Overview
Summary
Targum Onkelos on Numbers navigates the wilderness narrative with characteristic theological care. The Aaronic Blessing (6:24-26) receives significant Memra and Shekinah treatment. Balaam's oracles contain the most important Messianic readings in the Pentateuch outside Genesis 49. The narrative of God's anger, the rebellion accounts, and the bronze serpent all receive anti-anthropomorphic adjustment.
Notable Renderings
Numbers 24:17 ('a star shall come out of Jacob') is rendered as a Messianic prophecy of a conquering king. The Aaronic Blessing introduces Shekinah language for God's shining face. The Cloud and Glory narratives are rendered as Shekinah presence. Balaam's four oracles contain the richest Messianic material in the Torah targum tradition.
Theological Themes
Messianic expectation reaches its Torah climax in Balaam's oracles; Shekinah accompaniment through the wilderness; anti-anthropomorphism in rebellion narratives (God's anger, God's fire); the priestly blessing as mediated divine presence.
Hebrew (MT)
וְלֹא יָמוּתוּ בְּגִשְׁתָּם אֶת־קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים
so they may live, and not die, when they come near to the most holy things.
Targum (Aramaic)
וְלָא יְמוּתוּן בְּמִקְרְבֵיהוֹן יָת קוֹדֶשׁ קוּדְשַׁיָּא
Targum Rendering
they shall not die when they approach the most holy.
Kohathite assignment. The peril of approaching the Holy of Holies (where the Shekinah dwells) is preserved literally — even sanctified handlers face mortal danger.
Hebrew (MT)
אִישׁ אוֹ אִשָּׁה כִּי יַעֲשׂוּ מִכָּל חַטֹּאת הָאָדָם
If a man or woman commits any of the sins.
Targum (Aramaic)
gevar ow itta arei yeyavadun mikkol chovei enasha
Targum Rendering
A man or a woman who commits any of human sins.
The general-confession command. Foundational for biblical confession theology.
Hebrew (MT)
כָּל יְמֵי נֶדֶר נִזְרוֹ תַּעַר לֹא יַעֲבֹר עַל רֹאשׁוֹ
All the days of his vow of separation, no razor shall come upon his head.
Targum (Aramaic)
kol yomei nedar nizra magalla la yei'ad al rishei
Targum Rendering
All the days of the vow of his Naziriteship, no razor shall pass over his head.
The Nazirite vow. Foundational for Samson (Judg 13), Samuel (1 Sam 1:11 — DSS preserves this clause MT lacks), John the Baptist (Luke 1:15 'he must drink no wine or strong drink'), and Paul's own Nazirite-style vow at Acts 18:18, 21:23.
Hebrew (MT)
יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ
The LORD bless you and keep you.
Targum (Aramaic)
yevarkhinnakh Adonai veyittrinnakh
Targum Rendering
The LORD bless you and keep you.
The first line of the Aaronic Blessing is rendered literally. Onkelos treats the priestly blessing as fixed liturgical language.
Hebrew (MT)
יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ... יָאֵר יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ... יִשָּׂא יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ
The LORD bless you and keep you... the LORD make his face shine upon you... the LORD lift up his countenance upon you.
Targum (Aramaic)
yevarekhinakh Adonai veyitterinakh... yan'har Adonai shechinta apohi etakh... yishshei Adonai apohi etakh
Targum Rendering
May the LORD bless you and keep you... may the LORD make his Shekinah shine upon you... may the LORD lift up his face toward you.
The Priestly Blessing is preserved with a Shekinah substitution at v. 25 ('make his Shekinah shine upon you' instead of 'make his face shine'). The blessing remains the central Aaronic benediction in Jewish synagogue liturgy and Christian liturgical traditions.
Hebrew (MT)
יָאֵר יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ
The LORD make his face shine upon you.
Targum (Aramaic)
yanhir Adonai anpoi lakh
Targum Rendering
The LORD make his face shine upon you.
Remarkably, Onkelos preserves 'his face' (anpoi) in the priestly blessing rather than substituting Shekinah. The liturgical fixity of the blessing overrides the anti-anthropomorphic tendency.
Hebrew (MT)
יִשָּׂא יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם
The LORD lift up his face upon you and give you peace.
Targum (Aramaic)
yisbbi Adonai anpoi lakh viyesavvei lakh shelam
Targum Rendering
The LORD lift up his face toward you and grant you peace.
The priestly blessing is preserved intact. This is one of the few places where Onkelos allows three consecutive anthropomorphisms (face shining, face lifting) because the blessing is too sacred and liturgically embedded to paraphrase.
Hebrew (MT)
וַיִּשְׁמַע אֶת־הַקּוֹל מִדַּבֵּר אֵלָיו מֵעַל הַכַּפֹּרֶת
And he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat.
Targum (Aramaic)
ushema yat qala demishtamal immeih me'el kappureta
Targum Rendering
And he heard the voice speaking with him from above the mercy seat.
The reflexive form 'speaking with him' (mishtamal, a hitpa'el-like form) softens the directness of God's address, suggesting a voice that extends itself rather than God speaking as a physical being.
Hebrew (MT)
וְכֹה תַעֲשֶׂה לָהֶם לְטַהֲרָם
Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them.
Targum (Aramaic)
ukhdein ta'aveid lehon ledakka'utehon
Targum Rendering
Thus you shall do to them to purify them.
The Levite-consecration ritual. Foundational for biblical ordination theology.
Hebrew (MT)
וּבְיוֹם הָקִים אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן כִּסָּה הֶעָנָן אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן
On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle.
Targum (Aramaic)
uveyoma de'iqim yat mashkena chappa ananna yat mashkena
Targum Rendering
And on the day the tabernacle was erected, the cloud covered the tabernacle.
The cloud-covering of the tabernacle — visible manifestation of the Shekinah. The same imagery is preserved at Acts 1:9 and Luke 9:34 (Transfiguration cloud) and Rev 1:7 ('coming with the clouds').
Hebrew (MT)
קוּמָה יְהוָה וְיָפֻצוּ אֹיְבֶיךָ
Arise, O LORD, and let your enemies be scattered.
Targum (Aramaic)
qum ke'an Adonai veyitbadderun saneikhah
Targum Rendering
Arise now, O LORD, and let your enemies be scattered.
Onkelos preserves Moses' battle cry including the anthropomorphic 'arise' (qum). As with the priestly blessing, fixed liturgical/battle formulas are treated as sacrosanct.
Hebrew (MT)
שׁוּבָה יְהוָה רִבְבוֹת אַלְפֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
Return, O LORD, to the ten thousands of the thousands of Israel.
Targum (Aramaic)
tuv ke'an Adonai ve'ashrei Shekhinetakh beineihon deribbevan alfei Yisrael
Targum Rendering
Return now, O LORD, and cause your Shekinah to dwell among the tens of thousands of Israel.
When the ark rests, God's 'returning' is interpreted as the Shekinah dwelling among Israel. The military cry becomes a prayer for renewed Shekinah presence among the myriads of Israel.
Hebrew (MT)
וַיִּשְׁמַע יְהוָה וַיִּחַר אַפּוֹ
And the LORD heard, and his anger was kindled.
Targum (Aramaic)
ushtamia' qodam Adonai vetqif rug'zeih
Targum Rendering
And it was heard before the LORD, and his anger was strong.
Double adjustment: 'the LORD heard' becomes the passive 'it was heard before the LORD,' and 'his anger was kindled' (fire metaphor) becomes 'his anger was strong' (strength metaphor), removing both the anthropomorphic hearing and the fire imagery.
Hebrew (MT)
וְאָצַלְתִּי מִן־הָרוּחַ אֲשֶׁר עָלֶיךָ וְשַׂמְתִּי עֲלֵיהֶם
And I will take some of the spirit that is upon you and put it upon them.
Targum (Aramaic)
ve'atzel min rucha di alakh ve'ashavvei aleihon
Targum Rendering
And I will set apart from the spirit that is upon you and place it upon them.
Onkelos renders the distribution of Moses' spirit to the seventy elders literally. The spirit (rucha) is treated as a divine gift that can be shared without diminishment.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי מְאַסְתֶּם אֶת־יְהוָה אֲשֶׁר בְּקִרְבְּכֶם
Because you have rejected the LORD who is among you.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei rechaiqton min qodam Adonai di Shekhinteih beinekhon
Targum Rendering
Because you have distanced yourselves from before the LORD whose Shekinah is among you.
God's being 'in your midst' is rendered as 'whose Shekinah is among you.' Israel's rejection is described as distancing from the Shekinah-presence, making sin a relational separation from divine indwelling.
Hebrew (MT)
וַיֵּרֶד יְהוָה בֶּעָנָן וַיְדַבֵּר אֵלָיו
The LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him.
Targum (Aramaic)
ve'itgli yeqara deAdonai be'anana umallel imei
Targum Rendering
And the Glory of the LORD revealed itself in the cloud, and spoke with him.
Standard Onkelos handling of YHWH's descent: the Glory (yeqara) is the manifesting agent, not YHWH himself directly.
Hebrew (MT)
וּמִי יִתֵּן כָּל עַם יְהוָה נְבִיאִים
Would that all the LORD's people were prophets!
Targum (Aramaic)
ulevai dey'hi kol amma deAdonai nevayya
Targum Rendering
If only all the people of the LORD were prophets.
Moses' prophetic-democracy wish. Anticipates the Pentecost outpouring (Acts 2:17-18, citing Joel 2:28-29).
Hebrew (MT)
לֹא כֵן עַבְדִּי מֹשֶׁה בְּכָל בֵּיתִי נֶאֱמָן הוּא
Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house.
Targum (Aramaic)
la khein avdi moshe bekhol bei mehemena hu
Targum Rendering
Not so my servant Moses; in all my house he is faithful.
MARQUEE — cited at Hebrews 3:5-6 in the writer's contrast of Moses (faithful as a SERVANT in God's house) and Christ (faithful as a SON over God's house). The Targum preserves the formula precisely. Foundational for Christian Christology of supremacy-over-Moses.
Hebrew (MT)
וּתְמֻנַת יְהוָה יַבִּיט
And the form of the LORD he beholds.
Targum (Aramaic)
vetzelem yeqara daAdonai mistakkal
Targum Rendering
And the likeness of the glory of the LORD he beholds.
Moses does not behold 'the form of the LORD' but 'the likeness of the glory of the LORD.' A double buffer — both 'likeness' (tzelem) and 'glory' (yeqar) — separates Moses from direct vision of God.
Hebrew (MT)
עָלֹה נַעֲלֶה וְיָרַשְׁנוּ אֹתָהּ
Let us go up at once and occupy it.
Targum (Aramaic)
missaq nissaq ve'eirot yatah
Targum Rendering
Let us indeed go up and possess it.
Caleb's faith-confession against the spies. Foundational for biblical theology of bold-faith-versus-fear.
Hebrew (MT)
אִם חָפֵץ בָּנוּ יְהוָה
If the LORD delights in us.
Targum (Aramaic)
im itre'i banna Adonai
Targum Rendering
If the LORD delights in us.
Caleb-and-Joshua's intercession. Foundational for biblical theology of God's-pleasure-in-his-people.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי יְהוָה אִתָּנוּ
For the LORD is with us.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei Memra daAdonai besiyyanan
Targum Rendering
For the Memra of the LORD is in our help.
Caleb's and Joshua's declaration of confidence is expressed through the Memra. God's presence with Israel in military contexts is consistently mediated through the Word.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי אַתָּה יְהוָה בְּקֶרֶב הָעָם הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר־עַיִן בְּעַיִן נִרְאָה אַתָּה יְהוָה
For you, O LORD, are among this people, for you, O LORD, are seen eye to eye.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei att Adonai di Shekhinetakh sharyah bego amma hadein di ein be'ein itchazi yeqarakh Adonai
Targum Rendering
For you, O LORD, whose Shekinah dwells among this people, whose glory is seen eye to eye, O LORD.
Three adjustments: (1) God among the people becomes Shekinah dwelling among them, (2) God being seen becomes his glory being seen, (3) the direct address is preserved. Moses argues that the nations know of God's Shekinah-presence — divine indwelling is publicly visible.
Hebrew (MT)
יְהוָה אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב־חֶסֶד
The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Targum (Aramaic)
Adonai rachiq min rug'za vesaggi le'me'bad chisda
Targum Rendering
The LORD is far from anger and great in doing mercy.
'Slow to anger' (lit. 'long of nostrils') becomes 'far from anger' (rachiq min rug'za), removing the body-part metaphor entirely. 'Abounding in chesed' becomes 'great in doing mercy,' emphasizing active beneficence.
Hebrew (MT)
אוּלָם חַי אָנִי וְיִמָּלֵא כְבוֹד יְהוָה אֶת כָּל הָאָרֶץ
Truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.
Targum (Aramaic)
berem qayyam ana veyithmelei yeqara deAdonai yat kol ar'a
Targum Rendering
Truly, as I live, the Glory of the LORD shall fill the whole earth.
The Glory-fills-the-earth oath. Foundational for OT eschatological-cosmic-glory theology. Echoed at Hab 2:14, Isa 11:9, and Rev 5:13.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי אֵין יְהוָה בְּקִרְבְּכֶם
For the LORD is not among you.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei leit Shekhinteih daAdonai beineikhon
Targum Rendering
For the Shekinah of the LORD is not among you.
The warning against going up without God is expressed as the absence of the Shekinah. Military defeat follows from Shekinah withdrawal — the inverse of Numbers 10:36.
Hebrew (MT)
וְלֹא תָתֻרוּ אַחֲרֵי לְבַבְכֶם וְאַחֲרֵי עֵינֵיכֶם
and not follow after your own heart and your own eyes.
Targum (Aramaic)
וְלָא תִתְפַּנּוּן בָּתַר הִרְהוּר לִבְּכוֹן וּבָתַר חֵיזוּ עֵינֵיכוֹן
Targum Rendering
you shall not turn aside after the inclination of your heart and after the sight of your eyes.
Tzitzit purpose. Targum interprets 'heart' as 'inclination of heart' (הִרְהוּר — same root as yetzer ha-ra discussions) — moral psychology made explicit.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי כָל־הָעֵדָה כֻּלָּם קְדֹשִׁים וּבְתוֹכָם יְהוָה
For all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei khol kenishta kullehon qaddishin uveinehon Shekhinteih daAdonai
Targum Rendering
For all the congregation, all of them are holy, and among them is the Shekinah of the LORD.
Even Korah's rebellious claim uses Shekinah language. The theological grammar of divine presence is consistent regardless of speaker — the Shekinah is among Israel whether the claim is legitimate or presumptuous.
Hebrew (MT)
וּבְרִיאָה יִבְרָא יְהוָה
But if the LORD creates something new.
Targum (Aramaic)
uveriah yivra Adonai
Targum Rendering
And if a creation the LORD creates.
Moses' Korah-judgment formula. The 'creation creates' wordplay (briah yivra) anticipates the new-creation theology of 2 Cor 5:17.
Hebrew (MT)
וְהִנֵּה פָּרַח מַטֵּה־אַהֲרֹן לְבֵית לֵוִי
behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted.
Targum (Aramaic)
וְהָא אַפֵּיק לִבְלוּבִין חוּטְרָא דְאַהֲרֹן לְבֵית לֵוִי
Targum Rendering
behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had budded.
Aaron's budding-rod miracle. Vindication of priestly election. Cited Heb 9:4 (rod stored in the Ark) — the budding-rod becomes a typological emblem of resurrection.
Hebrew (MT)
וְאַתָּה וּבָנֶיךָ אִתְּךָ תִּשְׁמְרוּ אֶת כְּהֻנַּתְכֶם
You and your sons shall guard your priesthood.
Targum (Aramaic)
ve'att uvenakh imakh tiyttarun yat kahanutkhon
Targum Rendering
You and your sons with you shall guard your priesthood.
The priestly-guardianship command. Foundational for OT priest-as-Torah-watchman theology.
Hebrew (MT)
פָּרָה אֲדֻמָּה תְּמִימָה אֲשֶׁר אֵין בָּהּ מוּם
A red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish.
Targum (Aramaic)
torta sumaqta shelimta dileit bah muma
Targum Rendering
A red heifer, perfect, in which is no blemish.
The red heifer (parah adummah) — its ashes were the central agent of ritual purification. Cited at Hebrews 9:13-14 in Christ's-blood-vs-heifer-ashes argument. The 'no blemish' (mum) requirement parallels the unblemished-lamb language of 1 Pet 1:19.
Hebrew (MT)
וְדִבַּרְתֶּם אֶל־הַסֶּלַע לְעֵינֵיהֶם וְנָתַן מֵימָיו
you shall speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will give its water.
Targum (Aramaic)
וּתְמַלְּלוּן עִם כֵּיפָא לְעֵינֵיהוֹן וִיתֵין מַיָּהּ
Targum Rendering
you shall speak to the rock before their eyes, and it shall give its waters.
Meribah command — the rock that Moses struck instead of speaking. Cited 1 Cor 10:4: 'that rock was Christ.' The Targum preserves the speech-command — the rock yields water to the divine word.
Hebrew (MT)
וַיְשַׁלַּח יְהוָה בָּעָם אֵת הַנְּחָשִׁים הַשְּׂרָפִים
And the LORD sent among the people fiery serpents.
Targum (Aramaic)
veshaddar Adonai be'amma yat chivvayya qattolayya
Targum Rendering
And the LORD sent among the people the killing serpents.
'Fiery serpents' (seraphim) becomes 'killing serpents' (qattolayya), interpreting the adjective by its effect rather than its appearance. Onkelos focuses on the deadly function.
Hebrew (MT)
עֲשֵׂה לְךָ שָׂרָף... וְהָיָה כָּל־הַנָּשׁוּךְ וְרָאָה אֹתוֹ וָחָי
Make for yourself a fiery serpent... and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.
Targum (Aramaic)
avid lakh chivya... vihavei kol de'nikhteih chivya veyistakkal beih viyeqayyam
Targum Rendering
Make for yourself a serpent... and it shall be that everyone bitten by a serpent who looks at it shall live.
Onkelos renders this literally. The bronze serpent passage, which Jesus cites in John 3:14, receives no interpretive adjustment — the act of looking and living is preserved without rationalization.
Hebrew (MT)
עֲשֵׂה לְךָ שָׂרָף
Make a fiery serpent.
Targum (Aramaic)
avid lakh chivya
Targum Rendering
Make for yourself a serpent.
The bronze-serpent command (verse 9 already covered → John 3:14 typology).
Hebrew (MT)
וַיַּעַשׂ מֹשֶׁה נְחַשׁ נְחֹשֶׁת וַיְשִׂמֵהוּ עַל הַנֵּס
Moses made a serpent of bronze and set it on a pole.
Targum (Aramaic)
va'avad moshe chivya dinechasha veshavyeih al nesa
Targum Rendering
And Moses made a serpent of bronze and set it on a pole.
MARQUEE MESSIANIC TYPOLOGY. Jesus cites this passage at John 3:14 ('as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up') as the key OT type for the crucifixion. The Targum preserves the literal account; the typology is developed in the New Testament.
Hebrew (MT)
וַיָּבֹא אֱלֹהִים אֶל־בִּלְעָם
And God came to Balaam.
Targum (Aramaic)
va'ata pitgama min qodam Adonai levat Bil'am
Targum Rendering
And a word came from before the LORD to Balaam.
God does not 'come to' Balaam. A word (pitgama) comes from before the LORD, consistent with the treatment of Abimelech's dream in Genesis 20:3. Divine communication replaces divine movement.
Hebrew (MT)
וַיְגַל יְהוָה אֶת עֵינֵי בִלְעָם וַיַּרְא אֶת מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה
Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD.
Targum (Aramaic)
ugala Adonai yat einei vilam vachaza yat malakha deAdonai
Targum Rendering
And the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD.
PRE-NICENE TIER S — Angel of YHWH passage. The 'angel of the LORD' (mal'akh YHWH) speaks and acts AS God across the Hebrew Bible. The Greek fathers (Justin Martyr, Dial. 56–60; Tertullian; Eusebius) read these passages as Christophanies — pre-incarnate appearances of the Son. The Targum's interpretive choices represent the Jewish counter-position. Some passages preserve the angel-as-YHWH reading; some smooth toward 'an angel sent BY YHWH.' The variation is itself the data.
Balaam's angel encounter. The donkey saw the angel before Balaam did — a classic prophetic-revelation reversal. The Targum preserves the angel-of-the-LORD form. The angel speaks as YHWH throughout the encounter.
Hebrew (MT)
מָה אֶקֹּב לֹא קַבֹּה אֵל
How shall I curse whom God has not cursed?
Targum (Aramaic)
mah elut di la lateih min qodam Adonai
Targum Rendering
How shall I curse whom the LORD has not cursed?
Balaam's first oracle acknowledges that cursing requires divine sanction. Onkelos adds 'from before the LORD,' applying the standard reverential formula.
Hebrew (MT)
לֹא אִישׁ אֵל וִיכַזֵּב וּבֶן־אָדָם וְיִתְנֶחָם
God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man that he should repent.
Targum (Aramaic)
la kevarnash pithgamoi de'El vichaddav ubar enash veyitnecheminnei
Targum Rendering
Not like the words of a man are the words of God that he should lie, nor like a son of man that he should repent.
Onkelos shifts from direct comparison ('God is not a man') to comparing God's words with human words, further distancing God from any human likeness while preserving the theological point about divine faithfulness.
Hebrew (MT)
יְהוָה אֱלֹהָיו עִמּוֹ וּתְרוּעַת מֶלֶךְ בּוֹ
The LORD their God is with them, and the shout of a king is among them.
Targum (Aramaic)
Memra daAdonai Elahehon besiyyehon veShekhinat malkhon beinehon
Targum Rendering
The Memra of the LORD their God is in their help, and the Shekinah of their King is among them.
Both Memra and Shekinah appear in the same verse — a rare double occurrence. God's presence with Israel is Memra-help; the King's presence is Shekinah-indwelling. The 'shout of a king' is interpreted as the Shekinah of their King, a royal-divine presence.
Hebrew (MT)
מַחֲזֵה שַׁדַּי יֶחֱזֶה
The vision of the Almighty he sees.
Targum (Aramaic)
dechezvan min qodam Shadday chaza
Targum Rendering
Visions from before the Almighty he has seen.
Balaam's vision is 'from before' (min qodam) the Almighty, adding the standard reverential distance. The prophet sees visions that originate from God's presence, not God himself.
Hebrew (MT)
מַה טֹּבוּ אֹהָלֶיךָ יַעֲקֹב
How lovely are your tents, O Jacob.
Targum (Aramaic)
ma tavin mashkenatakh yaakov
Targum Rendering
How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob.
Balaam's third-oracle blessing. Foundational for the Jewish Mah Tovu prayer. Echoed in Christian Marian-blessing contexts ('blessed are you among women').
Hebrew (MT)
כַּאֲהָלִים נָטַע יְהוָה
As aloes which the LORD has planted.
Targum (Aramaic)
kemishkenayya di natav Adonai
Targum Rendering
As tabernacles which the LORD has planted.
'Aloes' (ahalim) is read as 'tabernacles/tents' (mishkenayya), creating a wordplay connecting Israel's encampments to the divine Tabernacle. The botanical becomes architectural and theological.
Hebrew (MT)
יִזַּל־מַיִם מִדָּלְיָו... וְיָרֹם מֵאֲגַג מַלְכּוֹ
Water shall flow from his buckets... and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.
Targum (Aramaic)
yitrab malka minehon... veyitrom al Agag malkhon veyitnesei malkhutehon
Targum Rendering
A king shall arise from them... and he shall be exalted above Agag, their king, and his kingdom shall be lifted up.
Onkelos reads the agricultural imagery as Messianic royal prophecy: water from buckets becomes a king arising. The reference to Agag is preserved as a concrete historical reference — the Messiah-king will surpass even the greatest Gentile rulers.
Hebrew (MT)
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל
A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.
Targum (Aramaic)
yiqum malka miYa'aqov veyitrebbei meshicha miYisrael
Targum Rendering
A king shall arise from Jacob and the Messiah shall be anointed from Israel.
This is the most important Messianic passage in the Torah targum. The star becomes a king; the scepter becomes the Messiah. Onkelos explicitly identifies the figure as 'the Messiah' (meshicha), making this the clearest proof that pre-Christian Judaism read Numbers 24:17 as a Messianic prophecy. Bar Kokhba ('Son of the Star') later claimed this verse.
Hebrew (MT)
וְהָיָה אֱדוֹם יְרֵשָׁה
And Edom shall be a possession.
Targum (Aramaic)
viyehei Edom yeritat
Targum Rendering
And Edom shall be a possession.
In context with 24:17, the Messiah's conquest of Edom is rendered literally. Edom was later identified with Rome in rabbinic literature, giving this Messianic conquest an eschatological dimension.
Hebrew (MT)
רֵאשִׁית גּוֹיִם עֲמָלֵק
Amalek was the first among the nations.
Targum (Aramaic)
reishit qeravayya da'avad im Yisrael Amaleq
Targum Rendering
The first of the nations that waged war with Israel was Amalek.
Onkelos clarifies: Amalek's primacy is not in greatness but in being the first to attack Israel (Exodus 17), reading the oracle as historical interpretation.
Hebrew (MT)
וְצִים מִיַּד כִּתִּים
And ships from the coast of Kittim.
Targum (Aramaic)
veliggeyonin min yad Kittayei
Targum Rendering
And legions from the coast of Kittim.
'Ships' becomes 'legions,' and Kittim (originally Cyprus) represents Rome in the targum's eschatological reading. Balaam's final oracle encompasses world-historical scope — Rome will rise but ultimately fall.
Hebrew (MT)
וְהָיְתָה לּוֹ וּלְזַרְעוֹ אַחֲרָיו בְּרִית כְּהֻנַּת עוֹלָם
And it shall be to him and to his offspring after him the covenant of a perpetual priesthood.
Targum (Aramaic)
utehei leih ulivnohi batreih qeyam kahanuta dealma
Targum Rendering
And it shall be for him and for his offspring after him a covenant of perpetual priesthood.
The Phinehas covenant. The 'covenant of perpetual priesthood' is foundational for the Aaronic priestly genealogy (1 Chr 6) and is contrasted at Hebrews 7 with the Melchizedekian priesthood of Christ — the Aaronic perpetuity is set against an even-more-perpetual order.
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי־אָמַר יְהוָה לָהֶם מוֹת יָמֻתוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר
for the LORD had said of them, 'They shall surely die in the wilderness.'
Targum (Aramaic)
אֲרֵי אֲמַר יְיָ לְהוֹן מְמָת יְמוּתוּן בְּמַדְבְּרָא
Targum Rendering
for the LORD had said to them, 'They shall surely die in the wilderness.'
Final wilderness-census reflection. The fulfillment of Num 14's judgment-decree — the entire wilderness generation died as YHWH had spoken.
Hebrew (MT)
יִפְקֹד יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי הָרוּחֹת לְכָל־בָּשָׂר
Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint.
Targum (Aramaic)
yemanni Adonai Elaha druchata lekhol bisra
Targum Rendering
Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint.
Moses' prayer for a successor is rendered literally. The title 'God of the spirits of all flesh' requires no anti-anthropomorphic adjustment — it is already abstract and theological.
Hebrew (MT)
קַח לְךָ אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר רוּחַ בּוֹ
Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit.
Targum (Aramaic)
deber lakh yat yehoshua bar nun gevar dirueach nevua beih
Targum Rendering
Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of prophecy.
Joshua's commissioning. The Targum specifies 'spirit of prophecy' — the same hermeneutical sharpening as Genesis 41:38 (Joseph) and Deuteronomy 34:9 (Joshua again). Pre-Nicene framing: the prophetic Spirit is a distinct mode of divine activity.
Hebrew (MT)
וְלִפְנֵי אֶלְעָזָר הַכֹּהֵן יַעֲמֹד
He shall stand before Eleazar the priest.
Targum (Aramaic)
uqodam eliazar kahana yequm
Targum Rendering
And before Eleazar the priest he shall stand.
Joshua's priestly-consultation requirement. The Urim-and-Thummim oracle. Foundational for OT priest-and-king balance.
Hebrew (MT)
אֶת קָרְבָּנִי לַחְמִי
My offering, my food for my food offerings.
Targum (Aramaic)
yat qurbani lacham qudshi
Targum Rendering
My offering, my holy bread.
The daily-tamid offerings. Foundational for biblical sacrificial-tradition.
Hebrew (MT)
אִישׁ כִּי־יִדֹּר נֶדֶר לַיהוָה
if a man vows a vow to the LORD.
Targum (Aramaic)
גְּבַר אֲרֵי יִידַּר נְדַר קֳדָם יְיָ
Targum Rendering
if a man vows a vow before the LORD.
Vow-law preface. Vows made 'before the LORD' (קֳדָם) — anti-anthropomorphism: vows are sworn in the divine presence, not given as property to God. Echoes in Matt 5:33-37 (Sermon on the Mount on oaths).
Hebrew (MT)
וּדְעוּ חַטַּאתְכֶם אֲשֶׁר תִּמְצָא אֶתְכֶם
and be sure your sin will find you out.
Targum (Aramaic)
וְדַעוּ חוֹבֵיכוֹן דְּיַשְׁכְּחוּן יָתְכוֹן
Targum Rendering
know that your sins will find you out.
Moses to Reubenites/Gadites. Proverbial covenantal warning preserved literally — sin as agent that pursues the sinner.
Hebrew (MT)
וּבֵאלֹהֵיהֶם עָשָׂה יְהוָה שְׁפָטִים
And upon their gods the LORD executed judgments.
Targum (Aramaic)
uveta'avathon avad Adonai dinin
Targum Rendering
And upon their idols the LORD executed judgments.
'Their gods' (elohehem) is rendered 'their idols' (ta'avathon, literally 'abominations'), making clear that Egyptian deities are not gods but objects of false worship.
Hebrew (MT)
וְהָיָה אֲשֶׁר תּוֹתִירוּ מֵהֶם לְשִׂכִּים בְּעֵינֵיכֶם
Then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes.
Targum (Aramaic)
vihei diteish'arun minhon le'av'av seqayya be'eineikhon
Targum Rendering
And those whom you allow to remain shall be as thorns in your eyes.
The thorns-in-the-eyes warning. Used metaphorically by Paul at 2 Cor 12:7 ('a thorn was given me in the flesh').
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי בְעִיר מִקְלָטוֹ יֵשֵׁב עַד מוֹת הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדֹל
He shall remain in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei beqarta deshizvuteih yetiv ad demayet kahana rabba
Targum Rendering
For in his city of refuge he shall dwell until the death of the high priest.
The cities-of-refuge / high-priest-death formula. Foundational for biblical-typological reading of the high priest's death as substitutionary atonement (cf. Heb 7-9, the Christological extension).
Hebrew (MT)
כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה שֹׁכֵן בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
For I am the LORD who dwells among the children of Israel.
Targum (Aramaic)
arei ana Adonai di Shekhineti sharyah bego benei Yisrael
Targum Rendering
For I am the LORD whose Shekinah dwells among the children of Israel.
The closing theological statement of Numbers: God does not dwell among Israel directly but through the Shekinah. The land must be kept pure because the Shekinah is present within it.
Hebrew (MT)
וְלֹא־תִסֹּב נַחֲלָה לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמַּטֶּה אֶל־מַטֶּה
no inheritance of the people of Israel shall be transferred from one tribe to another.
Targum (Aramaic)
וְלָא תִסְחַר אַחֲסָנָא לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִשִּׁבְטָא לְשִׁבְטָא
Targum Rendering
no inheritance among the children of Israel shall pass from tribe to tribe.
Daughters-of-Zelophehad coda. Tribal-inheritance protected — the covenantal-land-grant is preserved per tribe forever.