Minor Prophets — Targum Jonathan
102 renderings documented
Overview
Summary
Targum Jonathan on the Twelve Minor Prophets extends the theological patterns of the Latter Prophets into the shorter prophetic books. Messianic readings surface at strategic points: Micah 5:2 (the Messiah from Bethlehem), Zechariah 3:8 (the Messiah as Branch), Zechariah 6:12 (the Messiah who builds the Temple), and Zechariah 9:9 (the humble king). Anti-anthropomorphism governs theophanic passages in Hosea, Joel, Habakkuk, and Malachi. The Day of the LORD prophecies receive eschatological sharpening.
Notable Renderings
Hosea's marital metaphor is preserved but God's emotional responses are adjusted. Joel 2:28 [3:1] is rendered with 'holy spirit' language. Micah 5:2 explicitly names the Messiah. Habakkuk 3 (a theophany psalm) receives standard anti-anthropomorphic treatment. Zechariah's Messianic passages are the most explicitly identified in the Twelve. Malachi 3:1 introduces the Messiah as the 'angel of the covenant.'
Theological Themes
Messianic expectation at key prophetic moments; the Day of the LORD as Shekinah-revelation; anti-anthropomorphism in divine pathos (Hosea) and theophany (Habakkuk); Spirit-outpouring (Joel); covenant faithfulness despite exile; eschatological Temple and Shekinah restoration.
Hebrew (MT)
יְהוָה מִצִּיּוֹן יִשְׁאָג וּמִירוּשָׁלִַם יִתֵּן קוֹלוֹ
the LORD roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem.
Targum (Aramaic)
יְיָ מִצִּיּוֹן יְקַלֵּל וּמִירוּשְׁלֵם יִתֵּן קָלֵיהּ
Targum Rendering
the LORD will utter from Zion, and from Jerusalem he will give his voice.
Amos opening. Anti-anthropomorphism: 'roar' (lion-imagery) softened to 'utter/declare' — preserves divine sovereignty without animal anthropomorphism.
Hebrew (MT)
וְאִישׁ וְאָבִיו יֵלְכוּ אֶל־הַנַּעֲרָה לְמַעַן חַלֵּל אֶת־שֵׁם קָדְשִׁי
a man and his father go in to the same girl, so that my holy name is profaned.
Targum (Aramaic)
וּגְבַר וַאֲבוּהִי אָזְלִין לְקֳדָם עוּלֵימְתָא בְּדִיל לְאַחֲלָלָא יָת שׁוּם קוּדְשִׁי
Targum Rendering
a man and his father go to the same young woman, profaning my holy name.
Amos catalogs Israel's sins. Sexual sin profanes the divine Name — Targum preserves the cultic-name link to moral conduct.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי לֹא יַעֲשֶׂה אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה דָּבָר כִּי אִם גָּלָה סוֹדוֹ אֶל עֲבָדָיו הַנְּבִיאִים
For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei la ya'avid Adonai Elohim pitgam ellahein galei raz nvu'ateih le'avdoi neviyayya
Targum Rendering
For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing the secret of his prophecy to his servants the prophets.
Jonathan renders with a minor addition: 'his secret' becomes 'the secret of his prophecy.' God's counsel is specifically prophetic revelation, tying the principle of prior disclosure to the prophetic institution.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי הִנֵּה יוֹצֵר הָרִים וּבֹרֵא רוּחַ וּמַגִּיד לְאָדָם מַה שֵּׂחוֹ
For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind and declares to man what is his thought.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei ha bera turayya uvera rucha umechavvei le'enasha ma machshevateih
Targum Rendering
For behold, he who formed the mountains and created the wind and declares to man what his thought is.
The doxology fragment is rendered literally. God's creative power and omniscience are non-anthropomorphic attributes.
Hebrew (MT)
הוֹי הַמִּתְאַוִּים אֶת יוֹם יְהוָה
Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD!
Targum (Aramaic)
vai dimit'avvein leyoma deAdonai
Targum Rendering
Woe to those who long for the day of the LORD.
The day-of-the-LORD-as-darkness warning. Foundational for biblical apocalyptic ambivalence.
Hebrew (MT)
וְיִגַּל כַּמַּיִם מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה כְּנַחַל אֵיתָן
Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Targum (Aramaic)
veyithgalei kemayya dina utzedaqta kenachla taqqifa
Targum Rendering
Let justice be revealed like water, and righteousness like a strong river.
MARQUEE — Martin Luther King Jr.'s favorite OT verse, quoted at the 1963 March on Washington. The justice-as-flowing-water image. Foundational for the prophetic social-ethics tradition.
Hebrew (MT)
הוֹי הַשַּׁאֲנַנִּים בְּצִיּוֹן וְהַבֹּטְחִים בְּהַר שֹׁמְרוֹן
woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on Mount Samaria.
Targum (Aramaic)
וַי לִדְשַׁאֲנִינִין בְּצִיּוֹן וְלִדְמִתְרַחְצִין בְּטוּרָא דְשׁוֹמְרוֹן
Targum Rendering
woe to those at ease in Zion and those who trust in the mountain of Samaria.
The 'woe to the complacent' oracle. Cited typologically by NT prophetic voices (Luke 6:24-26 — Jesus' woes). Foundation of prophetic-critique-of-elites theme.
Hebrew (MT)
לֹא־נָבִיא אָנֹכִי וְלֹא בֶן־נָבִיא אָנֹכִי כִּי־בוֹקֵר אָנֹכִי וּבוֹלֵס שִׁקְמִים
I was no prophet, nor a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs.
Targum (Aramaic)
לָא נְבִיָּא אֲנָא וְלָא בַר נְבִיָּא אֲנָא אֲרֵי מָרֵי גֵיתֵי אֲנָא וּמָרֵי שִׁקְמִין
Targum Rendering
I am not a prophet nor a prophet's son — I am a herdsman and a tender of sycamores.
Amos to Amaziah. Class-based prophetic call: God chooses non-professional prophets. Foundational for biblical prophetic theology — call comes from divine initiative, not institutional credential.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי אִם־לִשְׁמֹעַ אֵת דִּבְרֵי יְהוָה
but to hear the words of the LORD.
Targum (Aramaic)
אֱלָהֵין לְמִשְׁמַע יָת פִּתְגָּמַיָּא דִנְבוּאָה מִן קֳדָם יְיָ
Targum Rendering
but to hear the words of prophecy from before the LORD.
Famine of hearing the words of YHWH. Standard mediation: 'words of YHWH' → 'words of prophecy from before YHWH.' Eschatological famine of revelation.
Hebrew (MT)
הִנֵּה עֵינֵי אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה בַּמַּמְלָכָה הַחַטָּאָה
Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom.
Targum (Aramaic)
ha cheizu min qodam Adonai elahim bemalkhuta chayyavta
Targum Rendering
Behold, the eyes of the LORD God are on the sinful kingdom.
The judgment-watching formula. Foundational for biblical providence theology.
Hebrew (MT)
בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אָקִים אֶת סֻכַּת דָּוִיד הַנֹּפֶלֶת
In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen.
Targum (Aramaic)
be'idana hahu aqim yat malkhuta debeit david dinpalat
Targum Rendering
At that time I will raise up the kingdom of the house of David that has fallen.
MARQUEE MESSIANIC: cited at Acts 15:16-17 by James in the Jerusalem Council to authorize the gentile mission. The Targum's malkhuta debeit david ('kingdom of the house of David') makes the messianic-kingdom application explicit, anticipating James' application to the inclusion of gentiles in the restored Davidic kingdom.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי פֹעַל פֹּעֵל בִּימֵיכֶם לֹא תַאֲמִינוּ כִּי יְסֻפָּר
For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei ovada ana avid beyomeikhon la tehemnun arei yithannei
Targum Rendering
For I am about to do a work in your days that you would not believe if it were told.
Cited at Acts 13:41 by Paul in his Antioch-of-Pisidia sermon — applied to the Christ-event as the work-not-believed-when-told.
Hebrew (MT)
וְצַדִּיק בֶּאֱמוּנָתוֹ יִחְיֶה
But the righteous shall live by his faith.
Targum (Aramaic)
vetzaddiqayya al qeshat haimanuthon yithqayyemun
Targum Rendering
And the righteous shall be sustained by the truth of their faithfulness.
MARQUEE: cited THREE times in the New Testament — Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38 — as the foundational text of justification by faith. The Targum's qeshat haimanuthon ('truth of their faithfulness') and yithqayyemun ('shall be sustained') develop the verse interpretively. Paul follows the LXX's ek pisteōs ('by faith') in his citations; the Targum and the LXX preserve different aspects of the Hebrew emunah.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי תִּמָּלֵא הָאָרֶץ לָדַעַת אֶת כְּבוֹד יְהוָה כַּמַּיִם יְכַסּוּ עַל יָם
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei titmeli ar'a lemieda' yat yeqara daAdonai kemayya dekhassyin al yamma
Targum Rendering
For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
Rendered literally. The eschatological promise of universal knowledge of God's glory is already expressed through 'glory' (kavod/yeqar) and requires no additional mediation.
Hebrew (MT)
יְהוָה שָׁמַעְתִּי שִׁמְעֲךָ
O LORD, I have heard the report of you.
Targum (Aramaic)
Adonai shema'tit shema'akh
Targum Rendering
O LORD, I have heard your report.
Habakkuk's prayer opening. The 'I have heard your report' formula recalls Isaiah 53:1.
Hebrew (MT)
אֱלוֹהַּ מִתֵּימָן יָבוֹא
God came from Teman.
Targum (Aramaic)
Adonai midaroma itgeli
Targum Rendering
The LORD from the south revealed himself.
In Habakkuk's theophany psalm, 'came' becomes 'revealed himself.' The same anti-anthropomorphic principle applied to all theophanies governs this poetic vision.
Hebrew (MT)
יָצָאתָ לְיֵשַׁע עַמֶּךָ לְיֵשַׁע אֶת מְשִׁיחֶךָ
You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed.
Targum (Aramaic)
itgeleita lefurqan amakh lefurqan Meshichakh
Targum Rendering
You revealed yourself for the redemption of your people, for the redemption of your Messiah.
Jonathan renders 'your anointed' as 'your Messiah' (Meshichakh). The theophany of divine warfare has both a national purpose (redemption of the people) and a Messianic purpose (redemption of the Messiah). The Messiah is both agent and object of divine salvation.
Hebrew (MT)
וַאֲנִי בַּיהוָה אֶעֱלוֹזָה
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD.
Targum (Aramaic)
ve'ana bemeimra deAdonai erevev
Targum Rendering
And I — in the Memra of the LORD I will exult.
Pre-Nicene Tier S. Habakkuk's 'though the fig tree does not blossom' faith-confession. The Targum's joy-in-the-Memra parallels the Christian rejoice-in-the-Lord (Phil 4:4).
Hebrew (MT)
וְאֶכָּבְדָה
And I will be glorified.
Targum (Aramaic)
ve'ashrei Shekhineti beih
Targum Rendering
And I will cause my Shekinah to dwell in it.
God being 'glorified' in the Temple is interpreted as causing the Shekinah to dwell in it. For Jonathan, God's glory in the Temple is Shekinah-presence, not abstract honor.
Hebrew (MT)
וְרוּחִי עֹמֶדֶת בְּתוֹכְכֶם
And my Spirit remains in your midst.
Targum (Aramaic)
veruach qudshai maqayyema beinekhon
Targum Rendering
And my holy spirit stands among you.
'My spirit' again becomes 'my holy spirit,' maintaining the targum pattern of specifying God's spirit as the Holy Spirit.
Hebrew (MT)
עוֹד אַחַת מְעַט הִיא וַאֲנִי מַרְעִישׁ אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם
Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens.
Targum (Aramaic)
od chad ze'eir hi va'ana azi yat shemayya
Targum Rendering
Yet once more, in a little while, and I will shake the heavens.
MARQUEE — cited at Hebrews 12:26-27 in the writer's eschatological-shaking argument. Foundational for biblical apocalyptic-shaking imagery.
Hebrew (MT)
גָּדוֹל יִהְיֶה כְּבוֹד הַבַּיִת הַזֶּה הָאַחֲרוֹן מִן הָרִאשׁוֹן
The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former.
Targum (Aramaic)
rav yehei yeqara debeit maqdesha haden batra'a min qadma'a
Targum Rendering
Greater shall be the Glory of this latter sanctuary house than the former.
The greater-glory-of-the-latter-temple promise. The Christian reading sees this fulfilled in Jesus' visiting Herod's temple — God's Glory-Christ visits the latter temple as the former Glory had visited Solomon's.
Hebrew (MT)
וְאֶת בֵּית יְהוּדָה אֲרַחֵם וְהוֹשַׁעְתִּים בַּיהוָה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם
But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the LORD their God.
Targum (Aramaic)
ve'al beit Yehudah arachem ve'efreqinnun beMemra daAdonai Elahehon
Targum Rendering
But on the house of Judah I will have mercy, and I will redeem them by the Memra of the LORD their God.
Redemption is 'by the Memra of the LORD.' The Memra is the agent of salvation, consistent with the targum's theology of the Word as divine intermediary in all saving acts.
Hebrew (MT)
וְהָיָה מִסְפַּר בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּחוֹל הַיָּם
Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea.
Targum (Aramaic)
vihei minyana debenei yisrael kechala deyamma
Targum Rendering
And the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea.
The innumerable-Israel promise — recapitulating the Abrahamic covenant (Gen 22:17). Cited at Romans 9:25-27 by Paul.
Hebrew (MT)
וְאָמַרְתִּי לְלֹא עַמִּי עַמִּי אַתָּה וְהוּא יֹאמַר אֱלֹהָי
And I will say to Not My People: You are my people; and he shall say: You are my God.
Targum (Aramaic)
ve'eimar lededelei ammi at ammi vehu yeimar Adonai elahi
Targum Rendering
And I will say to those who were not my people: you are my people; and they shall say: the LORD is my God.
MARQUEE: cited at Romans 9:25-26 and 1 Peter 2:10 by Paul and Peter as the prophetic basis for gentile inclusion in the people of God. The Targum's preservation matches the form Paul cites.
Hebrew (MT)
אַחַר יָשֻׁבוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבִקְשׁוּ אֶת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם וְאֵת דָּוִד מַלְכָּם
Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God, and David their king.
Targum (Aramaic)
batar ken yetuvun benei yisrael viytav'un yat pulchana deAdonai elahahon viyshemu'un lemeshicha bar david malkahon
Targum Rendering
Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the worship of the LORD their God, and obey the Messiah son of David, their king.
Same messianic re-reading as Jer 30:9 — the future-tense 'David' interpreted as the Davidic Messiah. Foundational for the eschatological-David tradition that culminates in the Christological identification.
Hebrew (MT)
נִדְמוּ עַמִּי מִבְּלִי הַדָּעַת
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Targum (Aramaic)
ishtevartu ammi mibelei mande'a
Targum Rendering
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
The classic 'lack of knowledge destroys' formula. Foundational for biblical wisdom theology.
Hebrew (MT)
אֵלֵךְ אָשׁוּבָה אֶל מְקוֹמִי
I will return to my place.
Targum (Aramaic)
astalliq Shekhineti etuv le'atar beit maqdashi
Targum Rendering
I will lift up my Shekinah; I will return to the place of my Temple.
God's 'returning to his place' is interpreted as the Shekinah's withdrawal to the heavenly Temple. This is God's response to Israel's unfaithfulness: the Shekinah departs, paralleling the Ezekiel departure narratives.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי הוּא טָרָף וְיִרְפָּאֵנוּ
For he has torn us, and he will heal us.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei hu machi ve'asseinnana
Targum Rendering
For he has struck and he will heal us.
'Torn' (taraf, an animal predator image) becomes 'struck' (machi), removing the bestial metaphor. God disciplines but does not act as a wild animal tearing prey.
Hebrew (MT)
כְּשַׁחַר נָכוֹן מוֹצָאוֹ
His going forth is sure as the dawn.
Targum (Aramaic)
kishfar matqan
Targum Rendering
Like the dawn his appearing is sure.
The dawn-of-the-LORD appearing image. Echoed at Luke 1:78 ('the dawn from on high will visit us').
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי חֶסֶד חָפַצְתִּי וְלֹא זָבַח וְדַעַת אֱלֹהִים מֵעֹלוֹת
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei be'aviddei chesed re'eiti vela bedivchayya ude'ata deAdonai me'ulvavan
Targum Rendering
For I delight in those who do mercy, and not in sacrifices; and in the knowledge of the LORD more than in burnt offerings.
MARQUEE: cited verbatim by Jesus at Matthew 9:13 and 12:7 ('I desire mercy, not sacrifice'). The Targum personalizes 'mercy' as 'those who do mercy' — a slight interpretive shift that anticipates the rabbinic emphasis on gemilut chasadim as the supreme religious act. Together with Mic 6:8, the foundation for the prophetic critique of cult-without-righteousness.
Hebrew (MT)
וְאָנֹכִי אֶפְדֵּם וְהֵמָּה דִּבְּרוּ עָלַי כְּזָבִים
I would redeem them, but they speak lies against me.
Targum (Aramaic)
וַאֲנָא בְּעֵיתִי לְמִפְרַקְהוֹן וְאִנּוּן מַלִּילוּ עֲלַי כִּדְבִין
Targum Rendering
I myself sought to redeem them, but they spoke lies against me.
Divine lament. Targum strengthens to 'I sought to redeem' — emphasizes the divine initiative thwarted by human rejection.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי רוּחַ יִזְרָעוּ וְסוּפָתָה יִקְצֹרוּ
For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei zar'in zar'in ve'igrayya yiqtzerun
Targum Rendering
For they are sowing the wind, and they shall reap the storm.
The 'sow the wind, reap the whirlwind' proverb. Foundational metaphor of consequence-of-action. Echoed at Gal 6:7 ('whatever one sows, that will he also reap').
Hebrew (MT)
בָּאוּ יְמֵי הַפְּקֻדָּה בָּאוּ יְמֵי הַשִּׁלֻּם
the days of punishment have come; the days of recompense have come.
Targum (Aramaic)
אֲתוֹ יוֹמֵי דְפוּרְעֲנוּתָא אֲתוֹ יוֹמֵי דְתוּשְׁלוּמַיָּא
Targum Rendering
the days of recompense have come; the days of repayment have come.
Hosea's judgment-day proclamation. Echoed Luke 21:22 (Jesus' Olivet 'days of vengeance'). Divine-recompense timing — pre-Nicene apocalyptic foundation.
Hebrew (MT)
וְעֵת לִדְרוֹשׁ אֶת־יְהוָה עַד־יָבוֹא וְיֹרֶה צֶדֶק לָכֶם
it is time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.
Targum (Aramaic)
וְעִדָּן לְמִתְבַּע אוּלְפַן מִן קֳדָם יְיָ עַד דְּיֵיתֵי וְיוֹלִיף זְכוּ לְכוֹן
Targum Rendering
it is time to seek instruction from before the LORD, until he comes and teaches righteousness to you.
Hosea's call to repent. Targum: 'rain righteousness' becomes 'teach righteousness' — the Coming One brings instruction. Pre-Nicene: messianic teacher-figure. NT echo: Jesus as teacher-of-righteousness.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי נַעַר יִשְׂרָאֵל וָאֹהֲבֵהוּ וּמִמִּצְרַיִם קָרָאתִי לִבְנִי
When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
Targum (Aramaic)
kad talya hava Yisrael varechamteih umiMitzrayim qaretei leih
Targum Rendering
When Israel was a child, I loved him, and from Egypt I called him.
Jonathan renders with minor adjustment: 'my son' becomes 'him' (leih), slightly depersonalizing the father-son language. Matthew 2:15 cites this as fulfilled in the flight to Egypt.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי אֵל אָנֹכִי וְלֹא אִישׁ בְּקִרְבְּךָ קָדוֹשׁ
For I am God, and not a man, the Holy One in your midst.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei Elaha ana vela bar enash Shekhineti sharyah beineikh qaddish
Targum Rendering
For I am God and not a man; my Shekinah dwells among you, the Holy One.
God 'in your midst' becomes 'my Shekinah dwells among you.' This is Hosea's own anti-anthropomorphic statement — God is not a man — enhanced by Jonathan's Shekinah theology.
Hebrew (MT)
וַיָּשַׂר אֶל־מַלְאָךְ וַיֻּכָל בָּכָה וַיִּתְחַנֶּן־לוֹ
he strove with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought his favor.
Targum (Aramaic)
וְשַׁלִּיט בְּמַלְאֲכָא וְיַכֵיל בְּכָא וְצַלִּי קֳדָמוֹהִי
Targum Rendering
he prevailed over the angel and overcame; he wept and prayed before him.
Jacob at Peniel reread by Hosea. Targum preserves 'angel' (rather than 'God' as Gen 32:28 has it) — anti-anthropomorphism + Two-Powers Jacob/angel-of-YHWH locus.
Hebrew (MT)
מִיַּד שְׁאוֹל אֶפְדֵּם מִמָּוֶת אֶגְאָלֵם אֱהִי דְבָרֶיךָ מָוֶת
Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from Death? O Death, where are your plagues?
Targum (Aramaic)
mide she'ol efroqinnun mimota efroqinnun an mota dilakh
Targum Rendering
From the hand of Sheol I will redeem them, from death I will redeem them; where, O death, are your plagues?
MARQUEE: cited at 1 Corinthians 15:55 ('O death, where is your sting?') in Paul's resurrection chapter. The Targum's interrogative-to-declarative shift ('I WILL redeem them') is a softening of the MT's ambiguous form, but the death-taunt that Paul cites is preserved. Paul follows the LXX more closely.
Hebrew (MT)
שׁוּבָה יִשְׂרָאֵל עַד יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ
Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God.
Targum (Aramaic)
tuv yisrael ad pulchana deAdonai elahakh
Targum Rendering
Return, O Israel, to the worship of the LORD your God.
The classic call-to-repentance opening. Closes the prophet Hosea with the great return-to-the-LORD promise.
Hebrew (MT)
אֲהָהּ לַיּוֹם
Alas for the day!
Targum (Aramaic)
vai leyoma
Targum Rendering
Alas for the day!
The Day of the LORD lament. Foundational for biblical apocalyptic vocabulary.
Hebrew (MT)
וְקִרְעוּ לְבַבְכֶם וְאַל בִּגְדֵיכֶם
Rend your hearts and not your garments.
Targum (Aramaic)
u'aper levavkhon vela leveishikhon
Targum Rendering
Rend your hearts and not your garments.
The interior-vs-exterior repentance call. Foundational for the prophetic and Christian critique of mere ritual. Paralleled at Matt 6:16-18 (Jesus' anti-display fasting teaching).
Hebrew (MT)
וַאֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וְאֵין עוֹד
And you shall know that I am the LORD your God, and there is none else.
Targum (Aramaic)
va'ana Adonai Elahakhon uMimri mesiyyea yatkhon veleit bar minni
Targum Rendering
And I am the LORD your God, and my Memra helps you, and there is none beside me.
Jonathan inserts 'my Memra helps you' into the monotheistic confession, linking the knowledge of God's uniqueness with Memra-mediated assistance.
Hebrew (MT)
וְהָיָה אַחֲרֵי כֵן אֶשְׁפּוֹךְ אֶת רוּחִי עַל כָּל בָּשָׂר
And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.
Targum (Aramaic)
vihei batar ken ashpok yat ruach qudshi al kol bisra
Targum Rendering
And it shall come to pass after this that I will pour out my Holy Spirit on all flesh.
The Hebrew ruchi ('my spirit') is rendered ruach qudshi ('my Holy Spirit') — explicit identification of the eschatological Spirit-pouring as the Holy Spirit. Cited at Acts 2:17 by Peter at Pentecost as the prophetic basis for the church's experience.
Hebrew (MT)
וְהָיָה כֹּל אֲשֶׁר יִקְרָא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה יִמָּלֵט
And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.
Targum (Aramaic)
vihei kol dimitqarei beshema deAdonai yithpetzei
Targum Rendering
And it shall come to pass: everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be delivered.
MARQUEE — cited at Acts 2:21 by Peter at Pentecost and at Romans 10:13 by Paul as the universal-salvation formula. The Targum preserves the literal form.
Hebrew (MT)
הֲמוֹנִים הֲמוֹנִים בְּעֵמֶק הֶחָרוּץ
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision.
Targum (Aramaic)
kenushvavin kenushvavin be'meq pelagaya
Targum Rendering
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision.
The eschatological-judgment valley. Echoed at Rev 14:14-20 (the harvest of the earth).
Hebrew (MT)
וְאֶת־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם אֲנִי יָרֵא
I fear the LORD, the God of heaven.
Targum (Aramaic)
וְיָת יְיָ אֱלָהָא דִשְׁמַיָּא אֲנָא דָחֵל
Targum Rendering
I fear the LORD, the God of the heavens.
Jonah's confession to the sailors. 'God of heaven' preserved — universal-creator monotheism in Phoenician/pagan context.
Hebrew (MT)
יְשׁוּעָתָה לַיהוָה
Salvation belongs to the LORD!
Targum (Aramaic)
purqana qodam Adonai
Targum Rendering
Salvation belongs to the LORD.
Jonah's prayer climax. Echoed at Rev 7:10 ('salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!').
Hebrew (MT)
וַיַּאֲמִינוּ אַנְשֵׁי נִינְוֵה בֵּאלֹהִים
the people of Nineveh believed God.
Targum (Aramaic)
וְהֵימִינוּ אֱנָשֵׁי נִינְוֵה בְּמֵימְרָא דַייָ
Targum Rendering
the men of Nineveh believed in the Memra of the LORD.
Cited Matt 12:41, Luke 11:32 (Jesus invokes Nineveh's repentance against his generation). Targum: belief is in the Memra — the same Word that comes through Jonah. Pre-Nicene foundation: Gentile-faith-in-the-Word.
Hebrew (MT)
וַאֲנִי לֹא אָחוּס עַל נִינְוֵה הָעִיר הַגְּדוֹלָה
And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city?
Targum (Aramaic)
ve'ana la achus al ninveh qarta rabba
Targum Rendering
And shall I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city?
The closing line of Jonah — divine compassion extends to gentile Nineveh. Foundational for biblical universalism. Cited (in spirit) at Matt 12:41.
Hebrew (MT)
בֵּן יְכַבֵּד אָב וְעֶבֶד אֲדֹנָיו
A son honors his father, and a servant his master.
Targum (Aramaic)
bera yiqar le'av ve'avda lerabbohi
Targum Rendering
A son honors his father, and a servant his masters.
The honor-the-father-and-master formula. Foundational for biblical hierarchical-honor theology and for the Pauline household-codes (Eph 5-6, Col 3).
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי מִמִּזְרַח שֶׁמֶשׁ וְעַד מְבוֹאוֹ גָּדוֹל שְׁמִי בַּגּוֹיִם
For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei mimadnach shimsha ve'ad ma'aravei rabba shemi be'ammayya
Targum Rendering
For from the rising of the sun to its setting, my name is great among the nations.
The universal-divine-name promise. Often cited in early Christian tradition (Didache 14:3, Justin Dial. 28-29, 41) as fulfilled in the worldwide Christian eucharistic worship — 'a pure offering' offered everywhere among the nations.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי שִׂפְתֵי כֹהֵן יִשְׁמְרוּ דַעַת
For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei sifvatei dekhahana mehegyan oraita
Targum Rendering
For the lips of the priest shall guard the Torah.
The priest-as-Torah-teacher formula. Foundational for biblical priestly-vocation theology.
Hebrew (MT)
הִנְנִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָכִי וּפִנָּה דֶרֶךְ לְפָנָי
Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.
Targum (Aramaic)
ha ana meshaddar malakhi viyephannei orach qodamai
Targum Rendering
Behold, I am sending my messenger, and he shall clear the way before me.
Jonathan renders literally. The messenger (malakhi) who prepares the way is identified by rabbinic tradition as Elijah (cf. Malachi 4:5). Jesus identified this messenger as John the Baptist (Matthew 11:10).
Hebrew (MT)
אֲנִי יְהוָה לֹא שָׁנִיתִי
For I the LORD do not change.
Targum (Aramaic)
ana Adonai la sheneitti
Targum Rendering
I, the LORD, do not change.
MARQUEE — the divine-immutability axiom. Foundational for biblical theology of God's unchanging nature. Echoed at Hebrews 13:8 ('Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever') and James 1:17 ('the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change').
Hebrew (MT)
וְזָרְחָה לָכֶם יִרְאֵי שְׁמִי שֶׁמֶשׁ צְדָקָה
But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise.
Targum (Aramaic)
vethithgli lekhon dachalei shemi shimsha dezachuta
Targum Rendering
But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness shall arise.
MARQUEE — the 'Sun of Righteousness' messianic title. Foundational for Christian Christological-sunrise imagery (Luke 1:78 'the dawn from on high').
Hebrew (MT)
הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ לָכֶם אֵת אֵלִיָּה הַנָּבִיא
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet.
Targum (Aramaic)
ha ana shaleach lekhon yat eliya neviya
Targum Rendering
Behold, I am sending you Elijah the prophet.
The eschatological-Elijah promise. Cited at Matthew 11:14 ('he is Elijah who is to come') and 17:10-13 (Mark 9:11-13, Luke 1:17) in Jesus' identification of John the Baptist with Elijah. The Targum preserves the literal promise; the rabbinic tradition of Elijah's eschatological return is rooted in this passage.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי־הִנֵּה יְהוָה יֹצֵא מִמְּקוֹמוֹ וְיָרַד וְדָרַךְ עַל־בָּמֳתֵי אָרֶץ
behold, the LORD is coming out of his place; he will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.
Targum (Aramaic)
אֲרֵי הָא יְיָ מִתְגְּלֵי מֵאֲתַר בֵּית שְׁכִינְתֵּיהּ וְיִתְגְּלֵי וְיֵיתֵי עַל בֵּית מַקְדָּשֵׁיהּ דְעַל אַרְעָא
Targum Rendering
behold, the LORD is revealing himself from the place of his Shekinah, and he is revealed and comes upon his sanctuary that is on earth.
Micah's theophany. 'God comes down' → 'reveals himself from the place of his Shekinah.' Anti-anthropomorphism: God doesn't physically descend; the Shekinah is revealed.
Hebrew (MT)
עָלָה הַפֹּרֵץ לִפְנֵיהֶם פָּרְצוּ וַיַּעֲבֹרוּ שַׁעַר וַיֵּצְאוּ בוֹ וַיַּעֲבֹר מַלְכָּם לִפְנֵיהֶם וַיהוָה בְּרֹאשָׁם
the breaker goes up before them; they break out and pass the gate and go out by it. Their king passes on before them, the LORD at their head.
Targum (Aramaic)
סָלֵיק פָּרוֹקְהוֹן קֳדָמֵיהוֹן פְּרָקוּ וַעֲבָרוּ בִּתְרַעָא וּנְפָקוּ בֵיהּ וַעֲבַר מַלְכְּהוֹן קֳדָמֵיהוֹן וּמֵימְרָא דַייָ בְרֵישֵׁיהוֹן
Targum Rendering
their redeemer goes up before them; they break out and pass through the gate and go out by it; their king passes before them, and the Memra of the LORD is at their head.
Targum makes explicit: 'the breaker' = פָּרוֹקְהוֹן (their Redeemer/Messiah), and YHWH at their head = the Memra of the LORD. Composite messianic-mediation: human Davidic king + divine Memra leading the eschatological remnant.
Hebrew (MT)
וְאוּלָם אָנֹכִי מָלֵאתִי כֹחַ אֶת־רוּחַ יְהוָה וּמִשְׁפָּט וּגְבוּרָה
but I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might.
Targum (Aramaic)
וּבְרַם אֲנָא אִתְמְלִיתִי תְקוֹף בְּרוּחַ נְבוּאָה מִן קֳדָם יְיָ וְדִינָא וּגְבוּרְתָּא
Targum Rendering
but I am filled with strength, with the spirit of prophecy from before the LORD, and with judgment and might.
Micah's prophetic self-witness. 'Spirit of the LORD' → 'spirit of prophecy from before the LORD' — standard Targumic recasting of prophetic empowerment.
Hebrew (MT)
וְהָיָה בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים
It shall come to pass in the latter days.
Targum (Aramaic)
vihei besof yomayya
Targum Rendering
And it shall come to pass in the end of days.
The eschatological pilgrimage-to-Zion (parallel of Isa 2:2).
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי מִצִּיּוֹן תֵּצֵא תוֹרָה וּדְבַר יְהוָה מִירוּשָׁלָיִם
For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei miTziyyon tippoq oraita upitgam Adonai miYerushalem
Targum Rendering
For from Zion shall go forth Torah, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Rendered literally. Torah and divine word emanating from Zion/Jerusalem is already appropriately theological and requires no targum adjustment.
Hebrew (MT)
וְכִתְּתוּ חַרְבֹתֵיהֶם לְאִתִּים
They shall beat their swords into plowshares.
Targum (Aramaic)
vivchaddetzun charvehon lemarivin
Targum Rendering
And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares.
Pairs with Isa 2:4 'swords into plowshares.'
Hebrew (MT)
וְאַתָּה בֵּית לֶחֶם אֶפְרָתָה צָעִיר לִהְיוֹת בְּאַלְפֵי יְהוּדָה מִמְּךָ לִי יֵצֵא לִהְיוֹת מוֹשֵׁל בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel.
Targum (Aramaic)
ve'att beit lechem efrata ze'er hua leme'it'aqa be'alfei yehudah minnakh qodami yippoq Meshicha lemehevei shallit al yisrael
Targum Rendering
And you, Bethlehem of Ephrath, are too small to be reckoned among the thousands of Judah; from you the Messiah shall come forth before me, to be ruler over Israel.
MARQUEE MESSIANIC RE-READING. The Bethlehem birth-prophecy is explicitly identified with the Messiah. Cited at Matthew 2:6 by the chief priests, who quote this verse to identify Bethlehem as the Messiah's birthplace — confirming that the Targumic reading was the standard pre-Christian Jewish understanding of this passage.
Hebrew (MT)
הִגִּיד לְךָ אָדָם מַה טּוֹב וּמָה יְהוָה דּוֹרֵשׁ מִמְּךָ כִּי אִם עֲשׂוֹת מִשְׁפָּט וְאַהֲבַת חֶסֶד וְהַצְנֵעַ לֶכֶת עִם אֱלֹהֶיךָ
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.
Targum (Aramaic)
atvar lakh enasha ma tav uma Adonai tava' minnakh elahein lemei'avd dina urachama bechesed ulehallakhah be'inveta qodam elahakh
Targum Rendering
He has shown you, O human, what is good and what the LORD requires of you: but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly before your God.
The classic prophetic-ethics summary. Together with Hos 6:6, foundational for the rabbinic and Christian critique of mere ritual. Paraphrased throughout the New Testament's ethical formulations (Matt 23:23, James 1:27, Rom 12:1).
Hebrew (MT)
מִי אֵל כָּמוֹךָ נֹשֵׂא עָוֺן
Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity?
Targum (Aramaic)
leit elaha kelaqatakh shaveq lechovin
Targum Rendering
There is no God like you, forgiving iniquity.
The 'who is a God like you' formula — closing the book of Micah. Foundational for biblical incomparability theology.
Hebrew (MT)
טוֹב יְהוָה לְמָעוֹז בְּיוֹם צָרָה
The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble.
Targum (Aramaic)
tav Adonai letuqfa beyom anqa
Targum Rendering
The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble.
The classic refuge-in-trouble formula. Foundational for biblical confidence-in-distress theology.
Hebrew (MT)
הִנֵּה עַל־הֶהָרִים רַגְלֵי מְבַשֵּׂר מַשְׁמִיעַ שָׁלוֹם
behold, on the mountains, the feet of him who brings good tidings, who publishes peace.
Targum (Aramaic)
הָא עַל טוּרַיָּא רַגְלֵי דִמְבַשֵּׂר מַשְׁמַע שְׁלָמָא
Targum Rendering
behold, on the mountains, the feet of the herald proclaiming peace.
Cited Romans 10:15 (and Isa 52:7 parallel). Targum preserves the herald-imagery exactly. Eschatological proclamation of peace upon Jerusalem after Nineveh's fall — typological pattern in NT.
Hebrew (MT)
נָמוּ רֹעֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר
your shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria.
Targum (Aramaic)
נָמוּ פַּרְנָסַיִךְ מַלְכָּא דְאַתּוּר
Targum Rendering
your shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria.
Nineveh's lament. Shepherd-as-leader metaphor preserved — pre-Nicene relevance: shepherd-language for both human leaders and divine king (cf. Ezek 34, John 10).
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי קָרוֹב יוֹם יְהוָה עַל כָּל הַגּוֹיִם
For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei qariv yoma deAdonai al kol ammayya
Targum Rendering
For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations.
The day-of-the-LORD universal-judgment formula. Echoed throughout the prophetic literature.
Hebrew (MT)
וְהָיְתָה לַיהוָה הַמְּלוּכָה
And the kingdom shall be the LORD's.
Targum (Aramaic)
vetitgeli malkhuta daAdonai al kol yatevei ar'a
Targum Rendering
And the kingdom of the LORD shall be revealed over all the inhabitants of the earth.
God's kingdom does not merely exist — it 'shall be revealed' (titgeli), using the standard revelation theology. The eschatological kingdom is a disclosure event, not just a political transfer.
Hebrew (MT)
שׁוּבוּ אֵלַי נְאֻם יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת וְאָשׁוּב אֲלֵיכֶם
return to me — says the LORD of hosts — and I will return to you.
Targum (Aramaic)
תּוּבוּ לְמֵימְרִי אֲמַר יְיָ צְבָאוֹת וִיתוּב מֵימְרִי לְאוֹטָבָא לְכוֹן
Targum Rendering
return to my Memra — says the LORD of hosts — and my Memra will return to do good to you.
Zechariah's opening call. Both directions of the return are mediated through the Memra: human return is to the Memra; divine return is the Memra. The mediator-figure is bidirectional.
Hebrew (MT)
רָנִּי וְשִׂמְחִי בַּת צִיּוֹן
Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion!
Targum (Aramaic)
buchchi vechadi keneshet tziyyon
Targum Rendering
Sing and rejoice, O assembly of Zion.
The eschatological-rejoicing call. Pairs with Zeph 3:14, Zech 9:9 — culminates in Christian fulfilled-rejoicing (Phil 4:4).
Hebrew (MT)
וַיַּרְאֵנִי אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל
Then he showed me Joshua the high priest.
Targum (Aramaic)
ve'achzini yat yehoshua kahana rabba
Targum Rendering
And he showed me Joshua the great priest.
The priestly-vision opening. Joshua-as-high-priest typology — anticipates Hebrews 4:14's 'Jesus the great high priest' (note the same name).
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי הִנְנִי מֵבִיא אֶת עַבְדִּי צֶמַח
Behold, I will bring my servant the Branch.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei ha ana maitei yat avdi Meshicha veyitgeli
Targum Rendering
For behold, I am bringing my servant the Messiah, and he shall be revealed.
The Branch (tsemach) is explicitly rendered as 'the Messiah' (Meshicha). Jonathan adds 'and he shall be revealed' (veyitgeli), applying the revelation theology to the Messiah's appearance — the Messiah is not merely born but revealed by God.
Hebrew (MT)
לֹא בְחַיִל וְלֹא בְכֹחַ כִּי אִם בְּרוּחִי
Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit.
Targum (Aramaic)
la bechaila vela biyqofa elahein beruchi
Targum Rendering
Not by force, nor by power, but by my Spirit.
MARQUEE — the foundational Spirit-not-power formula. Foundational for biblical pneumatology and Christian theology of divine-rather-than-human-agency.
Hebrew (MT)
אֵלֶּה שְׁנֵי בְנֵי הַיִּצְהָר
These are the two anointed ones.
Targum (Aramaic)
illein trei mishchayya
Targum Rendering
These are the two anointed ones.
The 'two anointed ones' (likely Zerubbabel + Joshua, royal + priestly). Foundational for biblical two-Messiah typology (cf. DSS 1QS 9:11). Echoed at Rev 11:4 (the two witnesses).
Hebrew (MT)
הִנֵּה שְׁתַּיִם נָשִׁים יוֹצְאוֹת וְרוּחַ בְּכַנְפֵיהֶם
and behold, two women coming forward! The wind was in their wings.
Targum (Aramaic)
וְהָא תַּרְתֵּין נְשִׁין נָפְקָן וְרוּחָא בְגַדְפֵיהוֹן
Targum Rendering
behold, two women came out, with the wind in their wings.
Vision of the woman in the ephah. Apocalyptic-symbolic imagery preserved — wickedness carried away. Pre-Nicene apocalyptic precedent for NT Revelation imagery.
Hebrew (MT)
הִנֵּה אִישׁ צֶמַח שְׁמוֹ וּמִתַּחְתָּיו יִצְמָח וּבָנָה אֶת הֵיכַל יְהוָה
Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD.
Targum (Aramaic)
ha gavra Meshicha shemeih va'atid le'itgalayah veyitrebbei veyivnei yat heikhela daAdonai
Targum Rendering
Behold, a man — the Messiah is his name — and he shall be revealed and shall grow great and shall build the Temple of the LORD.
The Branch is again explicitly the Messiah, and his primary work is building the Temple. This is the same Temple-building Messiah described in Isaiah 53:5 (Jonathan). The Messiah's mission in Jonathan is fundamentally restorative: he builds the Temple and establishes the Shekinah's dwelling.
Hebrew (MT)
מִשְׁפַּט אֱמֶת שְׁפֹטוּ וְחֶסֶד וְרַחֲמִים עֲשׂוּ אִישׁ אֶת־אָחִיו
render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another.
Targum (Aramaic)
דִּין דִקְשׁוֹט דּוּנוּ וְטֵיבוּ וְרַחֲמִין עֲבִידוּ גְּבַר עִם אֲחוּהִי
Targum Rendering
judge true judgment, and show kindness and compassion each man to his brother.
Echo of Mic 6:8 ('do justice, love mercy'). Triad: justice + ḥesed + compassion. Foundation of biblical-ethical summary; James 2:13 ('mercy triumphs over judgment').
Hebrew (MT)
הִנְנִי מוֹשִׁיעַ אֶת־עַמִּי מֵאֶרֶץ מִזְרָח וּמֵאֶרֶץ מְבוֹא הַשָּׁמֶשׁ
behold, I am about to save my people from the east country and from the west country.
Targum (Aramaic)
הָא אֲנָא פָּרֵיק יָת עַמִּי מֵאַרְעָא דְמִדְנְחָא וּמֵאַרְעָא דְמַעֲרָבָא
Targum Rendering
behold, I will redeem my people from the land of the east and from the land of the west.
Eschatological in-gathering. Salvation as redemption (פדק) in cosmic scope — east-and-west sweep prefigures the messianic gathering.
Hebrew (MT)
הִנֵּה מַלְכֵּךְ יָבוֹא לָךְ צַדִּיק וְנוֹשָׁע הוּא עָנִי וְרֹכֵב עַל חֲמוֹר
Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey.
Targum (Aramaic)
ha malkhikh atei likh zakkaya umeshezav hu mesken verachiv al chamar
Targum Rendering
Behold, your king comes to you; righteous and saving is he; humble and riding upon a donkey.
Jonathan renders with minimal change. The humble Messianic king riding a donkey is preserved without explicit Messianic label — the royal context makes it unnecessary. This is the passage fulfilled in Jesus' triumphal entry (Matthew 21:5, John 12:15).
Hebrew (MT)
מִמֶּנּוּ פִנָּה מִמֶּנּוּ יָתֵד מִמֶּנּוּ קֶשֶׁת מִלְחָמָה
from him shall come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow.
Targum (Aramaic)
מִנֵּיהּ מַלְכָּא מִנֵּיהּ מְשִׁיחָא מִנֵּיהּ קַשְׁתָא דִקְרָבָא
Targum Rendering
from him will come the king, from him the Messiah, from him the bow of war.
Targum interprets 'cornerstone' and 'tent peg' as messianic titles: 'from him the King, from him the Messiah.' Pre-Nicene messianism: Judah-tribe origin of the Messiah explicitly affirmed. Cited 1 Pet 2:6 (cornerstone-Christology).
Hebrew (MT)
וַיִּשְׁקְלוּ אֶת שְׂכָרִי שְׁלֹשִׁים כָּסֶף
And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver.
Targum (Aramaic)
vetaqlu yat agarayya teli'tin keisfin
Targum Rendering
And they weighed out my wages, thirty pieces of silver.
Cited at Matthew 27:9-10 (attributed there to Jeremiah but actually a Zech 11/Jer 32 conflation) in connection with Judas' betrayal payment. The Targum's literal preservation confirms the standardized form. The 'thirty pieces' becomes a fixed motif in early Christian readings of the Passion.
Hebrew (MT)
וְהִבִּיטוּ אֵלַי אֵת אֲשֶׁר דָּקָרוּ
And they shall look on me, on him whom they have pierced.
Targum (Aramaic)
viyitzallun qodamai al di dattei litql
Targum Rendering
And they shall pray before me on account of those who were thrust through.
'They shall look on me whom they have pierced' — one of the most christologically disputed verses in the prophets — is radically reinterpreted. 'Looking' becomes 'praying,' and the piercing is redirected to unnamed victims ('those who were thrust through'). The personal identification of the pierced one with God is eliminated. John 19:37 cites this verse as fulfilled at the crucifixion.
Hebrew (MT)
חֶרֶב עוּרִי עַל רֹעִי וְעַל גֶּבֶר עֲמִיתִי
Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me.
Targum (Aramaic)
charba ittebari al malka veal rabba dichavateih
Targum Rendering
O sword, awake against the king and against the leader, his companion.
MARQUEE: cited by Jesus at Matthew 26:31 and Mark 14:27 in his Last Supper announcement that the disciples will scatter ('I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered'). The Targum reframes the shepherd as the messianic king (malka), the predicate-companion as the deputy ruler (rabba dichavateih) — making the political-messianic reading explicit.
Hebrew (MT)
וְצָרַפְתִּים כִּצְרֹף אֶת הַכָּסֶף
And I will refine them as one refines silver.
Targum (Aramaic)
ve'azhakkenun keman demitzaref kaspa
Targum Rendering
And I will refine them as silver is refined.
The refining-judgment formula. Echoed at 1 Pet 1:7 ('the genuineness of your faith — more precious than gold that perishes though tested by fire').
Hebrew (MT)
וְעָמְדוּ רַגְלָיו בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא עַל הַר הַזֵּתִים
And his feet shall stand on that day on the Mount of Olives.
Targum (Aramaic)
veyitgeli betqof gevurteih beyoma hahu al tura deZeitayya
Targum Rendering
And he shall be revealed in the strength of his might on that day upon the Mount of Olives.
God does not have feet that stand on the Mount of Olives. The physical stance is replaced with divine revelation 'in the strength of his might.' The Mount of Olives location is preserved — the same mountain from which the Shekinah departed in Ezekiel 11:23.
Hebrew (MT)
וְהָיָה יְהוָה לְמֶלֶךְ עַל כָּל הָאָרֶץ
And the LORD shall be king over all the earth.
Targum (Aramaic)
veyitgeli malkhuta daAdonai al kol yatevei ar'a
Targum Rendering
And the kingdom of the LORD shall be revealed over all the inhabitants of the earth.
God's kingship is expressed as kingdom-revelation, paralleling Obadiah 1:21. The eschatological climax is not that God becomes king (he always was) but that his kingdom is revealed to all.
Hebrew (MT)
הַס מִפְּנֵי אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה
Be silent before the Lord GOD!
Targum (Aramaic)
shaviqu min qodam Adonai elahim
Targum Rendering
Be silent before the Lord GOD.
The day-of-the-LORD silence call. Echoed at Hab 2:20, Zech 2:13 ('be silent, all flesh, before the LORD'). Foundational for biblical theology of theophanic-silence.
Hebrew (MT)
קָרוֹב יוֹם יְהוָה הַגָּדוֹל
The great day of the LORD is near.
Targum (Aramaic)
qariv yoma deAdonai rabba
Targum Rendering
The great day of the LORD is near.
The Day of the LORD formula. Foundational for the prophetic and apocalyptic eschatology — echoes through Zech 14, Joel 2, Mal 4, and the NT Day of the Lord references (1 Thess 5:2, 2 Pet 3:10, Rev 6:17).
Hebrew (MT)
בַּקְּשׁוּ אֶת יְהוָה כָּל עַנְוֵי הָאָרֶץ
Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land.
Targum (Aramaic)
ta'av yat dachalta deAdonai kol anvetei ar'a
Targum Rendering
Seek the fear of the LORD, all you humble of the land.
The seek-the-LORD imperative for the humble. Echoed at Matt 5:5 ('blessed are the meek') and James 4:6, 1 Pet 5:5 ('God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble').
Hebrew (MT)
נוֹרָא יְהוָה עֲלֵיהֶם
The LORD will be awesome against them.
Targum (Aramaic)
dachil Adonai aleihon
Targum Rendering
The LORD shall be feared over them.
The fear-of-the-LORD universal-extension. Foundational for biblical theology of nations-fearing-the-LORD.
Hebrew (MT)
אֶהְפֹּךְ אֶל עַמִּים שָׂפָה בְרוּרָה לִקְרֹא כֻלָּם בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה
I will give to the peoples a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the LORD.
Targum (Aramaic)
ehappekh la'ammayya safah bechirta lemiqrei kollehon beshema deAdonai
Targum Rendering
I will turn to the peoples a chosen language, that they may all call on the name of the LORD.
The eschatological-pure-speech promise. Reverses Babel (Gen 11). Echoed at Acts 2 (Pentecost — the gift of tongues as Babel's reversal) and Phil 2:11 ('every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord').
Hebrew (MT)
יְהוָה אֱלֹהַיִךְ בְּקִרְבֵּךְ גִּבּוֹר יוֹשִׁיעַ יָשִׂישׂ עָלַיִךְ בְּשִׂמְחָה
The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness.
Targum (Aramaic)
Adonai elahekh shechinteih shariya beinekh gibbara dimepariq yiv'i alekh bechedva
Targum Rendering
The LORD your God — his Shekinah dwells in your midst, a mighty one who delivers; he will rejoice over you with joy.
The 'God rejoicing over you with gladness' formula — one of the OT's most affective expressions of divine joy in his people. The Targum's Shekinah-substitution. Echoed at Luke 15 (the rejoicing-shepherd / rejoicing-father parables).
Hebrew (MT)
אֶשְׁפּוֹךְ אֶת רוּחִי עַל כָּל בָּשָׂר
I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.
Targum (Aramaic)
eireiq yat ruach qudshai al kol bisra
Targum Rendering
I will pour out my holy spirit upon all flesh.
'My spirit' becomes 'my holy spirit' (ruach qudshai), as in Ezekiel 36:27 and 39:29. Peter cites this verse at Pentecost (Acts 2:17). The targum specifies the Spirit as holy, connecting to the broader Jewish understanding of the Spirit of God as the Holy Spirit.
Hebrew (MT)
וַיהוָה מִצִּיּוֹן יִשְׁאָג
And the LORD roars from Zion.
Targum (Aramaic)
vaAdonai min Tziyyon yashmi' qaleih
Targum Rendering
And the LORD from Zion shall make his voice heard.
God does not 'roar' (sha'ag, a lion metaphor). The bestial imagery is replaced with 'make his voice heard' (yashmi' qaleih), preserving the power of divine speech while removing the animal comparison.
Hebrew (MT)
וְאַתָּה בֵּית לֶחֶם אֶפְרָתָה צָעִיר לִהְיוֹת בְּאַלְפֵי יְהוּדָה מִמְּךָ לִי יֵצֵא לִהְיוֹת מוֹשֵׁל בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel.
Targum (Aramaic)
ve'att Beit Lechem Efrata ze'eir att lecheishuv be'alfei deveith Yehudah minnakh qodamai yippoq Meshicha lemehevei shalleit beYisrael
Targum Rendering
And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too small to be numbered among the thousands of the house of Judah — from you shall come forth before me the Messiah to exercise dominion in Israel.
The ruler from Bethlehem is explicitly identified as 'the Messiah' (Meshicha). This is the verse cited in Matthew 2:6 as the birthplace prophecy for the Messiah. Jonathan confirms that pre-Christian Judaism read Micah 5:2 as a Messianic prediction of a specific location — Bethlehem — for the Messiah's origin.
Hebrew (MT)
וְעָמַד וְרָעָה בְּעֹז יְהוָה
And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD.
Targum (Aramaic)
viqum viyanhig betaqof Adonai
Targum Rendering
And he shall stand and lead in the strength of the LORD.
The Messiah's shepherding is rendered as 'leading' (yanhig) — a political/royal term. The pastoral metaphor is interpreted as governance, consistent with the targum's emphasis on the Messiah as ruler.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי הִנְנִי בָא וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְתוֹכֵךְ
Behold, I come, and I will dwell in your midst.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei ha ana megallei ve'ashrei Shekhineti begavvikh
Targum Rendering
For behold, I am revealing myself, and I will cause my Shekinah to dwell in your midst.
God's coming to dwell in Zion becomes Shekinah revelation and indwelling. The eschatological hope is the return of the Shekinah to Jerusalem, fulfilling the promise that the departed glory will come back.
Hebrew (MT)
וּפִתְאֹם יָבוֹא אֶל הֵיכָלוֹ הָאָדוֹן אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם מְבַקְשִׁים
And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple.
Targum (Aramaic)
umitchash yeitei lehekhaleih ribbona di atton ba'ein
Targum Rendering
And suddenly the Lord whom you seek shall come to his Temple.
Jonathan renders literally: the Lord comes suddenly to his Temple. The language is ambiguous between God himself and a Messianic figure — the targum preserves this creative ambiguity.
Hebrew (MT)
הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ לָכֶם אֵת אֵלִיָּה הַנָּבִיא
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet.
Targum (Aramaic)
ha ana meshaddar lakhon yat Eliyahu neviya
Targum Rendering
Behold, I will send to you Elijah the prophet.
Elijah's return is rendered literally. This is the last verse of the Prophets in the Jewish canon. The expectation of Elijah's return before the Day of the LORD became foundational for both Jewish and Christian eschatology (cf. Matthew 17:10-13).