Texts in Conversation
In Luke, Jesus uses the image of being sifted like wheat to describe testing, language similar to the Aramaic translation of Deuteronomy 33 in Targum Neofiti. Jesus likely drew on an Aramaic tradition later preserved in the Targum.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Deuteronomy 33:8
Hebrew Bible
8 Of Levi he said: “Your Thummim and Urim belong to your godly one, whose authority you challenged at Massah, and with whom you argued at the waters of Meribah. 9 He said to his father and mother, ‘I have not seen him,’ and he did not acknowledge his own brothers or know his own children, for they kept your word, and guarded your covenant.
Date: 750–400 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Luke 22:31
New Testament
29 Thus I grant to you a kingdom, just as my Father granted to me, 30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 31 “Simon, Simon, pay attention! Satan has demanded to have you all, to sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. When you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” 33 But Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death!”
Date: 75–85 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
Neofiti Deuteronomy 33:8
Targum
8 Moses, the prophet of the Lord, blessed the tribe of Levi and said, “You clothed Aaron, the faithful man, with the Thummim and Urim. You sifted him, and he stood firm under trial; you tested him at the Waters of Strife, and he proved faithful. 9 For it is said of the tribe of Levi, ‘He showed no partiality to his father or mother in judgment. He did not recognize his brothers in the affair of the calf or have compassion on his sons in the affair of Zimri.’ For they kept the word of your mouth and carefully observed your decrees and your Law.
Date: 300–1000 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The figure of speech used by Jesus, 'Simon, Simon! Remember that Satan has asked for you, to sift you all like wheat' (Luke 22:31), for which P. Billerbeck has no parallel to propose from Jewish literature, occurs in Neofiti Deuteronomy 33:8 ..."
Roger Le Déaut, “Targumic Literature and New Testament Interpretation,” BTB 4.3 (1974): 247.
* 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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