Texts in Conversation
In Leviticus and its Aramaic translation in Targum Onkelos, God announces afflictions on houses. Later Rabbinic interpreters describe this as a blessing that would reveal treasure hidden in the walls when the houses were demolished.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Leviticus 14:34
Hebrew Bible
33 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: 34 “When you enter the land of Canaan which I am about to give to you for a possession, and I put a diseased infection in a house in the land you are to possess, 35 then whoever owns the house must come and declare to the priest, ‘Something like an infection is visible to me in the house.’
Date: 750–400 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Onkelos Leviticus 14:34
Targum
33 And the Lord spoke with Moses and to Aaron, saying: 34 When you have entered the land of Canaan, which I will give to you for a possession; and I have put the affliction requiring isolation on a house in the land of your possession; 35 and he who owns the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, There is a plague, as it appears to me, in the house:
Date: 50–500 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
Notes and References
"... Rashi, based on Sifra and Leviticus Rabbah, states that God was bringing good news to the Israelites when He told them that there will be tzaraat ('skin disease') in their conquered homes in Canaan. According to the Midrashim, during the forty years that the Israelites spent in the wilderness, the Amorites, fearful of the approaching Israelite attack, hid golden treasures in the walls of their homes. Since the tzaraat would require the Israelites to tear down their homes, it would reveal the hidden gold ..."
Israel Drazin and Stanley M. Wagner, Onkelos on the Torah, Leviticus: Understanding the Bible Text (Jerusalem: Gefen, 2008), 107.
* 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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