Texts in Conversation
Isaiah 6 describes a sacred Asherah tree being cut down to indicate the destruction of the land, with a surviving remnant compared to a seed. The Aramaic translation in Targum Jonathan explains that this is a reference to the sufferings of the people.
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Isaiah 6:13
Hebrew Bible
12 and the Lord has sent the people off to a distant place,and the very heart of the land is completely abandoned. 13 Even if only a tenth of the people remain in the land, it will again be destroyed, like one of the large sacred trees or an Asherah pole, when a sacred pillar on a high place is thrown down. That sacred pillar symbolizes the special chosen family.”
Date: 7th-5th Centuries B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Jonathan Isaiah 6:13
Targum
12 And the Lord have removed the children of men far away, and the desolation be great in the midst of the land. 13 And there shall be left in it righteous men, one out of ten: they shall return, and they shall be for poverty, as the terebynth and the oak when their leaves fall, they are like to dry trees, nevertheless, they are moist to raise up seed from them; thus the captivity of Israel shall be gathered, and shall return to their land, for the seed which is holy is their plantation.
Date: 200-300 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The Isaiah targumist explains many metaphors in the text, sometimes completely rewriting the passage, as in Isaiah 6:13, and identifies the positions of many of the people that are mentioned. The targumist removes some but not all anthropomorphisms by adding 'before,' 'glory,' Shekhinah and memra (word or wisdom). It is significant to note that the targumist's language of 6:3, Isaiah's vision of the words he heard the attendants (not Seraphim, as in the Hebrew) of God say, are repeated by Jewish worshipers in the daily services. Of special significance is the targumist's interpretation of verses 9:5 and 9:6, verses that many Christians assumed referred to Jesus. Just like Rashi and later Jewish commentators, the Isaiah targumist understood the passage to speak of the son of King Achaz, who did not follow God's commands. He would have a son whom God, the 'wonderful counselor,' will call 'Messiah,' meaning the 'anointed one,' and signifying that he will rule after Achaz. This child will keep the laws of the Torah and bring peace to the land ..."
Drazin, Israel, and Stanley M. Wagner
Onkelos on the Torah, Exodus: Understanding the Bible Text
(p. 294) 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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