Texts in Conversation
Isaiah 11:4 presents a vision of a just ruler who defends the poor and punishes the wicked. The Aramaic translation in Targum Jonathan adds the name Romulus before the term for the wicked, identifying one of the enemies as Rome. This anachronistic reference likely intends to connect the narrative to present events.
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Isaiah 11:4
Hebrew Bible
3 His smelling is in the fear of the Lord7. He will not judge by mere appearances or make decisions on the basis of hearsay. 4 He will treat the poor fairly and make right decisions for the downtrodden of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth and order the wicked to be executed. 5 Justice will be like a belt around his waist, integrity will be like a belt around his hips.
Date: 7th-5th Centuries B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Jonathan Isaiah 11:4
Targum
He shall bring him to the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge according to the sight of His eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears. But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with faithfulness the needy of the earth; and he shall smite the sinners of the earth with the word of his mouth, and with the speech of His lips he shall slay Romulus the wicked. And the righteous shall be round about him, and the workers of faith shall draw nigh unto him.
Date: 200-300 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... “Wicked” is preceded by “Romulus” (a cipher for Rome) in the First and Second Rabbinic Bibles. As Levy points out, this figure was also known in medieval Jewish mythology as an opponent of the Jews. Levy also notes his connection to the figures of Gog and Magog, which seems to indicate that the present reading is to be associated with the interpolation at 10:32. The thesis of Levey that the reading is determinative for the date of the Targum, is therefore not tenable. The related spellings, רומלגוס and רומלגוז, appear in marginal readings in Reuchlinianus, while רומלגון appears in the manuscript itself ..."
* 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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