Exodus 19:17

Hebrew Bible

16 On the third day in the morning there was thunder and lightning and a dense cloud on the mountain, and the sound of a very loud horn; all the people who were in the camp trembled. 17 Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their place at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now Mount Sinai was completely covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire, and its smoke went up like the smoke of a great furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently.

Onkelos Exodus 19:17

Targum

16 And it was the third day at morning; and there were voices, and lightnings, and mighty clouds upon the mountain, and the voice of the trumpet exceedingly strong; and all the people trembled who were in the camp. 17 And Moses led the people out of the camp to meet the Memra of the Lord; and they stood at the lower parts of the mountain. 18 And the mountain of Sinai was altogether fuming from before the revelation of the Lord upon it in fire; and the smoke went up as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount trembled greatly.

 Notes and References

"... Rather than the impossible biblical anthropomorphism likrat haEIohim, 'to meet God.' Rashi, based on the Mekhilta, states: 'the Shekhinah went forth to meet them as a groom Who goes forth to meet a bride [to give the Torah to Israel).' Our translator avoids such anthropomorphic depictions. He only uses Shekhinah to depict God's presence in heaven or with the Israelites. The Shekhinah never 'travels.' Saadiah renders the phrase as 'to receive the word of God.' Ibn Ezra understands 'to meet God' as the readiness to accept God. The Aramaic, again, transforms the biblical Elohim into the Tetragrammaton here and in verse 19 ..."

Drazin, Israel, and Stanley M. Wagner Onkelos on the Torah, Exodus: Understanding the Bible Text (p. 121) Gefen, 2006

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