Texts in Conversation
Exodus 23 speaks of a divine messenger who leads and protects Israel yet acts with authority beyond a normal angel, and later readers debated who this figure was. Some thought it was God, and others, like the Aramaic Targums, thought it was an angel.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Exodus 23:20
Hebrew Bible
19 The first of the firstfruits of your soil you must bring to the house of the Lord your God. “You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk. 20 “I am going to send a messenger before you to protect you as you journey and to bring you into the place that I have prepared. 21 Take heed because of him, and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgressions, for my Name is in him.
Date: 750–400 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Onkelos Exodus 23:20
Targum
19 The first of the firstfruits of your land you will bring into the sanctuary of the Lord your God. Do not eat meat with milk. 20 Look, I am sending My Angel before you, to protect you on the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21 Be careful before Him, and listen to His words; do not rebel against Him, for He will not forgive your sins; for His words are in My Name.
Date: 50–500 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Based on Exodus Rabbah (32:3), Rashi suggests the untenable idea that God informed the Israelites that He would not accompany them since they will ultimately sin, as indicated in 33:3. Instead, not abandoning them completely, He would send an angel (messenger) in His stead to lead them. Ibn Ezra identifies the angel as Michael. Nachmanides disagrees and suggests that the angel mentioned is the 'Redeeming Angel' referred to in Genesis 48:16, meaning God Himself ..."
Israel Drazin and Stanley M. Wagner, Onkelos on the Torah, Exodus: Understanding the Bible Text (Jerusalem: Gefen, 2006), 155.
* 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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