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Targum Onkelos — Selected Passages

The authoritative Babylonian Aramaic paraphrase of the Torah, attributed to Onkelos the Proselyte (c. 2nd century CE). Codified in Babylon, Onkelos became the standard Aramaic rendering used alongside the Hebrew text in synagogue readings.

“Onkelos represents the living Aramaic tradition of interpretation, preserving how Babylonian Jewish communities understood the Torah's meaning in the late antique period.”

Language

Jewish Babylonian Aramaic — closely related to the language of the Babylonian Talmud. More literalistic than other Targumim, especially in legal passages.

Date & Origin

Composed or heavily redacted in Babylon, c. 2nd–4th century CE. Attributed to Onkelos, a proselyte student of Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Eliezer.

Authority

Declared authoritative by the Babylonian Talmud (Berakhot 8a): a Jew should complete the weekly Torah portion "twice in Hebrew and once in Targum."

Theological Approach

Notable for systematically avoiding anthropomorphisms — replacing direct descriptions of God with theological abstractions (e.g., "the glory of the Lord" for direct divine appearances).