Texts in Conversation
In Leviticus, God promises to walk among the people of Israel. The Aramaic translation in Targum Onkelos replaces the walking with God causing his Shekinah to dwell among them, which keeps the promise of presence but removes the image of God walking.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Leviticus 26:12
Hebrew Bible
11 “‘I will put my tabernacle in your midst, and I will not abhor you. 12 I will walk among you, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. 13 I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, from being their slaves, and I broke the bars of your yoke and caused you to walk upright.
Onkelos Leviticus 26:12
Targum
11 And I will set My Tabernacle among you, and My Word shall not reject you. 12 And I will make My Shekinah to dwell among you, and I will be to you Eloha, and you shall be a people before Me. 13 I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Mizraim, that you should not be bondmen to them; and I brake off the yoke of the Gentiles from you, and brought you into liberty.
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Notes and References
“... MEMRA [WORD OR WISDOM]. Onkelos and Pseudo-Jonathan replace nafshi, “My self” (here and in verse 30), which is anthropomorphic, with memra, while Neophyti renders the text literally. DISTANCE. The description of God’s blessings and punishments is replete with metaphors, anthropomorphisms, and anthropopathisms that the Targums replace. [...] In this verse, the Targums substitute the delicate “distance” for “abhor,” here and in verses 15, 30, 43, and 44. This is a characteristic targumic rendering. Neophyti and Pseudo-Jonathan insert “the glory of My Shekhinah” and “the Shekhinah of glory,” respectively, into the verse’s introduction. 12. MY SHEKHINAH TO DWELL. Instead of Scripture’s anthropomorphic and restricting “I will walk,” our targumist and Pseudo-Jonathan have the Shekhinah, generally translated “God’s presence,” ...”
Drazin, Israel, and Stanley M. Wagner
Onkelos on the Torah, Leviticus: Understanding the Bible Text
(p. 218) 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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