Texts in Conversation
In Leviticus 8, God speaks “to” Moses in a direct and commanding tone. The Aramaic translation in Targum Onkelos changes this to say that God speaks “with” Moses, introducing a more friendly and conversational image.
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Leviticus 8:1
Hebrew Bible
1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, the anointing oil, the sin-offering bull, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread,
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Onkelos Leviticus 8:1
Targum
1 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 2 Bring Aaron near, and his sons with him, along with the garments, the anointing oil, the bull for the sin offering, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread;
Date: 100-200 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... As usual, the Targum exchanges Scripture's somewhat dictatorial one-sided 'to' with the more respectful and conversational 'with' ..."
Drazin, Israel, and Stanley M. Wagner
Onkelos on the Torah, Leviticus: Understanding the Bible Text
(p. 51) 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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