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Targum Psalms

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Psalm 118

1 Sing praise in the presence of the Lord, for he is good, for his goodness is forever. 2 Let Israel now say, “For his goodness is forever.” 3 Let the house of Aaron now say, “For his goodness is forever.” 4 Let those who fear the Lord now say, “For his goodness is forever.” 5 Out of distress I called to Yah, Yah accepted my prayer in a broad place. 6 The word of the Lord is my help, I will not fear, what will a son of man do to me? 7 The word of the Lord is helping me, and I will behold vengeance on my foes. 8 It is better to trust in the word of the Lord than to rely on a son of man. 9 It is better to trust in the word of the Lord than to rely on rulers. 10 All the Gentiles have surrounded me; in the name of the word of the Lord I have put my trust, for I will tear them apart. 11 They have encompassed me, indeed, surrounded me; in the name of the word of the Lord I have put my trust, for I will tear them apart. 12 They have encompassed me like hornets; they burned like fire in thorns; in the name of the word of the Lord I have put my trust, for I will tear them apart. 13 But you have knocked me down to make me fall; and the word of the Lord has given me help. 14 My strength and my praise are fearful against all the world; the Lord gave command by his word, and has become my redeemer. 15 The sound of praise and redemption is in the tents of the righteous; the right hand of the Lord has done mightily. 16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord has done mightily. 17 I will not die, for I will live, and I will tell of the deeds of God. 18 Truly has Yah punished me, but he did not hand me over to death. 19 Open to me the entrances of the city of righteousness; I will enter them, I will praise Yah. 20 This is the entrance of the sanctuary of the Lord; the righteous will enter by it. 21 I will give thanks in your presence, for you have received my prayer, and become for me a redeemer. 22 The child the builders abandoned was among the sons of Jesse; and he was worthy to be appointed king and ruler.⁠ 23 “This has come from the presence of the Lord,” said the builders; “it is wonderful before us,” said the sons of Jesse. 24 “This day the Lord has made,” said the builders; “let us rejoice and be glad in it,” said the sons of Jesse. 25 “If it please you, O Lord, redeem us now,” said the builders; “if it please you, O Lord, prosper us now,” said Jesse and his wife. 26 “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the word of the Lord,” said the builders; “they will bless you from the sanctuary of the Lord,” said David. 27 “God, the Lord, has given us light,” said the tribes of the house of Judah; “bind the child for a festal sacrifice with chains until you sacrifice him, and sprinkle his blood on the horns of the altar,” said Samuel the prophet. 28 “You are my God, and I will give thanks in your presence; my God, I will praise you,” said David. 29 Samuel answered and said, “Sing praise, assembly of Israel, give thanks in the presence of the Lord, for he is good, for his goodness is everlasting.”

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Compare Psalm 118:22 and Targum Psalm 118:22

Hebrew Bible · Targum

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Summary

Psalm 118 describes a rejected stone becoming the cornerstone, with a Hebrew pun connecting “stone” and “son.” The Aramaic translation in the Targum preserves this pun even though it doesn’t work in Aramaic, connecting the psalm with David and Jesse.

Passages

Psalm 118:22

Hebrew Bible
22 The stone that the builders discarded has become the cornerstone. 23 This is the Lord’s work. We consider it amazing! 24 This is the day the Lord has brought about. We will be happy and rejoice in it. 25 Please, Lord, deliver! Please, Lord, grant us success! 26 May the one who comes in the name of the Lord be blessed. We will pronounce blessings on you in the Lord’s temple. 27 The Lord is God, and he has delivered us. Tie the offering with ropes to the horns of the altar. 28 You are my God, and I will give you thanks. You are my God and I will praise you.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

Targum Psalm 118:22

Targum
22 The child the builders abandoned was among the sons of Jesse; and he was worthy to be appointed king and ruler. 23 “This has come from the presence of the Lord,” said the builders; “it is wonderful before us,” said the sons of Jesse. 24 “This day the Lord has made,” said the builders; “let us rejoice and be glad in it,” said the sons of Jesse. 25 “If it please you, O Lord, redeem us now,” said the builders; “if it please you, O Lord, prosper us now,” said Jesse and his wife. 26 “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the word of the Lord,” said the builders; “they will bless you from the sanctuary of the Lord,” said David. 27 “God, the Lord, has given us light,” said the tribes of the house of Judah; “bind the child for a festal sacrifice with chains until you sacrifice him, and sprinkle his blood on the horns of the altar,” said Samuel the prophet. 28 “You are my God, and I will give thanks in your presence; my God, I will praise you,” said David.
200–600 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Targum Psalms

References

"... The wordplay between “stone” and “son” is well-known in Hebrew and is even attested in the Gospels. The wordplay is also found in the parable of the tenants in Matt 21:33–46 and parallels, where the synoptic authors record Jesus quoting from Psalm 118:22–23 in which the “stone that the builders rejected” is used to explain the murder of the landowner’s son ...) None of the options for stone in Aramaic would be confused with the Aramaic word for “son”. Also, the Aramaic words for “come” (feminine) and “come” (masculine) have different vowels and would not be as easily confused as in Hebrew where the masculine and feminine use the same vowel ..."
Randall Buth and Chad Pierce, “Hebraisti in Ancient Texts: Does Ἑβραϊστί Ever Mean 'Aramaic'?” in The Language Environment of First Century Judaea, ed. Randall Buth and R. Steven Notley, JCPS 26 (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 66–109.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Psalm 118:22 and Targum Psalm 118:22

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