Exodus 15:8
Hebrew Bible
7 In the abundance of your majesty you have overthrown those who rise up against you. You sent forth your wrath; it consumed them like stubble. 8 By the blast of your nostrils the waters were piled up, the flowing water stood upright like a heap, and the deep waters were solidified in the heart of the sea. 9 The enemy said, ‘I will chase, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my desire will be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword, my hand will destroy them.’
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Onkelos Exodus 15:8
Targum
7 You unleashed Your wrath, and it destroyed them like stubble in the fire, 8 and by the word of Your mouth, the waters became wise and stood up like a wall; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea. 9 The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my soul will be satisfied with them; I will draw my sword, and my hand will destroy them.
Date: 100-200 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Texts in Conversation
The Hebrew version of Exodus 15:8 describes the sea parting by the blast of divine nostrils with the Aramaic translation in Targum Onkelos replacing this with more abstract language involving the “word” of God's mouth and further describes the waters becoming “wise” to describe how the waters stood firm. These changes were likely intending to eliminate the imagery of God acting physically.
Notes and References
"... Rashi explains the biblical anthropomorphic metaphor 'with the breath of your nose,' to mean that God acted as an angry human Who breathes heavily through his nostrils. Our targumist replaces it ... Rashi translates ne'ermu as 'heaped,' contrary to the Targum. Onkelos' rendering is similar to the Mekhilta: 'The measure with which they meted, You meted (wisely) to them. They said: 'Come let us deal Wisely With them.'' In Other words, the Egyptians sentenced the Israelites to death by drowning; now God made the water 'wise' to destroy the Egyptians. Bachya ibn Pakuda suggests that 'wisely' implies that the water, although fluid, 'wisely' stood firm to allow the Israelites to pass and, subsequently, returned with wisdom to their liquid state to drown the Egyptians ... Our targumist prefers translating neid as 'wall,' to conform to the description in 14:22, rather than the less explicit 'heap,' which is its literal meaning ..."
Drazin, Israel, and Stanley M. Wagner
Onkelos on the Torah, Exodus: Understanding the Bible Text
(p. 91) 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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