Texts in Conversation
Exodus says the tabernacle inventory was recorded at Moses' command. The Aramaic translation in Targum Onkelos adds it was done by the memra of Moses, usually used for God's word, showing the word doesn't always have theological meaning.
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Exodus 38:21
Hebrew Bible
20 All the tent pegs of the tabernacle and of the courtyard all around were bronze. 21 This is the inventory of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, which was counted by the order of Moses, being the work of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest. 22 Now Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything that the Lord had commanded Moses;
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Onkelos Exodus 38:21
Targum
20 All the tent pegs of the tabernacle and of the surrounding courtyard were bronze. 21 These are the amounts of materials used for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the covenant law, which were counted according to the Memra of Moses by the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest. 22 Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything the Lord commanded Moses;
Date: 100-200 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The targumist transforms the biblical 'by mouth' to memra. By using this term for humans, he demonstrates that the word has no theological significance, even when it applies to God ..."
Drazin, Israel, and Stanley M. Wagner
Onkelos on the Torah, Exodus: Understanding the Bible Text
(p. 265) 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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