# Torah with Onkelos
## Parashat Bereshit — Sixth Aliyah
### Bereshit 4:23 – 5:24
*Lemech's speech, the births of Sheis and Enosh, and the genealogy from Adam to Chanoch, read through Targum Onkelos*
---
## Contents
- [Orientation](#orientation)
- [How this booklet is laid out](#layout)
- [Unit 1 — Bereshit 4:23–26: Lemech's speech, and the births of Sheis and Enosh](#unit-1)
- [Unit 2 — Bereshit 5:1–5: The book of the generations of Adam](#unit-2)
- [Unit 3 — Bereshit 5:6–8: The generations of Sheis](#unit-3)
- [Unit 4 — Bereshit 5:9–11: Enosh](#unit-4)
- [Unit 5 — Bereshit 5:12–14: Keinan](#unit-5)
- [Unit 6 — Bereshit 5:15–17: Mahalaleil](#unit-6)
- [Unit 7 — Bereshit 5:18–20: Yered](#unit-7)
- [Unit 8 — Bereshit 5:21–24: Chanoch, who walked with God](#unit-8)
- [Conclusion of the aliyah](#conclusion)
- [Aramaic word list for the aliyah](#glossary)
- [Source note](#source-note)
---
## Orientation
**What happens in this aliyah.** The aliyah opens with the last verses of chapter 4: Lemech's short speech to his wives Adah and Tzillah about a man and a youth and the vengeance of Kayin, then the birth of Sheis to Adam and his wife in place of Hevel, and the birth of Enosh to Sheis. Chapter 5 then begins the book of the generations of Adam, recalling his creation in the likeness of God, and runs through a fixed formula, father by father, from Adam through Sheis, Enosh, Keinan, Mahalaleil and Yered to Chanoch: the age at which each fathered his named son, the years he lived afterwards with further sons and daughters, his total lifespan, and his death. The pattern breaks with Chanoch, who walked with God and was no longer there, for God took him.
**What Onkelos is.** Targum Onkelos is the classical Aramaic translation of the Torah, read for centuries alongside the Hebrew; the Talmud speaks of reviewing the weekly portion "twice in the Hebrew and once in the Targum". Because it is a translation, it rarely adds explanation in so many words. Its interpretation lies in its choices: which Aramaic word it uses, where it adds or omits a word, how it handles a difficult phrase, and where it departs from a word-for-word rendering.
**How this booklet reads Onkelos.** The notes compare the Aramaic with the Hebrew and nothing else. No later commentators are brought in. Where a note draws a conclusion about what Onkelos meant, it is stated as an inference from the text, not as established fact.
**What to look out for in this aliyah.**
- **Lemech's denial.** In 4:23 Onkelos reads the Hebrew as a protest of innocence, לָא גַּבְרָא קְטָלִית, "not a man have I killed", and adds two clauses opening דִּבְדִילֵהּ, "that on his account", about bearing sins and the fate of Lemech's offspring.
- **Seven generations in suspense.** The "sevenfold" vengeance of Kayin in 4:24 becomes שַׁבְעָא דָּרִין, "seven generations", which אִיתְלִאוּ, "were suspended", and the second half becomes a question.
- **Prayer left off.** In 4:26 the Hebrew "then it was begun to call in the name of Hashem" becomes חָלוּ בְנֵי אֱנָשָׁא מִלְּצַלָּאָה, the sons of men "desisted from praying" in the name of Hashem.
- **The fixed formula of the genealogy.** From 5:3 onward Onkelos is literal, but with consistent grammatical changes: the infinitive "after his begetting" becomes בָּתַר דְּאוֹלִיד, "after he had", compound numbers run from the largest part down, and the word for "years" appears once, as plural שְׁנִין.
- **Hashem and Elokim.** Where the Hebrew has Elokim, Onkelos writes the Name, Hashem, with one exception: "in the likeness of God" in 5:1 keeps Elokim.
- **Chanoch.** In 5:22 and 5:24 "walked with ha-Elokim" becomes בְּדַחַלְתָּא דַּה׳, "in the fear of Hashem", and in 5:24 "God took him" becomes a statement about death, with a bracketed "not" in the printed text that the Yemenite text lacks.
---
## How this booklet is laid out
For each verse:
- **Torah** — the Hebrew verse, with vowels and cantillation, followed by an English **Translation** of the Hebrew (Metsudah Chumash).
- **Onkelos** — the Aramaic of Targum Onkelos, followed by **Onkelos in English**, a close translation of the Aramaic. It uses the same wording as the Torah translation wherever the Aramaic says the same thing, so that the differences from the Hebrew can be seen. Words in square brackets are added for sense.
- **What Onkelos tells us** — editorial notes comparing the Aramaic with the Hebrew: what is translated literally, what is changed or added, and what that suggests about how Onkelos read the verse. Selected Aramaic words are listed with their Hebrew equivalents.
Each unit ends with a short **Unit summary**. The booklet ends with a review of the aliyah and an Aramaic word list.
Divine Names in the Hebrew and Aramaic are printed as ה׳ and אלקים. In English, God's proper Name is rendered *Hashem*, and *Elokim* is rendered *God*.
---
## Unit 1 — Bereshit 4:23–26: Lemech's speech, and the births of Sheis and Enosh
Lemech addresses his wives about killing and vengeance; Adam and his wife have another son, Sheis, in place of Hevel, and Sheis has a son, Enosh.
---
### Bereshit 4:23
**Torah**
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר לֶ֜מֶךְ לְנָשָׁ֗יו עָדָ֤ה וְצִלָּה֙ שְׁמַ֣עַן קוֹלִ֔י נְשֵׁ֣י לֶ֔מֶךְ הַאְזֵ֖נָּה אִמְרָתִ֑י כִּ֣י אִ֤ישׁ הָרַ֙גְתִּי֙ לְפִצְעִ֔י וְיֶ֖לֶד לְחַבֻּרָתִֽי׃
**Translation**
Lemech said to his wives, Adah and Tzillah, hear my voice, wives of Lemech listen to my speech; have I have killed a man by my own wounding and a child by my own hurting?.
**Onkelos**
וַאֲמַר לֶמֶךְ לִנְשׁוֹהִי עָדָה וְצִלָּה שִׁמְעַן קָלִי נְשֵׁי לֶמֶךְ אֲצֵיתָא לְמֵמְרִי לָא גַּבְרָא קְטָלִית דִּבְדִילֵהּ אֲנָא סָבִיל חוֹבִין וְאַף לָא עוּלֵימָא חַבָּלִית דִּבְדִילֵהּ יִשְׁתֵּיצֵי זַרְעִי
**Onkelos in English**
Lemech said to his wives, Adah and Tzillah, hear my voice, wives of Lemech listen to my speech; not a man have I killed, that on his account I bear sins, and also not a youth have I injured, that on his account my offspring will be wiped out.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Not a man have I killed".** The Hebrew כִּי אִישׁ הָרַגְתִּי *ki ish haragti* ("for a man I have killed") is read by Onkelos as a denial: he writes לָא *la*, "not", and repeats it in the second half, "and also not a youth" (וְאַף לָא *ve-af la*). The verse thus becomes Lemech's protest of innocence rather than an admission or a boast.
- **"That on his account I bear sins".** The Hebrew לְפִצְעִי *le-fitz'i*, "for my wound", and לְחַבֻּרָתִי *le-habburati*, "for my bruise", are not translated as nouns. In their place Onkelos writes two clauses, each opening with דִּבְדִילֵהּ *di-vdileh*, "that on his account": "I bear sins" and "my offspring will be wiped out". This may indicate that he took the Hebrew "to my wound" and "to my bruise" as the harm that would come to Lemech himself, spelled out as guilt and the loss of his line.
- **"Man", "youth" and "killed".** The Hebrew אִישׁ *ish* and וְיֶלֶד *yeled* become גַּבְרָא *gavra* and עוּלֵימָא *uleima*. The Hebrew has one verb of killing, הָרַגְתִּי *haragti*; Onkelos uses קְטָלִית *ketalit* (from קטל) for the man and a different verb, חַבָּלִית *habbalit* (from חבל, "injure, destroy"), for the youth.
- **"Listen to my speech".** הַאְזֵנָּה *ha'zenna*, "give ear", is rendered אֲצֵיתָא *atzeita*, "listen", and אִמְרָתִי *imrati* is לְמֵמְרִי *le-memri*, "my speech".
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text adds לִמְמָת *limmat*, "unto death", after "I bear sins": "that on his account I bear sins unto death". The shorter clause discussed above holds for the printed text only.
**Words to note:** אֲצֵיתָא *atzeita* — listen (הַאְזֵנָּה) · קְטָלִית *ketalit* — I have killed (הָרַגְתִּי) · דִּבְדִילֵהּ *di-vdileh* — that on his account · סָבִיל *savil* — bear · חַבָּלִית *habbalit* — I have injured · יִשְׁתֵּיצֵי *yishteitzei* — will be wiped out
---
### Bereshit 4:24
**Torah**
כִּ֥י שִׁבְעָתַ֖יִם יֻקַּם־קָ֑יִן וְלֶ֖מֶךְ שִׁבְעִ֥ים וְשִׁבְעָֽה׃
**Translation**
If Kayin shall be avenged sevenfold, then for Lemech it shall be seventy-seven fold.
**Onkelos**
אֲרֵי שַׁבְעָא דָּרִין אִיתְלִאוּ לְקָיִן הֲלָא לְלֶמֶךְ בְּרֵהּ שַׁבְעִין וְשַׁבְעָא
**Onkelos in English**
If seven generations were suspended for Kayin, is it not [so] for Lemech his son, seventy and seven?
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Seven generations were suspended".** The Hebrew שִׁבְעָתַיִם יֻקַּם *shiv'atayim yukkam*, "sevenfold shall be avenged", is not rendered as vengeance at all. Onkelos writes שַׁבְעָא דָּרִין *shav'a darin*, "seven generations", and אִיתְלִאוּ *itli'u*, "were suspended" (literally "hung"), suggesting he read the verse as a delay of Kayin's punishment for seven generations rather than as a threat of vengeance.
- **"Is it not".** Where the Hebrew simply sets Lemech beside Kayin ("and Lemech, seventy and seven"), Onkelos frames the second half as a rhetorical question with הֲלָא *hala*, "is it not". The number itself, "seventy and seven", is kept, without the word "generations" repeated.
- **"His son".** Onkelos adds בְּרֵהּ *bereh*, "his son", identifying Lemech as Kayin's descendant; the Aramaic *bar* need not mean an immediate son.
**Words to note:** דָּרִין *darin* — generations · אִיתְלִאוּ *itli'u* — were suspended (יֻקַּם) · הֲלָא *hala* — is it not · בְּרֵהּ *bereh* — his son
---
### Bereshit 4:25
**Torah**
וַיֵּ֨דַע אָדָ֥ם עוֹד֙ אֶת־אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ וַתֵּ֣לֶד בֵּ֔ן וַתִּקְרָ֥א אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ שֵׁ֑ת כִּ֣י שָֽׁת־לִ֤י אֱלֹקִים֙ זֶ֣רַע אַחֵ֔ר תַּ֣חַת הֶ֔בֶל כִּ֥י הֲרָג֖וֹ קָֽיִן׃
**Translation**
Adam knew his wife again, and she gave birth to a son, and named him Sheis, Because God has granted me another offspring in place of Hevel, for Kayin had killed him.
**Onkelos**
וִידַע אָדָם עוֹד יָת אִתְּתֵהּ וִילֵידַת בַּר וּקְרַת יָת שְׁמֵהּ שֵׁת אֲרֵי אַמָרַת יְהַב לִי ה׳ בַּר אוֹחֲרָן חֲלַף הֶבֶל דִּקַטְלֵהּ קָיִן
**Onkelos in English**
Adam knew his wife again, and she gave birth to a son, and named him Sheis, because she said, Hashem has given me another son in place of Hevel, whom Kayin killed.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Because she said".** Onkelos adds אַמָרַת *amarat*, "she said", so that the explanation of the name is explicitly the mother's words rather than the narrator's.
- **"Hashem has given me".** The Hebrew שָׁת *shat* ("set, granted") echoes the name שֵׁת *Shet*. Onkelos uses the ordinary verb יְהַב *yehav*, "gave", so the wordplay between the name and its explanation is lost in the Aramaic.
- **Hashem for *Elokim*.** The Hebrew has אֱלֹקִים; the Aramaic has ה׳, Hashem.
- **"Another son".** The Hebrew זֶרַע אַחֵר *zera aher*, "another offspring", becomes בַּר אוֹחֲרָן *bar oharan*, "another son", matching the בַּר *bar* she has just borne.
- **"Whom Kayin killed".** The Hebrew causal clause "for Kayin had killed him" (כִּי הֲרָגוֹ) becomes a relative clause, דִּקַטְלֵהּ *di-katleh*, "whom Kayin killed". The verb is from קטל, the same root Onkelos used for Lemech's קְטָלִית in 4:23, where the Hebrew too has a form of הרג.
**Words to note:** אַמָרַת *amarat* — she said · יְהַב *yehav* — has given (שָׁת) · אוֹחֲרָן *oharan* — another (אַחֵר) · חֲלַף *halaf* — in place of (תַּחַת) · דִּקַטְלֵהּ *di-katleh* — whom [Kayin] killed (הֲרָגוֹ)
---
### Bereshit 4:26
**Torah**
וּלְשֵׁ֤ת גַּם־הוּא֙ יֻלַּד־בֵּ֔ן וַיִּקְרָ֥א אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ אֱנ֑וֹשׁ אָ֣ז הוּחַ֔ל לִקְרֹ֖א בְּשֵׁ֥ם ה׳׃ {ס}
**Translation**
To Sheis also was born a son, and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call [idols] by the name Hashem.
**Onkelos**
וּלְשֵׁת אַף הוּא אִתְיְלִיד בַּר וּקְרָא יָת שְׁמֵהּ אֱנוֹשׁ בְּכֵן בְּיוֹמוֹהִי חָלוּ בְנֵי אֱנָשָׁא מִלְּצַלָּאָה בִּשְׁמָא דַּה׳
**Onkelos in English**
To Sheis also was born a son, and he named him Enosh. Then, in his days, the sons of men desisted from praying in the name of Hashem.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Desisted from praying".** The Hebrew הוּחַל *huhal* can be read as "was begun" or, from the same letters חל, as "was profaned". Onkelos writes חָלוּ *halu*, from the same letters, followed by מִלְּצַלָּאָה *mil-tzalla'ah*, "from praying". The construction with *min*, "from", suggests he understood the verse as describing people leaving off prayer, not beginning it.
- **"Praying in the name of Hashem".** The Hebrew לִקְרֹא בְּשֵׁם *likro be-shem*, "to call in the name", is rendered with a verb of prayer, *tzalla'ah*, perhaps to state plainly what such calling consists of.
- **"In his days, the sons of men".** Onkelos adds בְּיוֹמוֹהִי *be-yomohi*, "in his days", tying the event to Enosh's lifetime, and supplies an explicit subject, בְנֵי אֱנָשָׁא *venei enasha*, "the sons of men", for the impersonal Hebrew passive. The word *enasha* happens to echo the name Enosh just given.
- **"Was born".** The Hebrew passive יֻלַּד *yullad* is matched by the Aramaic passive אִתְיְלִיד *ityelid*.
**Words to note:** אִתְיְלִיד *ityelid* — was born (יֻלַּד) · בְּיוֹמוֹהִי *be-yomohi* — in his days · חָלוּ *halu* — desisted (הוּחַל) · אֱנָשָׁא *enasha* — men · מִלְּצַלָּאָה *mil-tzalla'ah* — from praying (לִקְרֹא)
---
### Unit 1 summary
In this unit Onkelos does his most interpretive work. Lemech's terse poem becomes a denial ("not a man have I killed") with explanatory clauses about bearing sins and the fate of his offspring; the "sevenfold" vengeance of Kayin becomes seven generations held in suspense; and the closing words of 4:26 are rendered as the sons of men leaving off prayer in the name of Hashem rather than beginning to call on it. Alongside these, the translation smooths the narrative: it adds "she said" to introduce the mother's words in 4:25, renders the Divine name Elokim there as Hashem, and loses the Hebrew wordplay between the name Sheis and the verb shat.
---
## Unit 2 — Bereshit 5:1–5: The book of the generations of Adam
The genealogy from Adam begins by recalling his creation in the likeness of God, then records the birth of Sheis, Adam's further children, his lifespan and his death.
---
### Bereshit 5:1
**Torah**
זֶ֣ה סֵ֔פֶר תּוֹלְדֹ֖ת אָדָ֑ם בְּי֗וֹם בְּרֹ֤א אֱלֹקִים֙ אָדָ֔ם בִּדְמ֥וּת אֱלֹקִ֖ים עָשָׂ֥ה אֹתֽוֹ׃
*Note in the Masoretic edition:* (בספרי תימן סֵ֔פֶר בסמ״ך גדולה)
**Translation**
This is the book of the generations of man. On the day God created man. He made him in the likeness of God.
**Onkelos**
דֵּין סְפַר תּוּלְדַת אָדָם בְּיוֹמָא דִּבְרָא ה׳ אָדָם בִּדְמוּת אֱלֹקִים עָבַד יָתֵהּ
**Onkelos in English**
This is the book of the generations of man. On the day that Hashem created man, in the likeness of God He made him.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"On the day that Hashem created".** The Hebrew infinitive בְּיוֹם בְּרֹא *be-yom bero*, "on the day of creating", becomes a finite relative clause, בְּיוֹמָא דִּבְרָא *be-yoma di-vra*, "on the day that [He] created" — a grammatical smoothing that recurs in this genealogy.
- **Hashem and *Elokim*.** The Hebrew has אֱלֹקִים twice. Where God is the subject who creates, Onkelos writes ה׳, Hashem; in the phrase בִּדְמוּת אֱלֹקִים *bi-dmut Elokim*, "in the likeness of God", he keeps *Elokim*. The difference may reflect that the second occurrence describes the likeness rather than naming God as the one who acts.
- **"He made him".** עָשָׂה is rendered by the usual Aramaic verb עָבַד *avad*. Otherwise a literal rendering.
**Words to note:** סְפַר *sefar* — book (סֵפֶר) · תּוּלְדַת *tuldat* — generations (תּוֹלְדֹת) · דִּבְרָא *di-vra* — that [He] created (בְּרֹא) · עָבַד *avad* — made (עָשָׂה)
---
### Bereshit 5:2
**Torah**
זָכָ֥ר וּנְקֵבָ֖ה בְּרָאָ֑ם וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֹתָ֗ם וַיִּקְרָ֤א אֶת־שְׁמָם֙ אָדָ֔ם בְּי֖וֹם הִבָּֽרְאָֽם׃
**Translation**
Male and female He created them. He blessed them and named them man [Adam] on the day that they were created.
**Onkelos**
דְּכַר וְנוּקְבָא בְּרָאנוּן וּבָרִיךְ יָתְהוֹן וּקְרָא יָת שְׁמָהוֹן אָדָם בְּיוֹמָא דְאִתְבְּרִיאוּ
**Onkelos in English**
Male and female He created them. He blessed them and named them man on the day that they were created.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **A literal rendering.** The only change is grammatical: the Hebrew infinitive הִבָּרְאָם *hibbare'am*, "their being created", becomes the finite verb דְאִתְבְּרִיאוּ *de-itberi'u*, "that they were created", as in 5:1.
**Words to note:** דְּכַר *dekhar* — male (זָכָר) · וְנוּקְבָא *ve-nukva* — and female (וּנְקֵבָה) · דְאִתְבְּרִיאוּ *de-itberi'u* — that they were created (הִבָּרְאָם)
---
### Bereshit 5:3
**Torah**
וַיְחִ֣י אָדָ֗ם שְׁלֹשִׁ֤ים וּמְאַת֙ שָׁנָ֔ה וַיּ֥וֹלֶד בִּדְמוּת֖וֹ כְּצַלְמ֑וֹ וַיִּקְרָ֥א אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ שֵֽׁת׃
**Translation**
Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and he had a son in his likeness, as his image, and he named him Sheis.
**Onkelos**
וַחֲיָא אָדָם מְאָה וּתְלָתִין שְׁנִין וְאוֹלִיד בִּדְמוּתֵהּ דְּדָמֵי לֵהּ וּקְרָא יָת שְׁמֵהּ שֵׁת
**Onkelos in English**
Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and he had [a son] in his likeness, who resembled him, and he named him Sheis.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Who resembled him".** The Hebrew pairs two nouns, בִּדְמוּתוֹ *bi-dmuto*, "in his likeness", and כְּצַלְמוֹ *ke-tzalmo*, "as his image". Onkelos keeps the first (בִּדְמוּתֵהּ *bi-dmuteh*) but replaces the second with a clause, דְּדָמֵי לֵהּ *de-damei leh*, "who resembled him", built on the same root as "likeness". The phrase about the image thus becomes a statement of resemblance, perhaps to avoid a second, near-synonymous noun.
- **"A hundred and thirty".** The Hebrew gives the smaller number first, "thirty and a hundred years" (שְׁלֹשִׁים וּמְאַת); Onkelos puts the hundred first, מְאָה וּתְלָתִין *me'a u-telatin*. He does the same with every age in this genealogy.
**Words to note:** וַחֲיָא *va-haya* — lived (וַיְחִי) · וְאוֹלִיד *ve-olid* — and he had (וַיּוֹלֶד) · בִּדְמוּתֵהּ *bi-dmuteh* — in his likeness (בִּדְמוּתוֹ) · דְּדָמֵי *de-damei* — who resembled (כְּצַלְמוֹ)
---
### Bereshit 5:4
**Torah**
וַיִּֽהְי֣וּ יְמֵי־אָדָ֗ם אַֽחֲרֵי֙ הוֹלִיד֣וֹ אֶת־שֵׁ֔ת שְׁמֹנֶ֥ה מֵאֹ֖ת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֥וֹלֶד בָּנִ֖ים וּבָנֽוֹת׃
**Translation**
The days of Adam after he had Sheis were eight hundred years, and he had sons and daughters.
**Onkelos**
וַהֲווֹ יוֹמֵי אָדָם בָּתַר דְּאוֹלִיד יָת שֵׁת תַּמְנֵי מְאָה שְׁנִין וְאוֹלִיד בְּנִין וּבְנָן
**Onkelos in English**
The days of Adam after he had Sheis were eight hundred years, and he had sons and daughters.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"After he had".** The Hebrew אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ *aharei holido*, "after his begetting", becomes בָּתַר דְּאוֹלִיד *batar de-olid*, "after that he had", with a finite verb. Otherwise a literal rendering.
**Words to note:** בָּתַר *batar* — after (אַחֲרֵי) · דְּאוֹלִיד *de-olid* — that he had (הוֹלִידוֹ) · וּבְנָן *u-venan* — and daughters (וּבָנוֹת)
---
### Bereshit 5:5
**Torah**
וַיִּֽהְי֞וּ כׇּל־יְמֵ֤י אָדָם֙ אֲשֶׁר־חַ֔י תְּשַׁ֤ע מֵאוֹת֙ שָׁנָ֔ה וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֖ים שָׁנָ֑ה וַיָּמֹֽת׃ {ס}
**Translation**
All the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.
**Onkelos**
וַהֲווֹ כָּל יוֹמֵי אָדָם דַחֲיָא תְּשַׁע מְאָה וּתְלָתִין שְׁנִין וּמִית
**Onkelos in English**
All the days of Adam that he lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Nine hundred and thirty years".** The Hebrew repeats the word "year": "nine hundred years and thirty years" (שָׁנָה ... שָׁנָה). Onkelos joins the numbers and uses שְׁנִין *shenin* once. Otherwise a literal rendering; אֲשֶׁר חַי becomes דַחֲיָא *da-haya*, "that he lived".
**Words to note:** דַחֲיָא *da-haya* — that he lived · וּמִית *u-mit* — and he died (וַיָּמֹת)
---
### Unit 2 summary
After the freedom of chapter 4, Onkelos is almost entirely literal in this formal genealogy. His changes are grammatical: Hebrew infinitive constructions ("on the day of creating", "after his begetting") become finite relative clauses, the ages are given with the largest number first and the word for "years" only once, and Elokim is rendered as Hashem where God acts in 5:1 but kept as Elokim in "the likeness of God". The one interpretive touch is in 5:3, where "as his image" becomes "who resembled him".
---
## Unit 3 — Bereshit 5:6–8: The generations of Sheis
Sheis fathers Enosh at a hundred and five, has further sons and daughters, and dies at nine hundred and twelve.
---
### Bereshit 5:6
**Torah**
וַֽיְחִי־שֵׁ֕ת חָמֵ֥שׁ שָׁנִ֖ים וּמְאַ֣ת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֖וֹלֶד אֶת־אֱנֽוֹשׁ׃
**Translation**
Sheis lived a hundred and five years and he had a son, Enosh.
**Onkelos**
וַחֲיָא שֵׁת מְאָה וַחֲמֵשׁ שְׁנִין וְאוֹלִיד יָת אֱנוֹשׁ
**Onkelos in English**
Sheis lived a hundred and five years and he had Enosh.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **A literal rendering.** The Hebrew "five years and a hundred years" (חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים וּמְאַת שָׁנָה) becomes "a hundred and five years", מְאָה וַחֲמֵשׁ שְׁנִין, with the larger number first and *shenin* once.
**Words to note:** וְאוֹלִיד *ve-olid* — and he had (וַיּוֹלֶד)
---
### Bereshit 5:7
**Torah**
וַֽיְחִי־שֵׁ֗ת אַֽחֲרֵי֙ הוֹלִיד֣וֹ אֶת־אֱנ֔וֹשׁ שֶׁ֣בַע שָׁנִ֔ים וּשְׁמֹנֶ֥ה מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֥וֹלֶד בָּנִ֖ים וּבָנֽוֹת׃
**Translation**
After he had Enosh, Sheis lived eight hundred and seven years, and he had sons and daughters.
**Onkelos**
וַחֲיָא שֵׁת בָּתַר דְּאוֹלִיד יָת אֱנוֹשׁ תַּמְנֵי מְאָה וּשְׁבַע שְׁנִין וְאוֹלִיד בְּנִין וּבְנָן
**Onkelos in English**
Sheis lived after he had Enosh eight hundred and seven years, and he had sons and daughters.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **A literal rendering.** As in 5:4, "after his begetting" becomes בָּתַר דְּאוֹלִיד *batar de-olid*, "after he had"; and "seven years and eight hundred years" becomes תַּמְנֵי מְאָה וּשְׁבַע שְׁנִין *tamnei me'a u-shva shenin*, "eight hundred and seven years".
**Words to note:** תַּמְנֵי *tamnei* — eight (וּשְׁמֹנֶה)
---
### Bereshit 5:8
**Torah**
וַיִּֽהְיוּ֙ כׇּל־יְמֵי־שֵׁ֔ת שְׁתֵּ֤ים עֶשְׂרֵה֙ שָׁנָ֔ה וּתְשַׁ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיָּמֹֽת׃ {ס}
**Translation**
All the days of Sheis were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.
**Onkelos**
וַהֲווֹ כָּל יוֹמֵי שֵׁת תְּשַׁע מְאָה וְתַרְתֵּי עַשְׂרֵי שְׁנִין וּמִית
**Onkelos in English**
All the days of Sheis were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **A literal rendering.** "Twelve years and nine hundred years" (שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה וּתְשַׁע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה) becomes תְּשַׁע מְאָה וְתַרְתֵּי עַשְׂרֵי שְׁנִין *tesha me'a ve-tartei asrei shenin*, "nine hundred and twelve years".
**Words to note:** וְתַרְתֵּי *ve-tartei* — and two (שְׁתֵּים) · עַשְׂרֵי *asrei* — ten (עֶשְׂרֵה)
---
### Unit 3 summary
These verses follow the fixed pattern of the genealogy, and Onkelos renders them literally. As in the Adam section, he turns the infinitive "after his begetting" into a finite clause, gives each age with the largest number first and uses the word for "years" only once, where the Hebrew repeats it.
---
## Unit 4 — Bereshit 5:9–11: Enosh
Enosh lives ninety years and fathers Keinan, lives eight hundred and fifteen more years with further sons and daughters, and dies at nine hundred and five.
---
### Bereshit 5:9
**Torah**
וַיְחִ֥י אֱנ֖וֹשׁ תִּשְׁעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֖וֹלֶד אֶת־קֵינָֽן׃
**Translation**
Enosh lived ninety years and he had a son, Keinan.
**Onkelos**
וַחֲיָא אֱנוֹשׁ תִּשְׁעִין שְׁנִין וְאוֹלִיד יָת קֵינָן
**Onkelos in English**
Enosh lived ninety years and he had a son, Keinan.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Enosh lived".** וַיְחִי is וַחֲיָא, *va-haya*, the Aramaic verb for "live", in the ordinary past tense with "and".
- **"Ninety years".** The Hebrew תִּשְׁעִים שָׁנָה puts the singular שָׁנָה after the number. Onkelos writes תִּשְׁעִין שְׁנִין, *tish'in shenin*, with the plural. In every verse of 5:9–5:20 his word for "years" is the plural שְׁנִין, whether the Hebrew has שָׁנָה or שָׁנִים.
- **"He had a son, Keinan".** וַיּוֹלֶד, the causative "begot", is וְאוֹלִיד, *ve-olid*, the causative form of the same root ילד; the object marker אֶת is יָת, *yat*. A literal rendering.
**Words to note:** וַחֲיָא *va-haya* — lived (וַיְחִי) · תִּשְׁעִין *tish'in* — ninety (תִּשְׁעִים) · שְׁנִין *shenin* — years (שָׁנָה) · וְאוֹלִיד *ve-olid* — and he had (a son), lit. and he begot (וַיּוֹלֶד) · יָת *yat* — (marks the direct object) (אֶת)
---
### Bereshit 5:10
**Torah**
וַיְחִ֣י אֱנ֗וֹשׁ אַֽחֲרֵי֙ הוֹלִיד֣וֹ אֶת־קֵינָ֔ן חֲמֵ֤שׁ עֶשְׂרֵה֙ שָׁנָ֔ה וּשְׁמֹנֶ֥ה מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֥וֹלֶד בָּנִ֖ים וּבָנֽוֹת׃
**Translation**
After he had Keinan, Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and he had sons and daughters.
**Onkelos**
וַחֲיָא אֱנוֹשׁ בָּתַר דְאוֹלִיד יָת קֵינָן תַּמְנֵי מְאָה וַחֲמֵשׁ עַשְׂרֵי שְׁנִין וְאוֹלִיד בְּנִין וּבְנָן
**Onkelos in English**
After he had Keinan, Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and he had sons and daughters.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"After he had Keinan".** The Hebrew uses an infinitive with a pronoun suffix: אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ, literally "after his begetting". Onkelos turns it into a clause with a finite verb, בָּתַר דְאוֹלִיד, *batar de-olid*, "after [that] he begot". This is a grammatical smoothing; the meaning is unchanged. Both texts keep the order "Enosh lived, after he had Keinan"; it is only the English that moves the clause to the front.
- **"Eight hundred and fifteen years".** The Hebrew gives the smaller number first and repeats "year" after each part: חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה וּשְׁמֹנֶה מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה, "fifteen year and eight hundred year". Onkelos reverses the order and names the years once, at the end: תַּמְנֵי מְאָה וַחֲמֵשׁ עַשְׂרֵי שְׁנִין, *tamnei me'a va-hamesh asrei shenin*, "eight hundred and fifteen years". In every compound number in 5:9–5:20 the Hebrew counts upward and the Aramaic downward; this may simply reflect Aramaic usage. The plural מֵאוֹת, "hundreds", is מְאָה, *me'a*, the form Onkelos uses after every count of hundreds in these verses.
- **"Sons and daughters".** בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת is בְּנִין וּבְנָן, *benin u-venan*. A literal rendering.
**Words to note:** בָּתַר *batar* — after (אַחֲרֵי) · דְאוֹלִיד *de-olid* — [that] he begot ("he had") (הוֹלִידוֹ) · תַּמְנֵי *tamnei* — eight (וּשְׁמֹנֶה) · מְאָה *me'a* — hundred (מֵאוֹת) · עַשְׂרֵי *asrei* — -teen (ten, in fifteen) (עֶשְׂרֵה) · וּבְנָן *u-venan* — and daughters (וּבָנוֹת)
---
### Bereshit 5:11
**Torah**
וַיִּֽהְיוּ֙ כׇּל־יְמֵ֣י אֱנ֔וֹשׁ חָמֵ֣שׁ שָׁנִ֔ים וּתְשַׁ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיָּמֹֽת׃ {ס}
**Translation**
All the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died.
**Onkelos**
וַהֲווֹ כָּל יוֹמֵי אֱנוֹשׁ תְּשַׁע מְאָה וַחֲמֵשׁ שְׁנִין וּמִית
**Onkelos in English**
All the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"All the days of Enosh were".** וַיִּהְיוּ כׇּל יְמֵי is וַהֲווֹ כָּל יוֹמֵי, *va-havo kol yomei*, and וַיָּמֹת, "and he died", is וּמִית, *u-mit*. A literal rendering.
- **"Nine hundred and five years".** The Hebrew reads חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים וּתְשַׁע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה, "five years and nine hundred year", with the plural שָׁנִים after the first part and the singular שָׁנָה after the second. Onkelos has תְּשַׁע מְאָה וַחֲמֵשׁ שְׁנִין, hundreds first and one plural שְׁנִין at the end, as in 5:10.
**Words to note:** וַהֲווֹ *va-havo* — were (וַיִּהְיוּ) · יוֹמֵי *yomei* — the days of (יְמֵי) · תְּשַׁע *tesha* — nine (וּתְשַׁע) · וּמִית *u-mit* — and he died (וַיָּמֹת)
---
### Unit 4 summary
Onkelos follows the fixed three-verse pattern of the genealogy closely: וַחֲיָא for וַיְחִי, וְאוֹלִיד for וַיּוֹלֶד, וּמִית for וַיָּמֹת. His changes are grammatical and consistent. He recasts the infinitive אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ as a clause with a finite verb, בָּתַר דְאוֹלִיד; he puts every compound number in descending order, hundreds first, where the Hebrew begins with the smallest part; and he names the years only once, always with the plural שְׁנִין, where the Hebrew repeats שָׁנָה or שָׁנִים after each part of the number. None of these changes affects the figures or the sense.
---
## Unit 5 — Bereshit 5:12–14: Keinan
Keinan lives seventy years and fathers Mahalaleil, lives eight hundred and forty more years with further sons and daughters, and dies at nine hundred and ten.
---
### Bereshit 5:12
**Torah**
וַיְחִ֥י קֵינָ֖ן שִׁבְעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֖וֹלֶד אֶת־מַֽהֲלַלְאֵֽל׃
**Translation**
Keinan lived seventy years and he had a son, Mahalaleil.
**Onkelos**
וַחֲיָא קֵינָן שַׁבְעִין שְׁנִין וְאוֹלִיד יָת מַהֲלַלְאֵל
**Onkelos in English**
Keinan lived seventy years and he had a son, Mahalaleil.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Seventy years".** A literal rendering, in the same form as 5:9: שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה is שַׁבְעִין שְׁנִין, *shav'in shenin*, with the plural "years", and וַיּוֹלֶד is וְאוֹלִיד. The name מַהֲלַלְאֵל is copied from the Hebrew.
**Words to note:** שַׁבְעִין *shav'in* — seventy (שִׁבְעִים)
---
### Bereshit 5:13
**Torah**
וַיְחִ֣י קֵינָ֗ן אַחֲרֵי֙ הוֹלִיד֣וֹ אֶת־מַֽהֲלַלְאֵ֔ל אַרְבָּעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה וּשְׁמֹנֶ֥ה מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֥וֹלֶד בָּנִ֖ים וּבָנֽוֹת׃
**Translation**
After he had Mahalaleil, Keinan lived eight hundred and forty years, and he had sons and daughters.
**Onkelos**
וַחֲיָא קֵינָן בָּתַר דְּאוֹלִיד יָת מַהֲלַלְאֵל תַּמְנֵי מְאָה וְאַרְבְּעִין שְׁנִין וְאוֹלִיד בְּנִין וּבְנָן
**Onkelos in English**
After he had Mahalaleil, Keinan lived eight hundred and forty years, and he had sons and daughters.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"After he had Mahalaleil".** As in 5:10, the infinitive אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ becomes the clause בָּתַר דְּאוֹלִיד, *batar de-olid*.
- **"Eight hundred and forty years".** אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה וּשְׁמֹנֶה מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה, "forty year and eight hundred year", becomes תַּמְנֵי מְאָה וְאַרְבְּעִין שְׁנִין, *tamnei me'a ve-arbe'in shenin*, with the hundreds first and one plural "years". Otherwise a literal rendering.
**Words to note:** וְאַרְבְּעִין *ve-arbe'in* — and forty (אַרְבָּעִים)
---
### Bereshit 5:14
**Torah**
וַיִּֽהְיוּ֙ כׇּל־יְמֵ֣י קֵינָ֔ן עֶ֣שֶׂר שָׁנִ֔ים וּתְשַׁ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיָּמֹֽת׃ {ס}
**Translation**
All the days of Keinan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.
**Onkelos**
וַהֲווֹ כָּל יוֹמֵי קֵינָן תְּשַׁע מְאָה וַעֲשַׂר שְׁנִין וּמִית
**Onkelos in English**
All the days of Keinan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Nine hundred and ten years".** The Hebrew עֶשֶׂר שָׁנִים וּתְשַׁע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה, "ten years and nine hundred year", becomes תְּשַׁע מְאָה וַעֲשַׂר שְׁנִין, *tesha me'a va-asar shenin*, hundreds first, as in 5:11. The rest of the verse repeats 5:11 word for word in both texts.
**Words to note:** וַעֲשַׂר *va-asar* — and ten (עֶשֶׂר)
---
### Unit 5 summary
The three verses on Keinan repeat the pattern of the Enosh verses word for word in the Aramaic as in the Hebrew. Onkelos again renders אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ as בָּתַר דְּאוֹלִיד, reverses the order of the compound numbers so that the hundreds come first, and writes a single plural שְׁנִין at the end of each number. The names Keinan and Mahalaleil are copied from the Hebrew.
---
## Unit 6 — Bereshit 5:15–17: Mahalaleil
Mahalaleil lives sixty-five years and fathers Yered, lives eight hundred and thirty more years with further sons and daughters, and dies at eight hundred and ninety-five.
---
### Bereshit 5:15
**Torah**
וַיְחִ֣י מַֽהֲלַלְאֵ֔ל חָמֵ֥שׁ שָׁנִ֖ים וְשִׁשִּׁ֣ים שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֖וֹלֶד אֶת־יָֽרֶד׃
**Translation**
Mahalaleil lived sixty-five years and he had a son, Yered.
**Onkelos**
וַחֲיָא מַהֲלַלְאֵל שִׁתִּין וַחֲמֵשׁ שְׁנִין וְאוֹלִיד יָת יָרֶד
**Onkelos in English**
Mahalaleil lived sixty-five years and he had a son, Yered.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Sixty-five years".** The Hebrew חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים וְשִׁשִּׁים שָׁנָה, "five years and sixty year", names the units first and repeats "year". Onkelos has שִׁתִּין וַחֲמֵשׁ שְׁנִין, *shittin va-hamesh shenin*, "sixty and five years", tens first and one plural "years".
- **"Yered".** The name is copied with the vowels of the Hebrew: יָרֶד, the pausal form of the Hebrew יָרֶד, here, and יֶרֶד in 5:16. Otherwise a literal rendering.
**Words to note:** שִׁתִּין *shittin* — sixty (וְשִׁשִּׁים) · וַחֲמֵשׁ *va-hamesh* — and five (חָמֵשׁ)
---
### Bereshit 5:16
**Torah**
וַיְחִ֣י מַֽהֲלַלְאֵ֗ל אַֽחֲרֵי֙ הוֹלִיד֣וֹ אֶת־יֶ֔רֶד שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה וּשְׁמֹנֶ֥ה מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֥וֹלֶד בָּנִ֖ים וּבָנֽוֹת׃
**Translation**
After he had Yered, Mahalaleil lived eight hundred and thirty years, and he had sons and daughters.
**Onkelos**
וַחֲיָא מַהֲלַלְאֵל בָּתַר דְּאוֹלִיד יָת יֶרֶד תַּמְנֵי מְאָה וּתְלָתִין שְׁנִין וְאוֹלִיד בְּנִין וּבְנָן
**Onkelos in English**
After he had Yered, Mahalaleil lived eight hundred and thirty years, and he had sons and daughters.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Eight hundred and thirty years".** A literal rendering in the pattern of 5:10 and 5:13: אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ is בָּתַר דְּאוֹלִיד, and שְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה וּשְׁמֹנֶה מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה, "thirty year and eight hundred year", is תַּמְנֵי מְאָה וּתְלָתִין שְׁנִין, *tamnei me'a u-telatin shenin*, hundreds first.
**Words to note:** וּתְלָתִין *u-telatin* — and thirty (שְׁלֹשִׁים)
---
### Bereshit 5:17
**Torah**
וַיִּהְיוּ֙ כׇּל־יְמֵ֣י מַהֲלַלְאֵ֔ל חָמֵ֤שׁ וְתִשְׁעִים֙ שָׁנָ֔ה וּשְׁמֹנֶ֥ה מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיָּמֹֽת׃ {ס}
**Translation**
All the days of Mahalaleil were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.
**Onkelos**
וַהֲווֹ כָּל יוֹמֵי מַהֲלַלְאֵל תַּמְנֵי מְאָה וְתִשְׁעִין וַחֲמֵשׁ שְׁנִין וּמִית
**Onkelos in English**
All the days of Mahalaleil were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Eight hundred and ninety-five years".** Here the reversal covers three parts. The Hebrew חָמֵשׁ וְתִשְׁעִים שָׁנָה וּשְׁמֹנֶה מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה runs "five and ninety year and eight hundred year"; Onkelos writes תַּמְנֵי מְאָה וְתִשְׁעִין וַחֲמֵשׁ שְׁנִין, *tamnei me'a ve-tish'in va-hamesh shenin*, "eight hundred and ninety and five years", exactly the reverse order, with one plural "years". Otherwise a literal rendering.
**Words to note:** וְתִשְׁעִין *ve-tish'in* — and ninety (וְתִשְׁעִים)
---
### Unit 6 summary
Onkelos keeps the genealogical formula unchanged, and the only visible differences from the Hebrew are again in the numbers. The Hebrew counts upward (five, then sixty; five, then ninety, then eight hundred), while the Aramaic counts downward (שִׁתִּין וַחֲמֵשׁ; תַּמְנֵי מְאָה וְתִשְׁעִין וַחֲמֵשׁ), with one plural word for "years" at the end. The name Yered keeps the vowels of the Hebrew in each verse, including the pausal יָרֶד of 5:15.
---
## Unit 7 — Bereshit 5:18–20: Yered
Yered lives one hundred and sixty-two years and fathers Chanoch, lives eight hundred more years with further sons and daughters, and dies at nine hundred and sixty-two.
---
### Bereshit 5:18
**Torah**
וַֽיְחִי־יֶ֕רֶד שְׁתַּ֧יִם וְשִׁשִּׁ֛ים שָׁנָ֖ה וּמְאַ֣ת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֖וֹלֶד אֶת־חֲנֽוֹךְ׃
**Translation**
Yered lived one hundred and sixty-two years and he had a son, Chanoch.
**Onkelos**
וַחֲיָא יֶרֶד מְאָה וְשִׁתִּין וְתַרְתֵּין שְׁנִין וְאוֹלִיד יָת חֲנוֹךְ
**Onkelos in English**
Yered lived one hundred and sixty-two years and he had a son, Chanoch.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"One hundred and sixty-two years".** The Hebrew שְׁתַּיִם וְשִׁשִּׁים שָׁנָה וּמְאַת שָׁנָה, "two and sixty year and a hundred year", is reversed to מְאָה וְשִׁתִּין וְתַרְתֵּין שְׁנִין, *me'a ve-shittin ve-tartein shenin*, "a hundred and sixty and two years". The Hebrew construct וּמְאַת ("a hundred of") is the plain מְאָה; the feminine "two", שְׁתַּיִם, is וְתַרְתֵּין, *ve-tartein*, "and two". The name חֲנוֹךְ is copied from the Hebrew.
**Words to note:** מְאָה *me'a* — one hundred (וּמְאַת) · וְתַרְתֵּין *ve-tartein* — and two (שְׁתַּיִם)
---
### Bereshit 5:19
**Torah**
וַֽיְחִי־יֶ֗רֶד אַֽחֲרֵי֙ הוֹלִיד֣וֹ אֶת־חֲנ֔וֹךְ שְׁמֹנֶ֥ה מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֥וֹלֶד בָּנִ֖ים וּבָנֽוֹת׃
**Translation**
After he had Chanoch, Yered lived eight hundred years and he had sons and daughters.
**Onkelos**
וַחֲיָא יֶרֶד בָּתַר דְּאוֹלִיד יָת חֲנוֹךְ תַּמְנֵי מְאָה שְׁנִין וְאוֹלִיד בְּנִין וּבְנָן
**Onkelos in English**
After he had Chanoch, Yered lived eight hundred years and he had sons and daughters.
**What Onkelos tells us**
**"Eight hundred years".** With a single-part number there is nothing to reorder: שְׁמֹנֶה מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה is תַּמְנֵי מְאָה שְׁנִין, *tamnei me'a shenin*. As elsewhere, the Hebrew plural form מֵאוֹת is מְאָה, and the singular שָׁנָה is the plural שְׁנִין. The rest follows 5:10 and 5:16. A literal rendering.
---
### Bereshit 5:20
**Torah**
וַיִּֽהְיוּ֙ כׇּל־יְמֵי־יֶ֔רֶד שְׁתַּ֤יִם וְשִׁשִּׁים֙ שָׁנָ֔ה וּתְשַׁ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיָּמֹֽת׃ {ס}
**Translation**
All the days of Yered were nine hundred sixty-two years, and he died.
**Onkelos**
וַהֲווֹ כָּל יוֹמֵי יֶרֶד תְּשַׁע מְאָה וְשִׁתִּין וְתַרְתֵּין שְׁנִין וּמִית
**Onkelos in English**
All the days of Yered were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.
**What Onkelos tells us**
**"Nine hundred and sixty-two years".** As in 5:18, the Hebrew שְׁתַּיִם וְשִׁשִּׁים שָׁנָה וּתְשַׁע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה, "two and sixty year and nine hundred year", is reversed to תְּשַׁע מְאָה וְשִׁתִּין וְתַרְתֵּין שְׁנִין, *tesha me'a ve-shittin ve-tartein shenin*, with one plural "years". Otherwise a literal rendering, word for word as in 5:11, 5:14 and 5:17.
---
### Unit 7 summary
The Yered verses complete this stretch of the genealogy in the same literal manner. In 5:18 and 5:20 the three-part numbers are fully reversed, so that שְׁתַּיִם וְשִׁשִּׁים שָׁנָה וּמְאַת שָׁנָה becomes מְאָה וְשִׁתִּין וְתַרְתֵּין שְׁנִין; in 5:19 there is nothing to reorder, and the number differs only in the single מְאָה for the plural מֵאוֹת and the plural שְׁנִין for the singular שָׁנָה. Throughout the four units Onkelos adds nothing to the content: his changes are matters of Aramaic grammar and number syntax.
---
## Unit 8 — Bereshit 5:21–24: Chanoch, who walked with God
Chanoch has Mesushelach at sixty-five, walks with God for three hundred years, and after three hundred and sixty-five years is no longer there, for God took him.
---
### Bereshit 5:21
**Torah**
וַיְחִ֣י חֲנ֔וֹךְ חָמֵ֥שׁ וְשִׁשִּׁ֖ים שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֖וֹלֶד אֶת־מְתוּשָֽׁלַח׃
**Translation**
Chanoch lived sixty-five years and he had a son, Mesushelach.
**Onkelos**
וַחֲיָא חֲנוֹךְ שִׁתִּין וַחֲמֵשׁ שְׁנִין וְאוֹלִיד יָת מְתוּשָׁלַח
**Onkelos in English**
Chanoch lived sixty and five years and he had [a son,] Mesushelach.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Sixty and five years".** A literal rendering apart from the number. The Hebrew counts the units first, *hamesh ve-shishim shanah*, "five and sixty year"; Onkelos puts the tens first, *shittin va-hamesh shenin*, and uses the plural *shenin* (שְׁנִין) where the Hebrew has the singular *shanah* (שָׁנָה) after the number.
- **"He had".** Aramaic *ve-olid* (וְאוֹלִיד) is the causative form of the verb for bearing children, matching the causative Hebrew *va-yoled*.
**Words to note:** וַחֲיָא *va-haya* — lived (וַיְחִי) · שִׁתִּין *shittin* — sixty (וְשִׁשִּׁים) · שְׁנִין *shenin* — years (שָׁנָה) · וְאוֹלִיד *ve-olid* — and he had (begot) (וַיּוֹלֶד)
---
### Bereshit 5:22
**Torah**
וַיִּתְהַלֵּ֨ךְ חֲנ֜וֹךְ אֶת־הָֽאֱלֹקִ֗ים אַֽחֲרֵי֙ הוֹלִיד֣וֹ אֶת־מְתוּשֶׁ֔לַח שְׁלֹ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֥וֹלֶד בָּנִ֖ים וּבָנֽוֹת׃
**Translation**
Chanoch walked with God, after he had Mesushelach, [for] three hundred years, and he had sons and daughters.
**Onkelos**
וְהַלִּיךְ חֲנוֹךְ בְּדַחַלְתָּא דַּה׳ בָּתַר דְּאוֹלִיד יָת מְתוּשֶׁלַח תְּלַת מְאָה שְׁנִין וְאוֹלִיד בְּנִין וּבְנָן
**Onkelos in English**
Chanoch walked in the fear of Hashem, after he had Mesushelach, [for] three hundred years, and he had sons and daughters.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Walked in the fear of Hashem".** The Hebrew says Chanoch "walked with ha-Elokim" (*et ha-Elokim*). Onkelos writes *be-dahalta da-Hashem*, "in the fear of Hashem". The change perhaps avoids the picture of a man walking in company with God, turning it into a description of a life lived in reverence of Him. The Hebrew *ha-Elokim* is rendered by the Name, ה׳.
- **"Walked".** The Hebrew verb וַיִּתְהַלֵּךְ is in the reflexive form (hitpa'el); Onkelos uses a non-reflexive form, *ve-hallikh* (וְהַלִּיךְ), "walked".
- **"After he had".** The Hebrew uses an infinitive with a suffix, *aharei holido*, literally "after his begetting". Onkelos turns it into a finite clause, *batar de-olid*, "after that he had" — grammatical smoothing.
- **"Three hundred years".** As in 5:21, Onkelos has the plural *shenin* where the Hebrew has the singular *shanah* after the number. "Sons and daughters" (*benin u-venan*) is literal.
**Words to note:** וְהַלִּיךְ *ve-hallikh* — walked (וַיִּתְהַלֵּךְ) · בְּדַחַלְתָּא *be-dahalta* — in the fear (of) · דַּה׳ *da-Hashem* — of Hashem (הָאֱלֹקִים) · בָּתַר *batar* — after (אַחֲרֵי) · דְּאוֹלִיד *de-olid* — that he had (begot) (הוֹלִידוֹ)
---
### Bereshit 5:23
**Torah**
וַיְהִ֖י כׇּל־יְמֵ֣י חֲנ֑וֹךְ חָמֵ֤שׁ וְשִׁשִּׁים֙ שָׁנָ֔ה וּשְׁלֹ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָֽה׃
**Translation**
All the days of Chanoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.
**Onkelos**
וַהֲוָה כָּל יוֹמֵי חֲנוֹךְ תְּלַת מְאָה וְשִׁתִּין וַחֲמֵשׁ שְׁנִין
**Onkelos in English**
All the days of Chanoch were three hundred and sixty and five years.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Three hundred and sixty and five years".** The Hebrew builds the number from the smallest part up and repeats the word for year: "five and sixty year and three hundred year" (*hamesh ve-shishim shanah u-shelosh me'ot shanah*). Onkelos gives it in descending order, hundreds, tens, units, with a single plural *shenin* (שְׁנִין) at the end.
- **"Were".** Otherwise a literal rendering; the printed *va-hava* (וַהֲוָה) is singular, like the Hebrew *va-yehi*, though its subject "all the days" is plural.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads the plural *va-havo* (וַהֲווֹ) for the printed singular *va-hava*, so that the verb agrees with the plural "all the days". The remark in the notes that the verb is singular like the Hebrew holds for the printed text only.
**Words to note:** וַהֲוָה *va-hava* — were (וַיְהִי) · יוֹמֵי *yomei* — the days of (יְמֵי) · תְּלַת *telat* — three (וּשְׁלֹשׁ) · מְאָה *me'a* — hundred (מֵאוֹת)
---
### Bereshit 5:24
**Torah**
וַיִּתְהַלֵּ֥ךְ חֲנ֖וֹךְ אֶת־הָֽאֱלֹקִ֑ים וְאֵינֶ֕נּוּ כִּֽי־לָקַ֥ח אֹת֖וֹ אֱלֹקִֽים׃ {ס}
**Translation**
Chanoch walked with God, and he was no longer [there] for God took him.
**Onkelos**
וְהַלִּיךְ חֲנוֹךְ בְּדַחַלְתָּא דַּה׳ וְלַיְתוֹהִי אֲרֵי (לָא) אֲמֵית יָתֵהּ ה׳
**Onkelos in English**
Chanoch walked in the fear of Hashem, and he was no longer [there] for Hashem (did not) cause him to die.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"In the fear of Hashem".** As in 5:22, "walked with ha-Elokim" becomes *ve-hallikh ... be-dahalta da-Hashem*, "walked in the fear of Hashem". In this verse both the Hebrew *ha-Elokim* and the final *Elokim* are rendered by the Name, ה׳.
- **"He was no longer [there]".** A literal rendering: Aramaic *ve-laytohi* (וְלַיְתוֹהִי), "and he is not", is the negative particle with a pronoun suffix, exactly matching the Hebrew *ve-einennu*.
- **"(Did not) cause him to die".** The Hebrew says only that God "took him" (*lakah oto*). Onkelos replaces "took" with *amet*, "caused to die", the causative of the verb for dying. This suggests the translator read "took" as a reference to Chanoch's death and felt the euphemism needed to be interpreted. The printed text adds *la*, "not", in parentheses, which reverses the sense: "for Hashem did not cause him to die". On that reading Chanoch's disappearance is perhaps presented as something other than an ordinary death brought on him by Hashem; without the word, the verse states plainly that Hashem caused his death. The parentheses may indicate that the printers regarded the word as doubtful.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text has no *la* ("not"): it reads "for Hashem caused him to die" (אֲרֵי אֲמִית יָתֵיהּ ה׳). The reading "did not cause him to die" in the notes holds for the printed text only.
**Words to note:** וְהַלִּיךְ *ve-hallikh* — walked (וַיִּתְהַלֵּךְ) · בְּדַחַלְתָּא *be-dahalta* — in the fear (of) · וְלַיְתוֹהִי *ve-laytohi* — and he was no longer (וְאֵינֶנּוּ) · אֲרֵי *arei* — for (כִּי) · אֲמֵית *amet* — caused to die (לָקַח) · יָתֵהּ *yateh* — him (אֹתוֹ)
---
### Unit 8 summary
In the plain genealogical frame Onkelos is literal, adjusting only Aramaic idiom: the year-numbers are given in the order tens before units, or hundreds first in the total of 5:23, and the plural shenin replaces the Hebrew singular shanah, which in 5:23 is written once rather than twice. Grammar is smoothed where the Hebrew infinitive 'after his begetting' becomes a finite clause. The real interpretive weight falls on the two statements about Chanoch's relationship with God. 'Walked with ha-Elokim' becomes 'walked in the fear of Hashem', which perhaps avoids picturing a person walking alongside God, and the Hebrew Elokim is rendered by the Name throughout. Most strikingly, 'for Elokim took him' becomes a statement about death, built on the verb 'caused to die'. The printed text, with its bracketed 'not', makes it a denial that Hashem caused his death; the Yemenite text, without 'not', makes it an explicit statement that Hashem caused him to die. Either way the Aramaic seems to have treated the Hebrew 'took' as needing interpretation rather than literal rendering.
---
## Conclusion of the aliyah
### The movement of the aliyah
The aliyah moves from the most interpretive Aramaic in this stretch of Bereshit to some of the most literal. Lemech's terse poem and the note on Enosh's days are recast: a boast or admission becomes a denial, vengeance becomes delay, and the beginning of calling on Hashem becomes the abandoning of prayer. The birth of Sheis is smoothed into the mother's own words. Then, with the book of the generations of Adam, Onkelos settles into the formula of the genealogy, changing only grammar: finite clauses for infinitives, numbers given largest part first, one plural word for years. The formula holds through Yered; with Chanoch the interpretive work returns, in the fear of Hashem in which he walked and in the way the Aramaic handles God's taking him.
### What Onkelos tells us in this aliyah
1. **"Not a man have I killed" (4:23).** Onkelos writes לָא גַּבְרָא קְטָלִית, reading Lemech's words as a protest of innocence rather than an admission or a boast; the explanatory clauses about bearing sins and the wiping out of his offspring may spell out the harm the Hebrew calls "my wound" and "my bruise".
2. **Two verbs for one (4:23).** The Hebrew has one verb of killing; Onkelos uses one verb for killing the man and a different verb, "injure, destroy", for the youth.
3. **Seven generations suspended (4:24).** שַׁבְעָא דָּרִין אִיתְלִאוּ: the verse is read as a delay of Kayin's punishment rather than a threat of vengeance, and בְּרֵהּ, "his son", identifies Lemech as Kayin's descendant.
4. **"Because she said" (4:25).** Onkelos adds אַמָרַת, so that the explanation of the name Sheis is the mother's words; the ordinary verb יְהַב, "gave", for the Hebrew שָׁת loses the wordplay on the name.
5. **"Desisted from praying" (4:26).** The construction with "from" suggests people leaving off prayer, not beginning it; בְּיוֹמוֹהִי, "in his days", ties the event to Enosh's lifetime.
6. **Hashem the creator, Elokim the likeness (5:1).** God who creates is Hashem; in "the likeness of God" Onkelos keeps Elokim, perhaps because the phrase describes the likeness rather than naming the one who acts.
7. **"Who resembled him" (5:3).** The second noun, כְּצַלְמוֹ, "as his image", becomes a clause, דְּדָמֵי לֵהּ, built on the same root as "likeness".
8. **"After he had" (5:4).** אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ, "after his begetting", becomes בָּתַר דְּאוֹלִיד, a finite clause; the same smoothing recurs in the genealogy.
9. **Numbers from the top down (5:17).** "Five and ninety year and eight hundred year" becomes תַּמְנֵי מְאָה וְתִשְׁעִין וַחֲמֵשׁ שְׁנִין, exactly the reverse order, with one plural "years".
10. **"In the fear of Hashem" (5:22).** בְּדַחַלְתָּא דַּה׳ perhaps avoids the picture of a man walking in company with God, turning it into a life lived in reverence of Him.
11. **"(Did not) cause him to die" (5:24).** "God took him" becomes a statement built on the causative of the verb for dying, suggesting the translator read "took" as referring to Chanoch's death. The printed text's bracketed "not" denies that Hashem caused his death; the Yemenite text, without it, says plainly that He did.
### Recurring features
- **Finite clauses for infinitives.** "On the day of creating", "their being created" and "after his begetting" become relative clauses with finite verbs, wherever these infinitives occur.
- **Numbers with the largest part first.** Every compound age in the genealogy is given in descending order in the Aramaic; where the Hebrew puts the smaller part first, as it usually does, the order is reversed.
- **One plural "years".** In each of the ages from 5:3 to 5:23 the Aramaic has שְׁנִין once, at the end of the number, whether the Hebrew writes the word once or twice, singular or plural.
- **The Name for Elokim.** Of the six occurrences of Elokim in the Hebrew of this aliyah, five are rendered as Hashem; only "the likeness of God" in 5:1 keeps Elokim.
- **Added words that make the sense explicit.** "Not" and "that on his account" in 4:23, "generations" and "his son" in 4:24, "she said" in 4:25, "in his days" and "the sons of men" in 4:26.
- **A fixed formula kept fixed.** The genealogical formula is rendered in the same Aramaic each time; the Keinan verses repeat the pattern of the Enosh verses word for word in the Aramaic as in the Hebrew.
- **Names copied from the Hebrew.** The names of the genealogy are carried over from the Hebrew; Yered even keeps the Hebrew pausal form in 5:15.
### Aliyah takeaway
Onkelos is not uniformly free or uniformly literal; the degree of interpretation follows the text. Where the Hebrew is terse, poetic or open to more than one reading, as in Lemech's speech, the note on Enosh's days and the end of Chanoch, the Aramaic decides on a meaning and states it, sometimes adding whole clauses. Where the Hebrew is a formula, the Aramaic keeps the formula and changes only what Aramaic grammar and number syntax require. Reading the two side by side shows where the translator saw a question in the text and where he saw none.
---
## Aramaic word list for the aliyah
| Aramaic | Transliteration | Meaning | Hebrew in the verse |
|---|---|---|---|
| אֲצֵיתָא | *atzeita* | listen | הַאְזֵנָּה |
| קְטָלִית | *ketalit* | I have killed | הָרַגְתִּי |
| דִּבְדִילֵהּ | *di-vdileh* | that on his account | — |
| חַבָּלִית | *habbalit* | I have injured | — |
| דָּרִין | *darin* | generations | — |
| אִיתְלִאוּ | *itli'u* | were suspended | יֻקַּם |
| הֲלָא | *hala* | is it not | — |
| בְּרֵהּ | *bereh* | his son | — |
| אַמָרַת | *amarat* | she said | — |
| יְהַב | *yehav* | has given | שָׁת |
| אוֹחֲרָן | *oharan* | another | אַחֵר |
| דִּקַטְלֵהּ | *di-katleh* | whom [Kayin] killed | הֲרָגוֹ |
| אִתְיְלִיד | *ityelid* | was born | יֻלַּד |
| בְּיוֹמוֹהִי | *be-yomohi* | in his days | — |
| חָלוּ | *halu* | desisted | הוּחַל |
| אֱנָשָׁא | *enasha* | men | — |
| מִלְּצַלָּאָה | *mil-tzalla'ah* | from praying | לִקְרֹא |
| דִּבְרָא | *di-vra* | that [He] created | בְּרֹא |
| עָבַד | *avad* | made | עָשָׂה |
| דְאִתְבְּרִיאוּ | *de-itberi'u* | that they were created | הִבָּרְאָם |
| בִּדְמוּתֵהּ | *bi-dmuteh* | in his likeness | בִּדְמוּתוֹ |
| דְּדָמֵי | *de-damei* | who resembled | כְּצַלְמוֹ |
| בָּתַר | *batar* | after | אַחֲרֵי |
| דְּאוֹלִיד | *de-olid* | that he had | הוֹלִידוֹ |
| דַחֲיָא | *da-haya* | that he lived | — |
| תַּמְנֵי | *tamnei* | eight | וּשְׁמֹנֶה |
| וְתַרְתֵּי | *ve-tartei* | and two | שְׁתֵּים |
| עַשְׂרֵי | *asrei* | ten | עֶשְׂרֵה |
| תִּשְׁעִין | *tish'in* | ninety | תִּשְׁעִים |
| שְׁנִין | *shenin* | years | שָׁנָה |
| יָת | *yat* | (marks the direct object) | אֶת |
| מְאָה | *me'a* | hundred | מֵאוֹת |
| וַהֲווֹ | *va-havo* | were | וַיִּהְיוּ |
| יוֹמֵי | *yomei* | the days of | יְמֵי |
| שַׁבְעִין | *shav'in* | seventy | שִׁבְעִים |
| וְאַרְבְּעִין | *ve-arbe'in* | and forty | אַרְבָּעִים |
| וַעֲשַׂר | *va-asar* | and ten | עֶשֶׂר |
| שִׁתִּין | *shittin* | sixty | וְשִׁשִּׁים |
| וַחֲמֵשׁ | *va-hamesh* | and five | חָמֵשׁ |
| וּתְלָתִין | *u-telatin* | and thirty | שְׁלֹשִׁים |
| וְתִשְׁעִין | *ve-tish'in* | and ninety | וְתִשְׁעִים |
| וְתַרְתֵּין | *ve-tartein* | and two | שְׁתַּיִם |
| וְהַלִּיךְ | *ve-hallikh* | walked | וַיִּתְהַלֵּךְ |
| בְּדַחַלְתָּא | *be-dahalta* | in the fear (of) | — |
| דַּה׳ | *da-Hashem* | of Hashem | הָאֱלֹקִים |
---
## Source note
**Aliyah boundary.** Bereshit 4:23 – 5:24, following the aliyah divisions in Sefaria's index of Bereshit (the next aliyah begins at Bereshit 5:25).
**Torah text.** *Miqra according to the Masorah* (CC-BY-SA), the Masoretic text based on the Aleppo Codex, from Wikisource via [Sefaria](https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis?lang=he).
**Targum Onkelos.** The Aramaic is the commonly printed text, from the Torat Emet edition (Public Domain), via [Sefaria](https://www.sefaria.org/Onkelos_Genesis?lang=he).
**Comparison text.** "Targum Onkelos, vocalized according to the Yemenite Taj" (CC-BY-SA), from Wikisource via Sefaria. Its readings were compared with the printed text word by word; only differences that change a word or the meaning are noted.
**Translation of the Torah.** *Metsudah Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009* (CC-BY), via Sefaria, with the Divine Names rendered Hashem and God.
**Translation of Onkelos, notes and summaries.** New, prepared for this booklet. The Onkelos translation follows the wording of the Torah translation wherever the Aramaic agrees with the Hebrew, so that the differences stand out.
**Divine Names.** In the Hebrew and Aramaic, the Tetragrammaton and the Aramaic abbreviation of the Name are printed as ה׳, and *Elokim* as אלקים.
**Notes.** The notes compare the Aramaic with the Hebrew only. No later commentaries on Onkelos have been used. Where a note suggests why Onkelos translated as he did, this is presented as an inference from the text.
**Licence.** The Hebrew and Aramaic texts are shared under their own licences as stated above; CC-BY-SA material remains under CC-BY-SA.