Leviticus 1:9
Hebrew Bible
8 Then the sons of Aaron, the priests, must arrange the parts with the head and the suet on the wood that is in the fire on the altar. 9 Finally, the one presenting the offering must wash its entrails and its legs in water, and the priest must offer all of it up in smoke on the altar—it is a burnt offering, a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord. 10 “‘If his offering is from the flock for a burnt offering—from the sheep or the goats—he must present a flawless male,
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Onkelos Leviticus 1:9
Targum
8 And the priests, the sons of Aharon, shall arrange the limbs and the head and the fat on the wood upon the fire which is on the altar. 9 But his inwards and his legs he shall wash with water; and the priest shall burn the whole upon the altar an entire burnt offering, an oblation to be received with acceptance before the Lord. 10 And if his oblation be from the flock, of the sheep or the young of the goats for a burnt offering, he shall bring a perfect male.
Date: 100-200 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Texts in Conversation
The Hebrew version of Leviticus 1:9 describes the burnt offering as producing a “sweet savor,” language that suggests divine physicality and experiencing pleasure in human terms. The Aramaic translation in Targum Onkelos replaces this with the phrase “that is accepted with pleasure,” preserving the idea of approval while avoiding the human-like image.
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Notes and References
"... Scripture's anthropopathic 'sweet savor' is introduced in Genesis 8:21 and reappears, among other places, in 1 Samuel 26:19 and Amos 5:21. The phrase expresses divine pleasure with the Israelite performance (Sifra, Ibn Ezra, and Rashi). The Akkadian cognate and the Hebrew root mean 'soothing.' Onkelos and Pseudo-Jonathan's 'that is accepted with pleasure' explains Scripture's metaphor 'sweet savor' and reflects Sifra's interpretation, but it does not remove the portrait of God having a human emotion. Accordingly, Maimonides understands 'pleasure' to refer to the human who must perform the sacrifice in a proper manner. The targumic change reoccurs in verses 13 and 17 ..."
Drazin, Israel, and Stanley M. Wagner
Onkelos on the Torah, Leviticus: Understanding the Bible Text
(pp. 4-5) 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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