Texts in Conversation
In Exodus, a servant choosing to remain with his master is brought 'to the gods,' traditionally interpreted as judges. The Aramaic translation in Targum Onkelos translates this 'before the judges,' clarifying it and removing any polytheistic reading.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Exodus 21:6
Hebrew Bible
5 But if the servant should declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ 6 then his master must bring him to the gods13, and he will bring him to the door or the doorpost, and his master will pierce his ear with an awl, and he shall serve him forever. 7 “If a man sells his daughter as a female servant, she will not go out as the male servants do.
Date: 750–400 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Onkelos Exodus 21:6
Targum
5 But if the servant plainly says, I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out free, 6 his master shall bring him before the judges, and shall bring him to the door or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall be his servant who works for him forever. 7 And when a man sells his daughter as a female servant, she shall not go out as the male servants go out.
Date: 50–500 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The Bible reads 'to the Elohim,' which is translated by Onkelos, Saadiah, Rashi, ibn Ezra, Rashbam, and the Mekhilta, as 'judges.' Onkelos also replaces 'to' with 'before' ..."
Israel Drazin and Stanley M. Wagner, Onkelos on the Torah, Exodus: Understanding the Bible Text (Jerusalem: Gefen, 2006), 132.
* 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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