Exodus 22:28

Hebrew Bible

27 for it is his only covering—it is his garment for his body. What else can he sleep in? And when he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am gracious. 28You must not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people. 29 “Do not hold back offerings from your granaries or your vats. You must give me the firstborn of your sons.

Onkelos Exodus 22:27

Targum

26 For it may be his only covering; for (then) it is the clothing for his skin: where shall he sleep? And it shall be that when he cries before Me I will listen; for I am merciful. 27 Do not revile the judges, nor curse the ruler of My people. 28 Your firstfruits and tithes you will not delay to offer: the firstborn of your children you shall separate before Me;

 Notes and References

"... Spanning approximately two centuries before the Common Era and one century following it, a serious controversy between two Jewish sects divided the Judean community as to how to understand the Bible. The Sadducees were particularly literal and conservative. The Pharisees, claiming that an oral tradition in their possession explaining and interpreting the written text had divine authority, were more liberal and expansive in their perceptions of biblical meaning. This oral tradition was later incorporated and redacted in collections of Midrashim and in the Talmuds. Onkelos drew from interpretations found in the Midrashim, as, for example, in Exodus 22:27. The targumist translates Elohim, 'God,' as 'judge,' using the very word found in the Mekhilta, a Midrash edited around 400 CE, just prior to the time that Targum Onkelos was composed ..."

Drazin, Israel, and Stanley M. Wagner Onkelos on the Torah, Exodus: Understanding the Bible Text (p. 148) Gefen, 2006

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