Texts in Conversation
Genesis 3 uses “Elohim,” often translated as “God,” to say the humans will become like God. The Aramaic translation in Targum Onkelos interprets this as referring to “angels” or other divine beings, to avoid saying that humans could ever be like God.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Genesis 3:5
Hebrew Bible
4 The serpent said to the woman, “Surely you will not die, 5 for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
Date: 750–400 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Onkelos Genesis 3:5
Targum
4 And the serpent said to the woman, You certainly will not die: 5 for it is known to the Lord that on the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be as the Great-ones, knowing good and evil. 6 And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a cure for the eyes, and a tree desirable to look at; and she took some of its fruit and ate; and she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate.
Date: 50–500 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Hebrew: Elohim ... the term can relate to someone powerful. Saadiah and ibn Ezra interpret it here as 'angels' and Rashi as 'creators of worlds.' See also 6:2, where 'great ones' appears again. Similarly, in Exodus 21:6, the master does not lead his Slave before Elohim (as stated in Scripture), since one cannot approach God; the slave is led before the 'judges' ..."
Israel Drazin and Stanley M. Wagner, Onkelos on the Torah, Genesis: Understanding the Bible Text (Jerusalem: Gefen, 2006), 17.
* 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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