Texts in Conversation
Exodus 12 says that no foreigner may eat the Passover. The Aramaic translation in Targum Onkelos interprets the term for “foreigner” narrowly, referring only to Jewish people who have abandoned their tradition, matching a Rabbinic interpretation.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Exodus 12:43
Hebrew Bible
42 It was a night of vigil for the Lord to bring them out from the land of Egypt, and so on this night all Israel is to keep the vigil to the Lord for generations to come. 43 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover. No foreigner may share in eating it. 44 But everyone’s servant who is bought for money, after you have circumcised him, may eat it.
Date: 750–400 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Onkelos Exodus 12:43
Targum
42 It is a night to be kept before the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt: this is that night before the Lord, kept by all the children of Israel throughout their generations. 43 And the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron, This is the ordinance of the Passover. Every son of Israel who apostatizes shall not eat of it; 44 but every male slave bought with money, once you have circumcised him, may eat of it.
Date: 50–500 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Onkelos clearly accepts the view that ben naykhar refers to a Jew who apostatized, rather than the other opinion in rabbinic literature that it includes a non-Jew ..."
Israel Drazin and Stanley M. Wagner, Onkelos on the Torah, Exodus: Understanding the Bible Text (Jerusalem: Gefen, 2006), 73.
* 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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