Texts in Conversation
Genesis 15 calls God Abram’s shield and reward. The Aramaic translation in Targum Neofiti adds the “Memra” as an intermediary and shifts Abram’s concern, showing his fear that receiving blessings now will lessen his later eschatological reward.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Genesis 15:1
Hebrew Bible
1 After these things the Lord’s message came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield and the one who will reward you in great abundance.” 2 But Abram said, “O Sovereign Lord, what will you give me since I continue to be childless, and my heir is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Abram added, “Since you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir!” 4 But look, the Lord’s message came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but instead a son who comes from your own body will be your heir.”
Date: 750–400 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Neofiti Genesis 15:1
Targum
1 After these things, after all the kingdoms of the earth had gathered together and drawn up battle against Abram, and had fallen before him, and he had killed four kings of them and brought back nine camps, Abram thought in his heart and said, “Woe is me now! Perhaps I have received the reward of the commandments in this world, and there is no portion for me in the world to come. Or perhaps the brothers or the kinsmen of these slain men who fell before me will go and be in their fortified towns and in their cities, and many legions will join up with them, and they will come against me and kill me. Or perhaps there were a few commandments to my credit the first time, when they fell before me, and they stood up for me; or perhaps no commandment will be found to my credit the second time, and the name of Heaven will be profaned through me.” For this reason a word of prophecy came from before the Lord to Abram the righteous, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram; for even though many legions join up and come against you to kill you, my Memra will be a shield for you, and it will be a protection for you in this world. And even though I have handed your enemies over before you in this world, the reward of your good deeds is made ready for you before me in the world to come.” 2 And Abram said, “I entreat you, in mercy from before you, Lord: much you have given me, and much is before you to give me; but I am going from the world without sons, and Eliezer, a son of my house, by whose hands miracles were done for me in Damascus, will be my heir.” 3 And Abram said, “Look, to me you have not given sons, and look, a son of my house will be my heir.”
Date: 300–600 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Christ reminded those who came to hear him that those who perform their good deeds to be seen by men have no reward before God (Matthew 6:1). They have already received their reward while on earth (6:2, 5, 16). Abram, too, feared he would lose his reward in heaven because of favours received while on earth ... (Genesis 15:1, Pseudo-Jonathan differs only slightly from the other texts in the Palestinian Targums) ..."
Martin McNamara, Targum and Testament Revisited: Aramaic Paraphrases of the Hebrew Bible: A Light on the New Testament, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010), 199–200.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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