Parashat Bereshit — Seventh Aliyah
Torah with Onkelos · Bereshit 5:25 – 6:8 · פרשת בראשית, שביעי
From Mesushelach to Noach, and the corruption before the Flood, read through Targum Onkelos
Export as MarkdownContents
- Orientation
- How this page is laid out
- Unit 1 — Bereshit 5:25–27: The years of Mesushelach
- Unit 2 — Bereshit 5:28–31: Lemech, and the naming of Noach
- Unit 3 — Bereshit 5:32–6:4: Noach’s sons, and the sons of the great ones
- Unit 4 — Bereshit 6:5–8: Hashem resolves to blot out mankind; Noach finds favor
- Conclusion of the aliyah
- Aramaic word list for the aliyah
- Source note
Orientation
What happens in this aliyah. The aliyah closes the genealogy from Adam to Noach and opens the story of the Flood. Mesushelach and Lemech live, beget and die in the fixed formula of the list; Lemech names his son Noach, hoping he will bring rest from the toil of the cursed ground; Noach at five hundred fathers Sheim, Cham and Yafes. Then, as mankind multiplies, the sons of the great ones take wives as they please, Hashem sets a term of one hundred and twenty years, and the mighty ones of old appear on the earth. Hashem sees the wickedness of man, resolves to blot out mankind and all living things from the earth, and only Noach finds favor before 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 page 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.
- The numbers. In the genealogy the Hebrew counts upward, units before tens before hundreds, repeating the singular “year”; Onkelos counts downward, hundreds first, with a single plural shenin at the end.
- The naming of Noach (5:29). Onkelos keeps the root נחם in יְנַחֲמִנָּנָא (yenahaminnana), so the link between the name and its explanation survives.
- “The sons of the great ones” (6:2, 6:4). For בְנֵי־הָאֱלֹקִים (bnei ha-Elokim) Onkelos writes רַבְרְבַיָּא (ravrevaya), reading the phrase as a term for powerful men rather than divine beings.
- A recast verse (6:3). “My spirit” and “man” give way to דָרָא בִישָׁא הָדֵין (dara visha hadein, “this evil generation”), with an added “their deeds are evil” and the hundred and twenty years turned into an extension, אַרְכָא (arkha), granted “if they repent”.
- One word for two (6:4). The Nefilim and the Gibborim are both גִּבָּרַיָּא (gibbaraya), “the mighty ones”.
- God’s feelings and God’s body (6:6-6:8). God’s change of mind is placed “in His Memra”, His grief becomes a decision to break mankind’s strength, and His “eyes” become “before Hashem”.
- Adam and adamah. Man is enasha and the ground is ar’a, the same word used for “earth”, so the Hebrew sound-play between adam and adamah is not reproduced.
How this page 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 page 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 5:25–27: The years of Mesushelach
Mesushelach fathers Lemech at one hundred and eighty-seven, lives on for seven hundred and eighty-two years more, and dies at nine hundred and sixty-nine.
Bereshit 5:25
Torah
Translation
Mesushelach lived one hundred and eighty-seven years and he had a son Lemech.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
Mesushelach lived one hundred and eighty-seven years and he had a son Lemech.
What Onkelos tells us
- “One hundred and eighty-seven years”. The Hebrew counts upward and repeats the singular “year”: “seven and eighty year and a hundred year”. Onkelos counts downward, me’ah ve-tamnin u-shva shenin (“a hundred and eighty and seven years”), with a single plural shenin at the end. Every life-span number in 5:25–5:32 follows the same Aramaic order. Otherwise a literal rendering.
- “He had a son”. The verb וְאוֹלִיד (ve-olid), the causative “and he begot”, matches the Hebrew causative וַיּוֹלֶד.
Words to note: וַחֲיָא va-haya — lived (וַיְחִי) · מְאָה me’ah — hundred (וּמְאַת) · שְׁנִין shenin — years (שָׁנָה) · וְאוֹלִיד ve-olid — and he had (a son); literally “and he begot” (וַיּוֹלֶד)
Bereshit 5:26
Torah
Translation
After he had Lemech, Mesushelach lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and he had sons and daughters.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
After he had Lemech, Mesushelach lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and he had sons and daughters.
What Onkelos tells us
- “After he had Lemech”. The Hebrew uses an infinitive with a suffix, אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ (“after his begetting”). Onkelos turns it into a finite clause, בָּתַר דְּאוֹלִיד (batar de-olid, “after [the time] that he begot”) — a grammatical smoothing with no change of sense.
- “Seven hundred and eighty-two years”. As in 5:25, the order is reversed: the Hebrew says “two and eighty year and seven hundreds year”, the Aramaic “seven hundred and eighty and two years”. Note also that the Aramaic uses the singular me’ah after “seven” where the Hebrew has the plural me’ot. Otherwise a literal rendering.
Words to note: בָּתַר batar — after (אַחֲרֵי) · דְּאוֹלִיד de-olid — [that] he had (begot) (הוֹלִידוֹ) · בְּנִין benin — sons (בָּנִים) · וּבְנָן u-venan — and daughters (וּבָנוֹת)
Bereshit 5:27
Torah
Translation
All the days of Mesushelach were nine hundred and sixty-nine, and he died.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
All the days of Mesushelach were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.
What Onkelos tells us
- “All the days of Mesushelach were”. A literal rendering: the plural verb va-havo matches the Hebrew plural, and yomei is “days of”. The numbers run from hundreds down to units, with a single shenin (“years”) at the end.
Words to note: וַהֲווֹ va-havo — were (וַיִּהְיוּ) · יוֹמֵי yomei — the days of (יְמֵי) · וּמִית u-mit — and he died (וַיָּמֹת)
Unit 1 summary
These three verses follow the fixed formula of the genealogy, and Onkelos renders them literally, word for word in substance. The one systematic difference is in the numbers: the Hebrew counts upward, units before tens before hundreds, and repeats the singular “year” (shanah) after each part, while the Aramaic counts downward, hundreds first, and places a single plural “years” (shenin) at the end. The Hebrew infinitive “after his begetting” becomes a finite clause, “after he had”, and the verbs of living, begetting and dying are the plain Aramaic equivalents.
Unit 2 — Bereshit 5:28–31: Lemech, and the naming of Noach
Lemech has a son and names him Noach, hoping that he will bring relief from the toil of the cursed ground; Lemech lives five hundred and ninety-five more years and dies at seven hundred and seventy-seven.
Bereshit 5:28
Torah
Translation
Lemech lived one hundred and eighty-two years and had a son.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
Lemech lived one hundred and eighty-two years and had a son.
What Onkelos tells us
- “Had a son”. A literal rendering; the Hebrew בֵּן is matched by the Aramaic בָּר (bar), “son”. The number is reordered from largest to smallest, as throughout the genealogy.
Words to note: בָּר bar — a son (בֵּן)
Bereshit 5:29
Torah
Translation
He named his son Noach, saying, This one will bring us rest from our work and the anguish of our hands, from the soil which Hashem has cursed.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
He named [his son] Noach, saying, This one will bring us rest from our work and from the weariness of our hands, from the earth which Hashem has cursed.
What Onkelos tells us
- “This one will bring us rest”. The Hebrew explains the name נֹחַ by the verb יְנַחֲמֵנוּ. Onkelos keeps the same root (נחם) in יְנַחֲמִנָּנָא (yenahaminnana), so the sound-link between the name and its explanation survives in the Aramaic.
- “The weariness of our hands”. For the Hebrew וּמֵעִצְּבוֹן (“and from the anguish of”), Onkelos has וּמִלֵּאוּת (u-mi-le’ut), “and from the weariness of”. The Aramaic word speaks of exhaustion rather than pain, which perhaps fits the parallel “our work” (מֵעוֹבָדָנָא).
- “From the earth”. The Hebrew הָאֲדָמָה is rendered אַרְעָא (ar’a), the same word Onkelos uses for בָאָרֶץ in 6:4 and again for הָאֲדָמָה in 6:1. The Hebrew pair adam / adamah, which echoes the curse of the ground, is therefore not reproduced in the Aramaic.
- “Which Hashem has cursed”. דִּי לַטְטַהּ ה׳ (di latetah) is a literal equivalent of אֲשֶׁר אֵרְרָהּ.
Words to note: יְנַחֲמִנָּנָא yenahaminnana — will bring us rest (יְנַחֲמֵנוּ) · מֵעוֹבָדָנָא me-ovadana — from our work (מִמַּעֲשֵׂנוּ) · וּמִלֵּאוּת u-mi-le’ut — and from the weariness of (וּמֵעִצְּבוֹן) · יְדָנָא yedana — our hands (יָדֵינוּ) · אַרְעָא ar’a — the earth (הָאֲדָמָה) · לַטְטַהּ latetah — has cursed (it) (אֵרְרָהּ)
Bereshit 5:30
Torah
Translation
After he had Noach, Lemech lived five hundred and ninety-five years, and he had sons and daughters.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
After he had Noach, Lemech lived five hundred and ninety-five years, and he had sons and daughters.
What Onkelos tells us
- “After he had Noach”. As in 5:26, the Hebrew infinitive “after his begetting” becomes the finite clause batar de-olid, and the number is given from hundreds down to units. Otherwise a literal rendering.
Words to note: דְּאוֹלִיד de-olid — [that] he had (begot) (הוֹלִידוֹ) · וְתִשְׁעִין ve-tish’in — and ninety (וְתִשְׁעִים)
Bereshit 5:31
Torah
Translation
All the days of Lemech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
All the days of Lemech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died.
What Onkelos tells us
- “All the days of Lemech were”. A literal rendering. Where the Hebrew has the singular verb va-yehi, the Aramaic has the plural va-havo, agreeing with “days”, exactly as in 5:27 where the Hebrew verb is itself plural.
Words to note: וַהֲווֹ va-havo — were (וַיְהִי) · וְשַׁבְעִין ve-shav’in — and seventy (וְשִׁבְעִים)
Unit 2 summary
The genealogical verses are again rendered literally, with the numbers reordered from largest to smallest as throughout the chapter. The interest of the unit is the naming in 5:29. Onkelos keeps the Hebrew verb of the same root (נחם), so the sound-link between the name Noach and the verb that explains it survives in the Aramaic. Elsewhere in the verse he uses his own vocabulary: “weariness” where the Hebrew has “anguish”, and his general word for land, ar’a, for the Hebrew adamah, which loosens the Hebrew’s link between adam and adamah.
Unit 3 — Bereshit 5:32–6:4: Noach’s sons, and the sons of the great ones
Noach at five hundred fathers Sheim, Cham and Yafes. As mankind multiplies, the sons of the great ones take wives as they please; Hashem sets a limit of one hundred and twenty years, and the mighty ones of old appear on the earth.
Bereshit 5:32
Torah
Translation
Noach was five hundred years old, and Noach produced Sheim, Cham, and Yafes.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
Noach was five hundred years old, and Noach produced Sheim, Cham, and Yafes.
What Onkelos tells us
- “Five hundred years old”. Onkelos keeps the Hebrew idiom “a son of five hundred years” (בֶּן), rendering it with בַּר (bar). He also repeats the object marker yat before each of the three names, as the Hebrew repeats et. A literal rendering.
Words to note: וַהֲוָה va-hava — was (וַיְהִי) · בַּר bar — a son of (in giving age: “old”) (בֶּן)
Bereshit 6:1
Torah
Translation
It came to be when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, that daughters were born to them.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
It came to be when the sons of man began to multiply on the face of the earth, that daughters were born to them.
What Onkelos tells us
- “The sons of man began”. The Hebrew has a singular collective, הָאָדָם with the singular verb הֵחֵל. Onkelos writes בְנֵי אֱנָשָׁא (venei enasha), “the sons of man”, i.e. human beings, with the plural verb שְׁרִיאוּ (sheri’u). The same enasha renders “man” in “the daughters of man” in 6:2 and 6:4.
- “To multiply”. For the Hebrew לָרֹב (“to increase”) Onkelos has the infinitive לְמִסְגֵּי (le-misgei), “to become many”.
- “On the face of the earth”. אַפֵּי אַרְעָא (appei ar’a) is the Aramaic idiom for the Hebrew פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה; as in 5:29, ar’a stands for adamah.
- “Daughters were born to them”. The passive אִתְיְלִידוּ (ityelidu) matches the Hebrew passive יֻלְּדוּ.
- Textual note. The Yemenite text reads אִתְיְלִידָא for אִתְיְלִידוּ, a different ending for “were born”; it may be a form agreeing with the feminine “daughters”. The meaning is unchanged.
Words to note: שְׁרִיאוּ sheri’u — began (הֵחֵל) · אֱנָשָׁא enasha — man (mankind) (הָאָדָם) · לְמִסְגֵּי le-misgei — to multiply (לָרֹב) · אַפֵּי appei — the face of (פְּנֵי) · אִתְיְלִידוּ ityelidu — were born (יֻלְּדוּ)
Bereshit 6:2
Torah
Translation
The sons of the rulers saw that the daughters of man were fair and they took for themselves wives from whomever they chose.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
The sons of the great ones saw that the daughters of man were fair and they took for themselves wives from whomever they desired.
What Onkelos tells us
- “The sons of the great ones”. The Hebrew בְנֵי־הָאֱלֹקִים (bnei ha-Elokim) becomes בְנֵי רַבְרְבַיָּא (venei ravrevaya), “the sons of the great ones”, nobles or rulers. This reading treats the phrase as describing powerful men, and may be meant to exclude any sense of divine or heavenly beings marrying human women. The same rendering recurs in 6:4.
- “Were fair”. The Hebrew says the women were טֹבֹת (“good”). Onkelos uses שַׁפִּירָן (shappiran), a word for beauty, specifying the sense of “good” here.
- “They took”. וּנְסִיבוּ (u-nesivu) is the Aramaic verb used here for taking wives, for the Hebrew וַיִּקְחוּ.
- “Whomever they desired”. For the Hebrew בָּחָרוּ (“they chose”) Onkelos has אִתְרְעִיאוּ (itre’iu), “they desired” or “were pleased with”. The shift from choosing to desiring perhaps sharpens the impression of unrestrained conduct, though the Aramaic verb can also cover choice.
- Textual note. For the pronoun “they” in “they were fair” the printed text has the masculine form אִנוּן, the Yemenite the feminine אִנִּין. The Yemenite form agrees in gender with the Hebrew feminine הֵנָּה and with “daughters”; the meaning is the same.
Words to note: וַחֲזוֹ va-hazo — saw (וַיִּרְאוּ) · רַבְרְבַיָּא ravrevaya — the great ones (בְנֵי־הָאֱלֹקִים) · שַׁפִּירָן shappiran — fair (טֹבֹת) · וּנְסִיבוּ u-nesivu — and they took (וַיִּקְחוּ) · אִתְרְעִיאוּ itre’iu — they desired (בָּחָרוּ)
Bereshit 6:3
Torah
Translation
Hashem said, My spirit will not continue to judge man forever, since he is nothing but flesh. His days shall be a hundred and twenty years.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
Hashem said, This evil generation will not endure before Me forever, because they are flesh and their deeds are evil. An extension has been given to them, a hundred and twenty years, if they repent.
What Onkelos tells us
- “This evil generation will not endure before Me”. The Hebrew reads לֹא יָדוֹן רוּחִי בָאָדָם (“My spirit will not continue to judge man”). Onkelos changes both the subject and the verb: the subject is now דָרָא בִישָׁא הָדֵין (dara visha hadein, “this evil generation”), and the verb is יִתְקַיַם (yitkayam, “will endure”), followed by קֳדָמַי (kodamai, “before Me”).
- “My spirit” has no equivalent; the Aramaic speaks of the generation’s standing before God rather than of God’s spirit in man.
- “Man” in general is narrowed to one generation, so that the verse becomes a statement about the generation of this narrative.
- The changes suggest a reading that avoids describing God’s spirit as residing in, or contending with, humanity, though any such motive is an inference.
- “Because they are flesh”. The Hebrew בְּשַׁגַּם הוּא is singular (“since he, too/indeed, is flesh”). Onkelos has בְּדִיל דְאִנוּן (bedil de-innun), “because they”, in the plural, to match “generation”; the element gam (“also”) in the Hebrew word has no counterpart.
- An addition: “and their deeds are evil”. וְעוֹבָדֵיהוֹן בִּישַׁיָא (ve-ovadeihon bishaya) has no Hebrew equivalent. It perhaps indicates that being “flesh” is not offered as the reason by itself: the decree rests on what the generation does.
- “An extension has been given to them … if they repent”. The Hebrew וְהָיוּ יָמָיו (“his days shall be”) is not rendered. Instead the hundred and twenty years become אַרְכָא (arkha), “an extension” or reprieve, and Onkelos adds the condition אִם יְתוּבוּן (im yetuvun), “if they repent”. The number is thus read not as a limit on human lifespan but as a period of grace before judgment.
Words to note: יִתְקַיַם yitkayam — will endure · דָרָא dara — generation · קֳדָמַי kodamai — before Me · בְּדִיל bedil — because (בְּשַׁגַּם) · אַרְכָא arkha — an extension · יְתוּבוּן yetuvun — they repent
Bereshit 6:4
Torah
Translation
There were giants on the earth in those days, and also later, when the sons of the rulers came to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mightiest ones who ever existed. [They were] men of renown.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
The mighty ones were on the earth in those days, and also later, when the sons of the great ones came in to the daughters of man and they bore [children] to them. These were the mighty ones who [were] from of old, men of renown.
What Onkelos tells us
- “The mighty ones”. The Hebrew has two different words: הַנְּפִלִים at the start of the verse and הַגִּבֹּרִים near its end. Onkelos renders both with the one word גִּבָּרַיָּא (gibbaraya), “the mighty ones”. This may reflect a reading of the obscure Nefilim as the same group as the Gibborim, and it does not reproduce the Hebrew’s two distinct terms.
- “The sons of the great ones”. As in 6:2, בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹקִים is rendered בְּנֵי רַבְרְבַיָּא.
- “Came in to”. For the Hebrew יָבֹאוּ (“came”) Onkelos uses יַעֲלוּן (ya’alun), from the verb “to enter”, with לְוַת (levat, “to”) for אֶל. Like the Hebrew verb, it is the imperfect form.
- “Who [were] from of old, men of renown”. דִּמֵעָלְמָא (di-me’alma) renders אֲשֶׁר מֵעוֹלָם, and אֱנָשִׁין דִּשְׁמָא (enashin di-shma, “men of name”) keeps the Hebrew idiom אַנְשֵׁי הַשֵּׁם.
- Textual note. Where the printed text has דִּי יַעֲלוּן (“when [they] came in”, an imperfect verb), the Yemenite has דְּעָאלִין, a participle (“when [they] were coming in”); the Yemenite also reads וְיָלְדָן for וִילִידָן (“they bore”). The sense is the same, but the point above that the Aramaic verb is imperfect like the Hebrew holds for the printed text only.
Words to note: גִּבָּרַיָּא gibbaraya — the mighty ones (הַנְּפִלִים) · יַעֲלוּן ya’alun — came in (יָבֹאוּ) · לְוַת levat — to (אֶל) · דִּמֵעָלְמָא di-me’alma — who [were] from of old (מֵעוֹלָם) · דִּשְׁמָא di-shma — of renown (literally “of name”) (הַשֵּׁם)
Unit 3 summary
After a literal 5:32, Onkelos becomes markedly interpretive. He renders bnei ha-Elokim in 6:2 and 6:4 as “the sons of the great ones” (ravrevaya), which reads the phrase as a term for human nobility rather than for divine beings. In 6:3 he recasts the whole verse: not God’s spirit and man in general, but “this evil generation”, which will not endure “before Me”; he adds that “their deeds are evil”, and he turns the hundred and twenty years into an extension granted “if they repent”. In 6:4 one Aramaic word, gibbaraya, stands for both the obscure Nefilim and the Gibborim. Elsewhere in the unit adam is rendered with enasha (“man”, “mankind”), and the verbs of seeing, taking and being born are plain equivalents.
Unit 4 — Bereshit 6:5–8: Hashem resolves to blot out mankind; Noach finds favor
Hashem sees the wickedness of man, regrets having made him, and decides to obliterate all living things from the earth. Only Noach finds favor before Him.
Bereshit 6:5
Torah
Translation
Hashem saw that man’s wickedness had increased on the earth, and that every inclination of his heart was only for evil, all day long.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
Hashem saw that the wickedness of man had increased on the earth, and that every inclination of the thought of his heart was only for evil, all day long.
What Onkelos tells us
- “The wickedness of man had increased”. Onkelos follows the Hebrew closely: segi’at (סְגִיאַת), “had increased”, for רַבָּה, and bishat enasha (בִּישַׁת אֱנָשָׁא), “the wickedness of man”, for רָעַת הָאָדָם. As elsewhere in these verses (except 6:3), enasha renders the Hebrew adam.
- “Wickedness … evil”. The Hebrew uses one root twice, ra’at (רָעַת) and ra (רַע). Onkelos uses one Aramaic root for both, bishat and bish (בִּישׁ), so the repetition that ties man’s wickedness to the evil of his heart is kept.
- “Of the thought of his heart”. The Hebrew has the plural mahshevot (מַחְשְׁבֹת), “thoughts”; the printed Onkelos has mahshevat (מַחְשְׁבַת), vocalized as a singular, “the thought”. Man’s heart is rendered literally, libbeh (לִבֵּהּ), “his heart” — unlike God’s heart in 6:6.
- “Only”. Le-hod (לְחוֹד) renders rak; otherwise a literal rendering.
- Textual note. The Yemenite text vocalizes מַחְשְׁבָת with a kamatz, which may be read as a plural construct, “the thoughts of”, matching the Hebrew plural. The point above about the singular “thought” holds for the printed text only.
Words to note: סְגִיאַת segi’at — had increased (רַבָּה) · בִּישַׁת bishat — the wickedness of (רָעַת) · אֱנָשָׁא enasha — man (הָאָדָם) · יִצְרָא yitzra — inclination (יֵצֶר) · מַחְשְׁבַת mahshevat — the thought of (מַחְשְׁבֹת) · לְחוֹד le-hod — only (רַק)
Bereshit 6:6
Torah
Translation
Hashem was comforted that He had made man on the earth, and He grieved in His heart.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
Hashem relented in His Memra that He had made man on the earth, and He said in His Memra to break their strength according to His will.
What Onkelos tells us
- “Hashem relented in His Memra”. For va-yinnahem (וַיִּנָּחֶם), “was comforted” or “reconsidered”, Onkelos writes ve-tav (וְתַב), literally “returned”, that is, turned back from a course, and adds be-meimreh (בְּמֵימְרֵהּ), “in His Memra” (His word). The change of mind is thus located in God’s word rather than stated directly of God, which may reflect a reluctance to ascribe a change of feeling to Him.
- “And He said in His Memra to break their strength according to His will”. The second clause of the Hebrew, va-yitatzev el libbo (וַיִּתְעַצֵּב אֶל־לִבּוֹ), “and He grieved in His heart”, is not translated word for word. Onkelos replaces the grief with a decision: God “said in His Memra” to break “their strength” (tokpehon, תָּקְפְּהוֹן) “according to His will” (kir’uteh, כִּרְעוּתֵהּ). None of these words has an equivalent in the Hebrew. The rephrasing suggests an avoidance of attributing sorrow to God, and it anticipates the decree spelled out in 6:7.
- God’s heart and man’s heart. In 6:5 the heart of man (libbo) is rendered literally as libbeh; here the heart of God (libbo) becomes be-meimreh, “in His Memra”. The same Hebrew word is handled differently according to whom it describes.
- “That He had made man on the earth”. This clause is literal: avad (עֲבַד) for asah (עָשָׂה), yat enasha for the object, and be-ar’a (בְּאַרְעָא) for ba-aretz.
Words to note: וְתַב ve-tav — relented (literally, returned) (וַיִּנָּחֶם) · בְּמֵימְרֵהּ be-meimreh — in His Memra (His word) · לְמִתְּבַר le-mittevar — to break · תָּקְפְּהוֹן tokpehon — their strength · כִּרְעוּתֵהּ kir’uteh — according to His will
Bereshit 6:7
Torah
Translation
Hashem said, I will obliterate mankind which I have created from the face of the earth, from man to beast, to the creeping things and to the birds of heaven, for I regret that I made them.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
Hashem said, I will obliterate mankind which I have created from the face of the earth, from man to beast, to the creeping things and to the birds of heaven, for I have relented in My Memra that I made them.
What Onkelos tells us
- “For I have relented in My Memra”. The Hebrew nihamti (נִחַמְתִּי) is from the same root as va-yinnahem in 6:6, and Onkelos keeps the link: tavit (תָבִית) is from the same verb as ve-tav there, again with “in My Memra” (be-meimri, בְּמֵימְרִי) added.
- “From the face of the earth”. Onkelos renders ha-adamah (הָאֲדָמָה) as ar’a (אַרְעָא), the same word he uses for ha-aretz in 6:5 and 6:6. The Hebrew sound-play between adam and adamah — man blotted out from the ground he was named for — is lost, since man is enasha and the ground ar’a.
- “Which I have created … that I made them”. Both verbs keep their Hebrew pairing: vereti (בְרֵאתִי) shares the root ברא with barati (בָּרָאתִי), and avadtinun (עֲבַדְתִּנוּן) renders asitim (עֲשִׂיתִם) with the same verb, עבד, used for asah in 6:6.
- The list of creatures. Otherwise a literal rendering: be’ira (בְּעִירָא) for behemah, rihasha (רִיחֲשָׁא) for remes, and ofa di-shmaya (עוֹפָא דִּשְׁמַיָּא), “the birds of heaven”, with the possessive particle in place of the Hebrew construct.
Words to note: אֶמְחֵי emhei — I will obliterate (אֶמְחֶה) · אַרְעָא ar’a — earth (הָאֲדָמָה) · בְּעִירָא be’ira — beast (בְּהֵמָה) · רִיחֲשָׁא rihasha — creeping things (רֶמֶשׂ) · תָבִית tavit — I have relented (נִחַמְתִּי) · עֲבַדְתִּנוּן avadtinun — I made them (עֲשִׂיתִם)
Bereshit 6:8
Torah
Translation
But Noach found favor in the eyes of Hashem.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
But Noach found mercy before Hashem.
What Onkelos tells us
- “Found mercy”. For hen (חֵן), “favor”, Onkelos writes rahamin (רַחֲמִין), “mercy” or “compassion”. The verb ashkah (אַשְׁכַּח), “found”, renders matza literally.
- “Before Hashem”. The Hebrew be-einei (בְּעֵינֵי), “in the eyes of”, becomes kodam (קֳדָם), “before”. Replacing God’s “eyes” with a preposition suggests a reluctance to speak of God in bodily terms, in keeping with the treatment of His “heart” in 6:6.
Words to note: אַשְׁכַּח ashkah — found (מָצָא) · רַחֲמִין rahamin — mercy (חֵן) · קֳדָם kodam — before (בְּעֵינֵי)
Unit 4 summary
Where the verses describe man, Onkelos is close and literal: the repeated root of “wickedness” and “evil” is kept with one Aramaic root, and man’s heart remains a heart. Where they describe God’s feelings, he rephrases. Hashem does not “reconsider” or “grieve in His heart” but “relents in His Memra” and “says in His Memra” to break mankind’s strength according to His will; His “eyes” become “before Hashem”. The verb chosen for God’s change of mind is the same in 6:6 and 6:7, as the Hebrew root is, so the link between the two verses survives. The one loss is the Hebrew play between adam and adamah, since Onkelos uses one word, ar’a, for both “earth” and “ground”.
Conclusion of the aliyah
The movement of the aliyah
The aliyah moves from the steady rhythm of the genealogy to the first signs of the Flood. In the genealogical verses (5:25-5:32) Onkelos is literal, varying only the order of the numbers and smoothing the infinitive “after his begetting” into a finite clause. With 6:1 the narrative turns, and so does the translation: in 6:2-6:4 he reinterprets the sons of Elokim, recasts the decree of 6:3 around one evil generation and its chance to repent, and merges the Nefilim with the Gibborim. In 6:5-6:8 the description of man stays close to the Hebrew, while the statements about God’s feelings and body are rephrased: His change of mind is “in His Memra”, His grief becomes a decision, His eyes become “before”. The aliyah ends with Noach finding not “favor” but “mercy” before Hashem.
What Onkelos tells us in this aliyah
- “One hundred and eighty-seven years” (5:25). Me’ah ve-tamnin u-shva shenin: the number runs from hundreds down, with one plural “years” at the end, an order the notes find in every life-span number of 5:25-5:32.
- “After he had Lemech” (5:26). The infinitive with suffix becomes a finite clause, batar de-olid, a grammatical smoothing with no change of sense.
- “This one will bring us rest” (5:29). Yenahaminnana keeps the Hebrew root, so the explanation of Noach’s name still sounds like the name; “anguish” becomes “weariness” (u-mi-le’ut).
- “The sons of the great ones” (6:2). Venei ravrevaya treats the phrase as describing nobles or rulers, and may be meant to exclude divine beings marrying human women.
- “This evil generation will not endure before Me” (6:3). The subject is narrowed from man in general to one generation, “My spirit” has no equivalent, and the verse speaks of the generation’s standing before God.
- “And their deeds are evil” (6:3). An addition with no Hebrew equivalent, which perhaps indicates that being “flesh” is not offered as the reason by itself.
- “An extension … if they repent” (6:3). The hundred and twenty years are read not as a limit on lifespan but as a period of grace before judgment.
- “The mighty ones” (6:4). Gibbaraya renders both Nefilim and Gibborim, which may reflect a reading of the two as one group.
- “Hashem relented in His Memra” (6:6). For va-yinnahem Onkelos has ve-tav be-meimreh, locating the change of mind in God’s word rather than stating it directly of God.
- “To break their strength according to His will” (6:6). In place of “He grieved in His heart”, Onkelos has a decision; the rephrasing suggests an avoidance of attributing sorrow to God and anticipates 6:7.
- “I have relented in My Memra” (6:7). Tavit is from the same verb as ve-tav in 6:6, so the link between the two verses, made in the Hebrew by one root, survives.
- “Found mercy before Hashem” (6:8). “Favor” becomes rahamin, “mercy”, and “in the eyes of” becomes kodam, “before”.
Recurring features
- Literal rendering of the formula. The genealogical verses are rendered word for word in substance: the verbs of living, begetting and dying are plain Aramaic equivalents, and in 5:32 the object marker yat is repeated before each name as the Hebrew repeats et.
- Numbers reordered. Life-spans are given from hundreds down to units with a single plural shenin, against the Hebrew’s upward count and repeated singular shanah.
- Adam as enasha. Hebrew adam is rendered with אֱנָשָׁא (enasha) in 6:1, 6:2, 6:4, 6:5, 6:6 and 6:7; the one exception is 6:3, where “man” becomes “this evil generation”.
- Ar’a for adamah and eretz. אַרְעָא serves for both “ground” and “earth” (5:29, 6:1, 6:4, 6:5, 6:6, 6:7), so the Hebrew link between adam and adamah is lost.
- The Memra. In 6:6 and 6:7 God’s change of mind and His decision are set “in His Memra” (be-meimreh, be-meimri).
- Before Hashem. Onkelos uses kodam, “before”, where the text speaks of God’s regard: “before Me” in 6:3, and “before Hashem” for “in the eyes of Hashem” in 6:8.
- Man close, God rephrased. Man’s heart stays a heart (libbeh, 6:5), while God’s heart becomes “in His Memra” (6:6); the same Hebrew word is handled differently according to whom it describes.
Aliyah takeaway
This short aliyah shows two modes of Onkelos side by side. Where the Torah lists births, years and deaths, he translates almost word for word, changing only what Aramaic idiom requires. Where it speaks of the sons of Elokim, of God’s spirit, His regret, His grief and His eyes, he interprets: the sons of Elokim become great men, the decree on man becomes a decree on one evil generation with a period granted for repentance, and God’s inner life is expressed through His Memra and through “before Him”. Reading the Aramaic beside the Hebrew shows where the translator departs from a literal rendering.
Aramaic word list for the aliyah
| Aramaic | Transliteration | Meaning | Hebrew in the verse |
|---|---|---|---|
| מְאָה | me’ah | hundred | וּמְאַת |
| שְׁנִין | shenin | years | שָׁנָה |
| וְאוֹלִיד | ve-olid | and he had (a son); literally “and he begot” | וַיּוֹלֶד |
| בָּתַר | batar | after | אַחֲרֵי |
| דְּאוֹלִיד | de-olid | [that] he had (begot) | הוֹלִידוֹ |
| וַהֲווֹ | va-havo | were | וַיִּהְיוּ |
| יוֹמֵי | yomei | the days of | יְמֵי |
| בָּר | bar | a son | בֵּן |
| יְנַחֲמִנָּנָא | yenahaminnana | will bring us rest | יְנַחֲמֵנוּ |
| מֵעוֹבָדָנָא | me-ovadana | from our work | מִמַּעֲשֵׂנוּ |
| וּמִלֵּאוּת | u-mi-le’ut | and from the weariness of | וּמֵעִצְּבוֹן |
| אַרְעָא | ar’a | the earth | הָאֲדָמָה |
| לַטְטַהּ | latetah | has cursed (it) | אֵרְרָהּ |
| שְׁרִיאוּ | sheri’u | began | הֵחֵל |
| אֱנָשָׁא | enasha | man (mankind) | הָאָדָם |
| לְמִסְגֵּי | le-misgei | to multiply | לָרֹב |
| אַפֵּי | appei | the face of | פְּנֵי |
| אִתְיְלִידוּ | ityelidu | were born | יֻלְּדוּ |
| רַבְרְבַיָּא | ravrevaya | the great ones | בְנֵי־הָאֱלֹקִים |
| שַׁפִּירָן | shappiran | fair | טֹבֹת |
| וּנְסִיבוּ | u-nesivu | and they took | וַיִּקְחוּ |
| אִתְרְעִיאוּ | itre’iu | they desired | בָּחָרוּ |
| יִתְקַיַם | yitkayam | will endure | — |
| דָרָא | dara | generation | — |
| קֳדָמַי | kodamai | before Me | — |
| בְּדִיל | bedil | because | בְּשַׁגַּם |
| אַרְכָא | arkha | an extension | — |
| יְתוּבוּן | yetuvun | they repent | — |
| גִּבָּרַיָּא | gibbaraya | the mighty ones | הַנְּפִלִים |
| יַעֲלוּן | ya’alun | came in | יָבֹאוּ |
| לְוַת | levat | to | אֶל |
| דִּמֵעָלְמָא | di-me’alma | who [were] from of old | מֵעוֹלָם |
| דִּשְׁמָא | di-shma | of renown (literally “of name”) | הַשֵּׁם |
| סְגִיאַת | segi’at | had increased | רַבָּה |
| בִּישַׁת | bishat | the wickedness of | רָעַת |
| מַחְשְׁבַת | mahshevat | the thought of | מַחְשְׁבֹת |
| לְחוֹד | le-hod | only | רַק |
| וְתַב | ve-tav | relented (literally, returned) | וַיִּנָּחֶם |
| בְּמֵימְרֵהּ | be-meimreh | in His Memra (His word) | — |
| תָּקְפְּהוֹן | tokpehon | their strength | — |
| כִּרְעוּתֵהּ | kir’uteh | according to His will | — |
| בְּעִירָא | be’ira | beast | בְּהֵמָה |
| רִיחֲשָׁא | rihasha | creeping things | רֶמֶשׂ |
| תָבִית | tavit | I have relented | נִחַמְתִּי |
| עֲבַדְתִּנוּן | avadtinun | I made them | עֲשִׂיתִם |
Source note
Aliyah boundary. Bereshit 5:25 – 6:8, following the aliyah divisions in Sefaria’s index of Bereshit.
Torah text. Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA), the Masoretic text based on the Aleppo Codex, from Wikisource via Sefaria .
Targum Onkelos. The Aramaic is the commonly printed text, from the Torat Emet edition (Public Domain), via Sefaria .
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 page. 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.
Back to Parashat Bereshit · Torah with Onkelos