Texts in Conversation
Exodus 31 says God filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God for the work of the tabernacle. The Aramaic translation in Targum Onkelos detaches the spirit from God, calling it a spirit of prophecy that comes from God’s presence instead.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Exodus 31:3
Hebrew Bible
1 The Lord spoke to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God in skill, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, 4 to make artistic designs for work with gold, with silver, and with bronze,
Onkelos Exodus 31:3
Targum
1 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying, 2 Look, I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the spirit of prophecy from the Lord's presence, with wisdom, and with understanding, and with knowledge, and in every kind of work (to excel), 4 to teach craftsmen to work in gold, and in silver, and in bronze,
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Notes and References
“... Since it was nothing short of a miracle to find a person skilled in these crafts, it was necessary for God to fill such a person ‘with a spirit from before the Lord; with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, and in every craft’ (verse 3). [...] 3. SPIRIT FROM BEFORE THE LORD. Onkelos disengages the ‘spirit’ from ‘God’ by inserting ‘before.’ This gives the deity a more elevated and transcendent status: even the spirit does not approach or adhere to Him. The ‘spirit of the Lord’ is the ‘spirit of wisdom and understanding’ (ibn Ezra). It is ‘knowledge received from God’ (Saadiah). LORD. The targumist substitutes the Tetragrammaton for Scripture’s Elohim. ...”
Drazin, Israel, and Stanley M. Wagner
Onkelos on the Torah, Exodus: Understanding the Bible Text
(p. 215) 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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