Texts in Conversation
In Exodus 14:15, God’s question suggests that Moses is crying out in fear. The Aramaic translation in Targum Onkelos changes this into a calm statement, removing any hint of panic. This was likely changed to protect Moses’ dignity and follows a pattern in the Targums that preserve the honor of Israel’s ancestors.
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Exodus 14:15
Hebrew Bible
14 The Lord will fight for you, and you can be still.” 15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 And as for you, lift up your staff and extend your hand toward the sea and divide it, so that the Israelites may go through the middle of the sea on dry ground.
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Onkelos Exodus 14:15
Targum
14 the Lord will fight for you the fight, and you shall be quiet. 15 And the Lord said to Mosheh, I have heard your prayer. Speak to the children of Israel that they go onward: 16 and you, take your rod and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it, and the children of Israel shall go into the middle of the sea on dry ground.
Date: 100-200 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Our targumist alters the biblical 'why are you crying to me?' replacing a rhetorical question with an affirmative clause. Onkelos protects the dignity of Moses by not portraying him as crying in fear or apprehension. The Mekhilta has God saying: 'Moses, my children are in distress ... and you stand there reciting long prayers ... there is a time to be brief in prayer and a time to be lengthy.' Our translator may also be suggesting that since God had already accepted Moses' prayer, it was no longer necessary to pray ..."
Drazin, Israel, and Stanley M. Wagner
Onkelos on the Torah, Exodus: Understanding the Bible Text
(p. 83) Gefen, 2006
* 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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