Texts in Conversation
In Exodus, the people sit down to eat and drink at the golden calf. In the Aramaic translation in Targum Onkelos, they recline instead, as diners did when the translation was composed.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Exodus 32:6
Hebrew Bible
5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it, and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow will be a feast to the Lord.” 6 So they got up early on the next day and offered up burnt offerings and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play. 7 The Lord spoke to Moses, “Go quickly, descend, because your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have acted corruptly.
Date: 750–400 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Onkelos Exodus 32:6
Targum
5 And Aaron saw it, and built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, Tomorrow there shall be a feast before the Lord. 6 And they got up early the next day, and offered burnt offerings and brought sacrifices; and the people reclined to eat and drink, and got up to celebrate. 7 And the Lord spoke with Moses, Go down, for your people whom you brought up from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves;
Date: 50–500 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
“... RECLINED. Onkelos replaces Scripture’s “sat” to suggest the eating practice customary when the Targum was composed. The custom of reclining at a Passover Seder meal reflects this practice. It is also mentioned in the Targum to II Samuel 20:5. ...”
Israel Drazin and Stanley M. Wagner, Onkelos on the Torah, Exodus: Understanding the Bible Text (Jerusalem: Gefen, 2006), 218–219.
* 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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