;

— but according to Josephus (Antiquities. l. 1. c. 11. sect. 4) were espoused to men in the city, but not yet married; and on account of such espousals, as were usual in the eastern countries, Lot calls them his sons-in-law;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law who had married his daughters. He said [to them], Get up! Get out of this place, for Adonoy is going to destroy the city! He appeared as a comedian in the eyes of his sons-in-law.

— the Targum of Jonathan says

“And Lot went out and spoke with his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, ‘Arise, go out from this place, for the Lord is destroying the city!’ But the word was like a wonder (absurdity), like a man who is mocking, in the eyes of his sons-in-law.”

¹⁵ And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, “Arise, take thy wife and thy two daughters who are here, lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.” — when the morning arose; Lot had thus the night for making his preparations, part of this he spent in his visits to his sons-in-law;

— the Targum Onkelos says

At the break of dawn, the angels urged Lot on, saying, Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here [who are found to be faithful to you], lest you be swept away in the iniquity of the city.

¹⁶ And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife and upon the hand of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful unto him; and they brought him forth and set him outside the city.

— while he lingered; he did not make so much haste as the case required, and this would have been fatal to him, if the angels had not laid hold on his hand, and brought him forth. Herein the Lord was merciful to him; and if God had not been merciful to them, their lingering had been their ruin;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He hesitated, and the men grabbed his hand and the hand of his wife and two daughters, for Adonoy had pity on him. They brought him out and placed him outside the city.

¹⁷ And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth outside, that he said, “Escape for thy life! Look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain. Escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed!” — look not behind thee; they must not loiter by the way; stay not in all the plain;

— for it would all be made into one dead sea; he must not take up short of the place of refuge appointed him; escape to the mountain; such are the commands given to those who are delivered out of a sinful state: first, return not to sin and second, rest not in the world, for that is staying in the plain;

— the Targum Onkelos says

When they were brought out [of the city], he [the angel] said, Escape [Have pity] for your life! Do not look back! Do not remain anywhere in the valley [plain]. Escape to the mountain, lest you be swept away.

¹⁸ And Lot said unto them, “Oh, not so, my lord. — oh, not so, my Lord; that is, let me not be obliged to go so far as to the mountain;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lot said to them, Please, not so my Master. [Please, now, my Master.]

¹⁹ Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shown unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die.

— lest some evil take me, and I die; or “that evil” the burning of Sodom, and the cities of the plain, lest that should overtake him before he got to the mountain;

— thus Lot had some distrust of the power of God to strengthen him to go thither, who had appeared so wonderfully for him in his present deliverance; and he might have assured himself, that he that brought him out of Sodom would never suffer him to perish in the destruction of it;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Behold your servant has found favor in Your eyes [before You]. Great is your kindness [goodness] that you have done with me, to keep me alive. I cannot escape to the mountain, lest the evil attach itself to me and I die.

²⁰ Behold now, this city is near enough to flee unto, and it is a little one. Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.” — the MSG version says:

But Lot protested, “No, masters, you can’t mean it! I know that you’ve taken a liking to me and have done me an immense favor in saving my life, but I can’t run for the mountains—who knows what terrible thing might happen to me in the mountains and leave me for dead.

Look over there—that town is close enough to get to. It’s a small town, hardly anything to it. Let me escape there and save my life—it’s a mere wide place in the road.” Genesis 19:19-21 MSG

— the Targum Onkelos says

Behold, please, this city is near [enough] to flee there. It is insignificant. Let me escape there! It is insignificant, and my life will be saved.

²¹ And he said unto him, “See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city for which thou hast spoken. — the MSG version says:

“All right, Lot. If you insist. I’ll let you have your way. And I won’t stamp out the town you’ve spotted. But hurry up. Run for it! I can’t do anything until you get there.” That’s why the town was called Zoar, that is, Smalltown. Genesis 19:19-21 MSG

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said to him, See I have also given you consideration regarding this. I will not overturn the city that you mentioned [for which you have beseeched].

²² Hasten thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou hast come thither.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. — called Zoar in later times, probably first by Lot, from his use of the word “little” which was his request, which Zoar signifies; called Bela, see Genesis 14:2

— the Targum Onkelos says

Hurry, escape there, for I can do nothing until you get there. The city was therefore called Zoar.

²³ The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. — in haste; the ruin of Sodom was suspended till he was secure;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The sun had risen upon the earth, when Lot came to Zoar.

²⁴ Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire, from the Lord out of heaven; — the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire; the Lord (Yehovah יְהוָ֖ה);

— from the Lord (Yehovah יְהוָ֖ה) out of heaven; this destruction was brought upon them by Yehovah the Son of God, who had appeared to Abraham in an human form, and gave him notice of it, and heard all he had to plead for those cities, and then departed from him to Sodom,

— and the Son, who was the author of this catastrophe; this amazing shower of fire and brimstone was re-inforced and rained by him from Yehovah his Father, out of heaven; as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem both call him, the Word of the Lord;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Adonoy caused to rain upon Sedom and Amorah—sulfur and fire—from [before] Adonoy, from heaven.

²⁵ and He overthrew those cities, and all the plain and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. — and he overthrew those cities; of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim: very probably at the same time that this fiery tempest was from the heavens; and all the plain; the plain of Jordan, and the cities on it, all but Zoar;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He overturned these cities, and the entire plain, and all those who lived in the cities and all that grew upon the ground.

²⁶ But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. — but his wife looked back from behind him; herein she disobeyed an express command; according to the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem, she was a native of Sodom; hence menories of her kinmen and sons-in-law; and she became a pillar of salt;

— the Targum Onkelos says

His [Lot’s] wife looked behind him; and she became a pillar of salt.

— the Targum of Jonathan says

“And his wife looked from behind the angel to know what would be the end of her father’s house, for she was of the daughters of the Sodomites; and because she had sinned with salt by revealing [the presence of] the poor, behold, she was made a pillar of salt.”

— the Targum Jerusalem says

“Because Lot’s wife was from the children of the children of the people of Sodom, she looked back from behind her to see what would be the end of her father’s house; and behold, she stands as a pillar of salt until the time when the Resurrection comes, when the dead shall live.”

²⁷ And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the Lord; — stood before the Lord, and he looked toward Sodom; he has an extensive view spread out before him which would be the Dead Sea;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham got up early in morning [to return] to the place where he had stood before the Presence of Adonoy [to the place where he had served in prayer before Adonoy].

²⁸ and he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld. And lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.

— the violence of the fire is indicated by the last word, which is not the ordinary word for a furnace, but means a kiln, such as that used for burning chalk into lime, or for melting ores of metal;

— the smoke of a furnace; after the fiery shower was over, and the cities burnt down, the smoke ascended toward heaven, as the smoke of mystical Babylon will do, Revelation 19:3; like the reek of a boiling cauldron; or like the smoke of a lime kiln always burning;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He [Avraham] stared at Sedom and Amorah, and the whole land of the plain, and he saw the heavy smoke rising from the earth like the smoke of a furnace.

²⁹ And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when He overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt. — the prayer or promise made by Abraham, Genesis 18:23-32, who doubtless in his promise for Sodom would not forget Lot;

— the Targum Onkelos says

When Elohim destroyed the cities of the plain; Elohim remembered Avraham, and He sent Lot out of the upheaval when He overturned the cities in which Lot had lived.

³⁰ And Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt on the mountain, and his two daughters with him, for he feared to dwell in Zoar; and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. — for he feared to dwell in Zoar; probably he found it as wicked as Sodom; and therefore concluded it could not survive long;

— and dwelt in the mountain; which the Lord had directed him to go to before, but was unwilling, and chose Zoar, and his two daughters with him; and they dwelt in a cave;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lot went up from Zoar and lived in the mountain; and his two daughters went with him, for he was afraid to live in Zoar. He lived in a cave, he and his two daughters.

³¹ And the firstborn said unto the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth. — the whole earth; for they thought the same deluge of fire which destroyed the four cities, and all other places;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The older girl said to the younger, Our father is old, and there is no man [left] on earth who will come into us in the normal manner.

³² Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.” — and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the seed of our father; have children by him, and propagate and preserve the human species; this incestuous copulations, they might think lawful;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Come let us urge our father to drink wine, and sleep with him; that we may give life to seed [children] from our father.

³³ And they made their father drink wine that night, and the firstborn went in and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. — he perceived not; wherein there is nothing strange, it being usual with drunken men to do many things in that condition, which, when they come to themselves, they perfectly forget;

— the Targum Onkelos says

They urged wine upon their father that night; and the older girl went in and slept with her father. He was not aware that she lay down or got up.

~~~~

³⁴ And it came to pass on the morrow that the firstborn said unto the younger, “Behold, I lay yesternight with my father. Let us make him drink wine this night also, and go thou in and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.”

— the firstborn said to the younger, behold, I lay last night with my father; informed her, that what they had contrived succeeded according to her wish, and therefore, with her encouragement to go on, proposes to take the same method again;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The next day, the older girl said to the younger, Last night I slept with my father. Let us urge wine upon him tonight also, and you go in and sleep with him that we may give life to seed from our father.

³⁵ And they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. — and the younger arose, and lay with him following the bad example of her sister; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose;

— the Targum Onkelos says

That night also, they urged their father [to drink] wine. The younger went up and slept with him, and he was not aware that she lay down or got up.

³⁶ Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. — Lot’s daughters had so little feeling of shame in connection with their conduct, that they gave names to the sons they bore, which have immortalized their paternity;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Lot’s two daughters became pregnant from their father.

³⁷ And the firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. — his name Moab; the Moabites, who originally inhabited the country northeast of the Dead Sea, and afterward, they occupied the district east of the Salt Sea;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The older girl gave birth to a son and she named him Moav. He is the ancestor of the Moabite nation even to this day.

³⁸ And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Benammi; the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day. — the Ammonites dwelt to the northeast of Moab, where they had a capital called Rabbah; they both ultimately merged into the more general class of the Arabs;

— and according to Deuteronomy 2:9, Deuteronomy 2:19, later on, Israel was ordered not to touch the territory of either of these tribes because of their descent from Lot, Abraham’s nephew;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The younger girl also gave birth to a son, and she named him Ben-Ami. He is the ancestor of the people of Ammon even to this day.

Genesis 20

~~~~

¹ And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur and sojourned in Gerar. — and Abraham sojourned in Gerar; in the southern border of Canaan which were occupied by the Philistines. We are not told upon what occasion he removed;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham journeyed from there to the land of the Negev [south], and he lived between Kadeish [Rekem] and Shur [Chagar]. He lived for a while in Gerar.

² And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. — she is my sister;

— twenty years before, Abraham had acted in the same way in Egypt, and Pharaoh had rebuked him; she was now ninety years of age, yet her naturally beauty had not faded;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham said regarding Sarah, his wife, She is my sister. Avimelech, king of Gerar sent [messengers] and took Sarah.

³ But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Behold, thou art but a dead man, because of the woman whom thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife.”

— God came to Abimelech in a dream by night; put fear into his mind, by which he cautioned him against taking Sarah to be his wife; so careful was the Lord that no wrong should be done to such a godly and virtuous person, to which she was exposed through the weakness of her husband;

— and said unto him, behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; that is, God would punish him with death, unless he restored the woman, whom he had taken, to her husband; 

— the Targum Onkelos says

Elohim came to Avimelech [Word came from before Elohim to Avimelech] in a dream at night, and said to him, Behold, you shall die because of the woman you took, for she is a married woman [a man’s wife].

⁴ But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, wilt Thou slay also a righteous nation? — “Thou wilt die,” the point of death if he persisted; wilt thou also slay a righteous nation?

— he probably referred to the late destruction of Sodom and the cities of the plain, which, no doubt, must have caused great consternation; and or he knew that this had been usual for people to suffer for the crimes of their governors, or kings, if they sin;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avimelech had not come near to her. He said, My Master, will You also kill an innocent nation?

⁵ Said he not unto me, ‘She is my sister’? And she, even she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.” — in the integrity of my heart; not only does Abimelech assert this, but God himself (Genesis 20:6) admits the plea;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Did he not say to me, She is my sister? And she also said, He is my brother. With an innocent [upright] heart and clean [righteous] hands I did this.

⁶ And God said unto him in a dream, “Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart, for I also withheld thee from sinning against Me. Therefore I suffered thee not to touch her. — without any adulterous design in my heart, or outward actions tending to it, being wholly ignorant of what thou now informest him;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Elohim said to him [Word from Elohim was said to him] in a dream, I also know [it is also revealed before me] that you did this with an innocent [upright] heart. I also prevented you from sinning against [before] Me. That is why I did not give you the chance to touch her.

⁷ Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live. And if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou and all that are thine.” — for he is a prophet; of course Abraham is a true prophet of God;

— to whom he communicates his secrets; is able to foretell things to come, as well as to interpret the mind of God, that he might pray for him and save his life, and threatened him with certain death to himself and all belonging to him in case he should refuse;

— a prophet is God’s spokesman, who speaks with authority the things of God Exodus 7:1; Exodus 4:15. This implies two things: first, the things of God are known only to him, and therefore must be communicated by him; secondly, the prophet must be enabled of God to announce in correct terms the things made known to him;

— these things refer not only to the future, but in general to all such matters as fall within the purpose and procedure of God, like Moses and Aaron in Exodus 7:1. They may even include things otherwise known or knowable by man, so far as these are necessary to the exposition of the divine will. Now Abraham has heretofore received numerous communications from God; this, also constitutes him a prophet;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet. He will pray for you and you will live. If you do not return her, you should know that you will surely die—you and all that is yours.

⁸ Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were sore afraid.

— and the men were sore afraid; lest they should be struck with death; and perhaps they might call to mind the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah for their sins, they had lately heard of, and might fear that some such calamity would befall them;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avimelech got up early in the morning, and called all his servants. He spoke all these words in their ears [before them], and the men were very frightened.

⁹ Then Abimelech called Abraham and said unto him, “What hast thou done unto us? And how have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? Thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.”

— thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done; in saying Sarah was his sister, and persuading her to say the same;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avimelech called Avraham and said to him, What have you done to us? What wrong did I do to you that you brought on me and upon my kingdom such a great sin? Deeds that ought not to be done, you have done to me.

¹⁰ And Abimelech said unto Abraham, “What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?” — that thou hast done this thing? he desires to know what he had observed, either in him or his people, that gave him any reason to conclude that they were a lustful people, lest they should kill him for his wife’s sake;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avimelech [then] said to Avraham, What did you see that you did such a thing?

¹¹ And Abraham said, “Because I thought surely the fear of God is not in this place, and they will slay me for my wife’s sake. — surely the fear of God is not in this place; this is a certain truth, which he thought might be depended upon, and taken for granted, since it was everywhere;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham said, Because I said [thought] there is no fear of Elohim in this place, and they will kill me [in order] to take my wife.

¹² And yet indeed she is my sister: she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. — and yet indeed she is my sister; in the same sense as Lot was his brother; for she was sister to Lot, and both were the children of Haran, the brother of Abraham;

— the Targum Onkelos says

In any case, she is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.

¹³ And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, ‘This is thy kindness which thou shalt show unto me: at every place whither we shall come, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”

— at every place whither we shall come, say of me; or for the sake of me, in order to save me from the hands of wicked men, whom he feared would slay him for her sake: he is my brother; and so he hoped, instead of being ill used or killed, he should meet with favour and friendship on her account;

— the Targum Onkelos says

When Elohim caused me to wander from my father’s house [When the nations strayed after the works of their hands, Elohim brought me close to His worship from my father’s house], I said to her, this is the kindness [goodness] you shall do for me. At every place we come [go] to, say of me, He is my brother.

¹⁴ And Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and menservants and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored to him Sarah his wife. — the Philistine gives atoning presents on restoring Sarah, and grants her husband permission to dwell in his land wherever it pleased him; this also implies that he had done Abraham a wrong;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avimelech took sheep, cattle, male and female slaves, and he gave them to Avraham. He [also] returned his wife Sarah to him.

¹⁵ And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before thee. Dwell where it pleaseth thee.” — and Abimelech said, behold, my whole land is before thee; instead of bidding him be gone, and sending him away in haste out of his country, as the king of Egypt did;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avimelech said, Behold, my land is before you. Live wherever you see fit.

¹⁶ And unto Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver; behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes unto all who are with thee and with all other.” Thus she was reproved.

— behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee; a protection of her chastity: so an husband, in our language, is said to be a cover to his wife, or that she is under a cover;

— the Targum Onkelos says

To Sarah, he said, Behold I have given to your brother a thousand pieces [shekalim] of silver. It will be for you a [compensational] eye covering for all who are with you, that you may face every one. [It will be for you a garment of honor, in return for my having sent for you, and taken you, and seeing you and all that is with you. And regarding everything that you said, you were just.]

¹⁷ So Abraham prayed unto God. And God healed Abimelech, and his wife and his maidservants; and they bore children, — and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants: who by reason of some disease were rendered unfit for and incapable of cohabitation with their husbands, and they with them;

— and they bare children; cohabited and conceived, bare and brought forth children, all which are comprehended in this expression;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham prayed to [before] Elohim, and Elohim healed Avimelech, his wife, and his female slaves, and they gave birth [and they were relieved].

¹⁸ for the Lord had closed up fast all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. — for the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech; with large tumours probably, so that they could not cohabit with their husbands and conceive;

— the Targum Onkelos says

For Adonoy had restrained every womb in the house of Avimelech according to the word of Sarah, Avraham’s wife.

Posted in Books of Moses

The Targum, which originated in the Aramaic language, is strongly linked to the work of Ezra, holds significance for shedding light on biblical concepts. When the Masoretic Text can be vague, uncertain, or unclear, the Targum often offers clearer meaning, broader insight, and deeper understanding.

Yes, sometimes the Targum clarifies metaphors and interprets idioms or difficult passages instead of translating them literally, which often makes no sense. Such an endeavor should be highly commended rather than criticized.

For example, the Targum interprets natural imagery—like cedars, cypresses, oaks, forests, and fire—as metaphors for political political and social structures, especially kings, rulers, governors, and wealthy elites. Such imagery can be sweeping: forests laid waste, lions roaring as their habitat is destroyed, and power structures crumbling. Fire symbolizes divine punishment, sweeping through defenses and dismantling the very foundations of their power.

Translating such natural imagery literally could convey limited information or even distort it, but Ezra was determined to share their true meaning. He was a righteous man, for God had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, to follow it, and to teach the statutes and judgments in Israel Ezra 7:10.

“The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart; and thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness” Deuteronomy 28:28-29

“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and until He has performed the intent of His thought; in the latter days ye shall understand it perfectly” Jeremiah 23:20

Genesis 17

¹ And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram and said unto him, “I am the Almighty God. Walk before Me, and be thou perfect.

— Abram was ninety years old and nine; thirteen years, therefore, had passed by since the birth of Ishmael, who doubtless during this time had grown very dear to the childless old man;

— the Targum Onkelos says

When Avram was ninety-nine years old, Adonoy appeared [became revealed] to Avram and said to him: I am Almighty Shaddai, walk [worship] before Me and be perfect.

² And I will make My covenant between Me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.” — and will multiply thee exceedingly; as he had before promised at several times, and now renews it, lest be should think that Ishmael was the promised seed;

— the Targum Onkelos says

I will give My covenant between Me [My Word] and you, and I will multiply you[r descendants] exceedingly.

³ And Abram fell on his face; and God talked with him, saying, — and Abram fell on his face while God was talking to him;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avram fell on his face. Elohim spoke with him, saying:

⁴ “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. — and thou shalt be a father of many nations: as he was of many Arabian nations in the line of Ishmael;

— and of the Midianites, and others, in the line of his sons by Keturah; and of the Israelites in the line of Isaac, as well as of the Edomites in the line of Esau; and in a spiritual sense the father of all that believe, in all the nations of the world, circumcised or uncircumcised;

— the Targum Onkelos says

As for Me, here is My covenant with you; you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.

⁵ Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

— a multitude of nations and kings are to trace their descent from Abram; the twelve princes of Ishmael, of many Arab tribes; the twelve tribes of Israel; the dukes of Edom sprang from him; and Keturah’s descendants;

— the Targum Onkelos says

No longer shall your name be called Avram, but your name shall be Avraham, for the father of a multitude of nations I have appointed you.

⁶ And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. — and I will make nations of thee; as the nations of Israel and Judah;

— of the Midianites and Edomites, of the Arabs, and and kings shall come out of thee; as the twelve princes of Ishmael, the kings of Edom and Midian, of the Arabs, and of Israel and Judah;

— the Targum Onkelos says

I will make you exceedingly fruitful and I will make you into nations [assemblies]; and kings [who rule over nations] will descend from you.

⁷ And I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. — thy name shall be Abraham; it signified some new circumstance in the history, rank, or religion of the individual who bears it;

— the Targum Onkelos says

I will sustain My covenant between Me [My Word] and you, and between your descendants after you throughout their generations as an eternal covenant, to be a God to you, and to your descendants after you.

⁸ And I will give unto thee and to thy seed after thee the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” — all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; this respects only the natural seed of Abraham, and those in the line of Isaac and Jacob;

— the Targum Onkelos says

I will give to you, and to your descendants after you, the land of your temporary residence, all the land of Canaan as an eternal possession, and I will be a God to them.

⁹ And God said unto Abraham, “Thou shalt keep My covenant, therefore, thou and thy seed after thee in their generations. — thou, and thy seed after thee, in their generations; in successive ages;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Elohim said to Avraham: And as for you, you must preserve My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

¹⁰ This is My covenant which ye shall keep between Me and you and thy seed after thee: every manchild among you shall be circumcised. — circumcision to be a sign of entering into a covenant, and especially into one to which children were to be admitted;

— and even until the new age, where the uncircumcised wouldn’t be allowed into his Sanctuary, Ezekiel 44:7, 9; if such requirement applied to strangers what more of the Israelites, especially those serving in the inner court;

— the Targum Onkelos says

This is My covenant which you must preserve between Me [My Word] and you, and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.

¹¹ And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant between Me and you. — the covenant of circumcision;

— as the rainbow, might have been in existence before it was adopted as the token of a covenant; is here said to be the covenant which Abraham and his seed must keep, as a copy or counterpart; it is a sign and a seal;

— the covenant is about the land; wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, that God would give to Abram and his seed for an everlasting possession; and every manchild among Abram and his seed shall be sealed into a covenant by being circumcised;

— the Targum Onkelos specifically says it is a sign

You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin. This shall be the sign of the covenant between Me [My Word] and you.

— the Targum of Jonathan says the same

And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, as a sign of the covenant between My Word and you.

¹² And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every manchild in your generations, he that is born in the house or bought with money from any stranger who is not of thy seed. — any stranger who is not of thy seed, but want to live in the same land with the seed of Abram, shall be circumcised among you;

— the Targum Onkelos says

At the age of eight days every male among you must be circumcised, throughout your generations; he that is a house-born [slave] or one that was bought with money from any stranger who is not your descendant.

¹³ He that is born in thy house and he that is bought with thy money must be circumcised; and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. — the everlasting covenant is about the land that God was planning to bestow upon those who are part of the covenant; nothing about everlasting life that came later;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Your house-born slaves must be circumcised, and also those bought with your money. This shall be My covenant in your flesh as an eternal covenant.

¹⁴ And the uncircumcised manchild whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken My covenant.” — this sealed only the covenant of the land of Canaan to Isaac’s posterity;

— the Targum Onkelos says

An uncircumcised male, who will not circumcise his foreskin, that soul [man] shall be cut off from its people; he has broken [changed] My covenant.

¹⁵ And God said unto Abraham, “As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. — Sarai is now formally taken into the covenant, as she is to be the mother of the promised seed;

— the Targum Onkelos says

And Elohim said to Avraham [As for] Sarai your wife, do not call her by the name Sarai, for Sarah is her name.

¹⁶ And I will bless her and give thee a son also by her. Yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.” — a son of her: this is the first place where it was definitely promised that Abram’s heir should be Sarah’s own son;

— the Targum Onkelos says

I will bless her, and I will also give you a son through her. I will bless her, and she will be [a mother] of nations [assemblies], kings of peoples [who rule over nations] will descend from her.

¹⁷ Then Abraham fell upon his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear?”

— and laughed; not through distrust of the promise, as Sarah did (Genesis 18:12), for he staggered not at that through unbelief, but for joy at such good news;

— the Targum Onkelos says he laughed and “he rejoiced”

Avraham fell on his face and laughed [rejoiced]. He said in his heart: Can a hundred year old man have children? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old give birth?

¹⁸ And Abraham said unto God, “O that Ishmael might live before Thee!” — Abraham prays that Ishmael’s might be preserved, and that it might be spent in the fear, worship, and service of God; so the Targum of Jonathan says, “O that Ishmael might live and worship before thee,”

— the Targum Onkelos says

And Avraham said to [before] Elohim: May it be granted that Yishmael live before You.

¹⁹ And God said, “Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed, and thou shalt call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

— Thou shalt call his name Isaac; that is, he laughs; the name was to be a perpetual memorial that Isaac’s birth was naturally such an impossibility as to excite ridicule;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Elohim said: Indeed, your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Yitzchok. I will establish My covenant with him as an eternal covenant to his descendants after him.

²⁰ And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. Twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.

— the blessings of the covenant are reserved for Isaac, but common blessings were abundantly promised to Ishmael; or twelve sons of Ishmael, his son by Hagar; and, adds he, these going into Arabia;

— the Targum Onkelos says

And as for Yishmael, I have heard you [I have accepted your prayer]. I have blessed him, and I will make him fruitful, and will increase him exceedingly. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation.

²¹ But My covenant will I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.” — but my covenant will I establish with Isaac, implying the covenant wasn’t with Ishmael;

— the Targum Onkelos says

But I will establish My covenant with Yitzchok, who Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.

²² And He left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. — and God went up from Abraham; from the earth, where he had been with Abraham, and ascended above him up to heaven;

— the Targum Onkelos says

And when He finished speaking with him, [the Glory of] Elohim ascended from Avraham.

²³ And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him.

— and Abraham took Ishmael his son; to circumcise him; he took his son first, to set an example to his servants; which were three hundred and eighteen when he rescued Lot from the kings, Genesis 14:14; and perhaps they might have increased;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham took his son, Yishmael, and all those that were born in his household, and all that he had bought with his money, every male member of Avraham’s household, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that very day as Elohim had said to him.

²⁴ And Abraham was ninety years old and nine when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. — and Abraham was ninety years old and nine; when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

²⁵ And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. — Ishmael was thirteen years old; hence Arabs and Mohammedans defer circumcision until the thirteenth year;

— the Targum Onkelos says

And his son Yishmael was thirteen years old when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin.

²⁶ In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son. — in the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son; this is repeated, that it might be taken notice of that both were circumcised according to the command of God, and on the very day in which it was given;

— the Targum Onkelos says

On that very day Avraham and his son Yishmael were circumcised.

²⁷ And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money from the stranger, were circumcised with him. — born in the house, or bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him; by their will, and with their consent; not forced on them;

— the Targum Onkelos says

All the men of his household, those born in his household, and bought with money from a stranger, were circumcised with him.

Genesis 18

“Is anything too hard for the Lord?” asked the Lord

¹ And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day. — as Abraham was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day, reposing; then three “men” stood before him;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Adonoy appeared [became revealed] to him in the groves [plains] of Mamrei and he was sitting at the door of the tent in the heat of the day.

² And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and lo, three men stood by him. And when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground — three men; these three men were three spiritual, heavenly beings, now assuming human shapes, that they might be visible to Abraham,

— the Targum Onkelos says

He lifted his eyes and saw, and behold three men were standing over him. He saw [them], and ran from the door of the tent to greet them, and he bowed down to the earth.

— the Targum of Jonathan reveals that ministering angels are usually send with a single duty, says

“And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three angels in the likeness of men were standing before him, who were sent for the need of three specific things; for it is not the way of the ministering angels to be sent for more than one single matter.

One came to bring him the news that Sarah would bear a male son; one came to rescue Lot; and one came to overthrow Sodom and Gomorrah. And when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the door of the tent and bowed down to the ground.”

— the Targum Jerusalem says it more explicitly

“Three angels were sent to our father Abraham, and the three of them were sent for three [different] things; for it is not possible for one of the angels of the heights that more than one single matter should be sent by his hand.

The first angel was sent to announce to our father Abraham that Sarah would give birth to Isaac; the second angel was sent to rescue Lot from the midst of the overthrow; the third angel was sent to overthrow Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim.

Therefore, a word of prophecy from before the Lord was with Abraham the righteous, and the Memra (Word) of the Lord was revealed to him in the valley of vision while he was sitting at the door of the tent, warming himself from his circumcision in the heat of the day.”

³ and said, “My lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant. — my lord; Heb ‘donai, a term of simple respect, or denoting one having authority;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said, My Master, if I have found favor in Your eyes [before you], please [now] do not bypass your servant.

⁴ Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree; — and wash your feet; which was very refreshing to travellers in hot countries, who walked barefoot or in sandals; and this he proposes to be done by one of his servants;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Let a bit of water be brought [They will take a bit of water] and wash your feet. Rest yourselves under the tree.

⁵ and I will fetch a morsel of bread and comfort ye your hearts. After that ye shall pass on, for therefor are ye come to your servant.” And they said, “So do, as thou hast said.” — and they said, so do as thou hast said; they agreed to it, that water should be fetched to wash their feet, and food for them to eat;

— the Targum Onkelos says

I will get bread and you will sustain your heart. Afterwards you will continue on your way, since you have passed by your servant. They said, Fine, do as you have said.

⁶ And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, “Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.” — Sarah is tasked and occupied with the baking;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham hurried to Sarah’s tent and said, Hurry! [take] three measures of the finest flour; knead it and make cake-rolls.

⁷ And Abraham ran unto the herd and fetched a calf, tender and good, and gave it unto a young man, and he hastened to dress it.

— Abraham and his servant are responsible for the selection and killing of a calf, the cooking of the meat, and the procuring of butter and milk from the herd; a meal in which meat is provided is a rarity in a Bedouin’s life, and is the sign of the offering of hospitality;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham ran to the cattle, and took a tender, choice calf. He gave it to the lad. and hurried to prepare it.

⁸ And he took butter and milk and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they ate. — and they did eat; or seemed to eat, though as they assumed bodies so animated as to be capable of talking and walking, why not of eating and drinking? as the Targum of Jonathan implies;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He took butter, milk, and the calf he had prepared, and set it before them. He stood over them [served them] under the tree, and they ate.

⁹ And they said unto him, “Where is Sarah thy wife?” And he said, “Behold, in the tent.” — Where is Sarah thy wife? by naming her, they gave intimation to Abraham, that though they seemed strangers, yet they well knew him and his family;

— the Targum Onkelos says

They said to him, Where is Sarah, your wife? He said Here, in the tent.

¹⁰ And he said, “I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.” And Sarah heard it from the tent door, which was behind him.

— Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him; the women’s place is in the back of the tent, normally divided by a thin partition from the men’s;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said I will return to you next year [at this time when you will be alive], and Sarah, your wife will have a son. Sarah was listening at the door of the tent, that was behind him.

¹¹ Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age, and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. — and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women;

— her monthly visitors had left her, so that she was unfit for conception, and there could be no hope of it in a natural way;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham and Sarah were old, well on in years. Sarah no longer had the way of women.

¹² Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” — Sarah laughed; not from joy and admiration, but from distrust and contempt, as if it were incredible;

— Heb; in her heart, that is, she secretly derided it, though none but herself, as she thought, knew it;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Sarah laughed to herself saying, Now that I am worn out [old], shall I have the pleasure [of a son] [youthfulness], my master being [also] an old man.

¹³ And the Lord said unto Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I of a surety bear a child, who am old?’ — which am old? suggesting there was no reason for it, and signifying his displeasure and indignation;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Adonoy said to Avraham, Why did Sarah laugh saying, Can I really give birth when I am old?

¹⁴ Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” — at the time appointed will I return to thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son;

— such words are repeated not merely for the confirmation of Abraham’s faith, which staggered not, but to remove any of Sarah’s doubts;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Is anything too far removed [hidden] from [before] Adonoy? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time of life [when you will be alive], and Sarah will have a son.

¹⁵ Then Sarah denied, saying, “I laughed not,” for she was afraid. And He said, “Nay, but thou didst laugh.” — somewhat a lie, to say she did not laugh when she did; which she might be tempted to say in her confusion; for she was afraid;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Sarah denied it saying, I did not laugh, for she was afraid. He said, Not so, for [but] you did laugh.

¹⁶ And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom; and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. — and looked toward Sodom; set their faces and steered their course that way, by which it appeared they intended to go thither;

— the Targum Onkelos says

The men stood up from where they were, and they gazed upon Sedom. Avraham went with them to send them [escort them] [on their way].

— the Targum of Jonathan says that he that brought the news to Sarah “ascended to high heavens,” and the other two looked toward Sodom; but it seems most likely, that, when the two went on their way to Sodom, Abraham went with them for a distance;

— and upon Abraham’s return, the first may have descended from the first atmosphere, which is the first heaven (not the highest heaven), and continue his discourse with Abraham;

¹⁷ And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do, — and the Lord said; (וַֽיהֹוָ֖ה) Yehovah the Hebrew word we call Lord, shows that this angel was God himself: for this word Yehovah is God;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Adonoy said, Shall I conceal from Avraham what I am about to do?

¹⁸ seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him.

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham is indeed to become a great and mighty nation, and through him [and because of him] shall be blessed all the nations of the world.

— the Targum of Jonathan says: Abraham is to be a great and mighty people, and through him shall all the peoples of the earth be blessed.

¹⁹ For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him.”

— this judgment upon Sodom is to be explained to him, that he may train his household to avoid the sins of this doomed city;

— “to keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; and all this to the further intent that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what he hath spoken of him,” to do justice and judgment; to attend to all the laws, statutes, and judgments of God;

— the Targum Onkelos says

For I have given him special attention because he commands his children [For it is known to Me that he will command his children], and his household after him, and they will preserve the way of Adonoy [the ways that are good in the eyes of Adonoy], doing charity and justice, so that Adonoy will bring upon Avraham all that which He has spoken of him.

²⁰ And the Lord said, “Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous, — because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great; their sins were grievous; attended with very aggravated circumstances;

— the Targum Onkelos says

[Thus] Adonoy said, The wailing concerning Sedom and Amorah is so great, and their sin is so very grave.

²¹ I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which has come unto Me; and if not, I will know.” — their cry, which ascends to heaven, is an appeal for judgement or punishment;

— I will go down and see; these cities were to be made examples to all future ages of God’s severity; and therefore ample proof given that the judgment was neither rash nor excessive; but well considered by God himself, (Eze 18:23; Jer 18:7)

— the Targum Onkelos says

I will descend now and see [I will become revealed now and judge], if their wailing which has come to [before] Me is indicative of their conduct; destruction [shall come upon them] [I will destroy them]. If not I will know. [If they will repent, I will not punish them.]

²² And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham stood yet before the Lord. — but Abraham stood yet before the Lord; before the first person, whom Abraham now began to know more clearly;

— he stood before him with all reverence and humility, to hear what the Lord (Yehovah יְהוָֽה) had further to say to him, as well as to say something to him himself; he stood “yet” that is, he continued to stand after the departure of the two angels that were gone to Sodom. Onkelos and Jonathan paraphrase it, “he ministered in prayer before the Lord.”

— the Targum Onkelos says

The men turned from where they were, and went toward Sedom. Avraham was still standing [serving with prayer] before Adonoy.

²³ And Abraham drew near and said, “Wilt Thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? — Abraham prayed or pleaded earnestly that Sodom might be spared, if but a few righteous persons should be found in it;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham came forward and said, Will You [actually] destroy the righteous with the wicked [in anger]?

²⁴ Perhaps there be fifty righteous within the city; wilt Thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? — within the city, within the pentapolis, which consisted of five cities;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Suppose [Perhaps] there are fifty righteous people in the midst of the city, will You still destroy it [in anger], and not bear with the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people inside it?

— the Targum of Jonathan says,

“Perhaps there may be fifty righteous persons in the city who pray before thee, ten for every city, answerable to the five cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar:”

²⁵ That be far from Thee to do in this manner — to slay the righteous with the wicked; and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from Thee! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

— to slay the righteous with the wicked? which is true of temporal calamities but certainly not true of eternal punishment; shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? meaning the Lord, to whom he drew nigh, and was pleading with,

— even the Son of God in human form, who, as he made the world, was the Governor of it and Judge in it; and indeed, as Mediator, has all judgment committed to him, and is appointed to be Judge of quick and dead at the last day;

— the Targum Onkelos says

It would be sacrilege [Your judgments are true therefore it is impossible] [to attribute] to You such an act, to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. It would be sacrilege to attribute this to You [Your judgments are true]: Shall the Judge of all the earth not do justice?

²⁶ And the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” — then will I spare all the place for their sakes; not Sodom only, but the whole country, (Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar) of which Sodom was the chief;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Adonoy said; If, in Sedom, I find fifty righteous within the city, I will bear with the entire place for their sake.

²⁷ And Abraham answered and said, “Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, I, who am but dust and ashes. — but dust and ashes, yet he speaks as one amazed at his own boldness, and the liberty God graciously allowed him, considering God’s greatness;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Avraham responded and said, Here I have begun to speak to [before] my Master, and I am but dust and ashes.

²⁸ Perhaps there shall lack five of the fifty righteous; wilt Thou destroy all the city for lack of five?” And He said, “If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.” — and he asked, if l find there forty and five, I will not destroy it; that is, forty five righteous persons?

— the Targum Onkelos says

But suppose [perhaps] they lack five of the fifty righteous? Will You destroy all the city because of five? He said, I will not destroy if I find forty-five there.

²⁹ And he spoke unto Him yet again and said, “Perhaps there shall be forty found there?” And He said, “I will not do it for forty’s sake.” — and he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake; but spare them for their sake;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He [Avraham] continued to speak to [before] Him and said, Suppose [Perhaps] there are forty found there? He said, I will not do it [inflict destruction] for the sake of the forty.

³⁰ And he said unto Him, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Perhaps there shall thirty be found there.” And He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” — he said unto him, Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak; this he feared, through his importunity, he should be wearisome to him and incur his displeasure;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said, Let not my Master show anger and I will [continue] to speak. Suppose [Perhaps] thirty are found there? He said, I will not do it [inflict destruction] if I find thirty there.

³¹ And he said, “Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Perhaps there shall be twenty found there.” And He said, “I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake.” — and he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake; if there were no more in it, I would spare it for their sake;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said, Here I wished to speak to [before] my Master. Suppose [Perhaps] twenty are found there? He said, I will not destroy for the sake of the twenty.

³² And he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Perhaps ten shall be found there.” And He said, “I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.” — and he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake; though no more righteous persons were found in it;

— he ended at ten, perhaps because he supposed there were at least ten righteous persons in Lot’s family, Lot and his wife, and their four daughters, and their four husbands; but they forgot that two of Lot’s daughters were unmarried, and how many he had married is not known; ten they say make a congregation, and wherever there are ten righteous persons, a place is saved for their sakes;

— the Targum Onkelos says

He said, Let not my Master show anger [Let there not be anger before my Master], and I will speak just once more. Suppose [Perhaps] ten are found there? He said, I will not destroy for the sake of the ten.

³³ And the Lord went His way, as soon as He had finished communing with Abraham; and Abraham returned unto his place. — and Abraham returned unto his place; to his tent in the plains of Mamre, waiting to observe or hear what would be the issue and event of things respecting Sodom and Gomorrah;

— the Targum Onkelos says

Adonoy departed [The glory of Adonoy ascended] when He finished speaking to Avraham, and Avraham returned to his place.

Posted in Books of Moses