Parashat Chayei Sarah — Second Aliyah

Torah with Onkelos · Bereshit 23:17 – 24:9 · פרשת חיי שרה, שני

Sarah’s burial in the cave of Machpelah and Avraham’s charge to his servant, read through Targum Onkelos

Contents

• Orientation
• How this page is laid out
• Unit 1 — Bereshit 23:17–20: The field passes to Avraham, and Sarah is buried
• Unit 2 — Bereshit 24:1–9: Avraham sends his servant to find a wife for Yitzchok
• Conclusion of the aliyah
• Aramaic word list for the aliyah
• Source note

Orientation

What happens in this aliyah. The aliyah opens by closing the sale of Ephron’s field. The field, with its cave and all its trees, passes to Avraham as his purchase before the eyes of the sons of Chet, all who had come to the gate of the city. Avraham then buries Sarah in the cave of the field of Machpelah, facing Mamrei, which is Chevron, and the field and cave are established as his burial possession. Chapter 24 turns to the next generation. Avraham, now old and blessed by Hashem in all things, has his senior servant place his hand under his thigh and makes him swear by Hashem, God of heaven and God of earth, not to take a wife for Yitzchok from the daughters of the Canaanites, but to go to Avraham’s own land and birthplace. The servant asks whether, if the woman will not come, he should bring Yitzchok back there. Avraham forbids it: Hashem, who took him from his father’s house and promised this land to his offspring, will send His angel ahead, and if the woman refuses, the servant is clear of the oath. The servant places his hand under Avraham’s thigh and swears.

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.

• Machpelah as an Aramaic word. For the Hebrew ha-makhpelah Onkelos writes kafelta (כָּפֶלְתָּא), an Aramaic noun from the same root כפל but without the Hebrew’s prefixed mem. The note on 23:17 suggests he may have heard the name as descriptive, ‘the doubled place’.
• Two ways of saying ‘facing’. Hebrew lifnei becomes kodam (קֳדָם) in 23:17, while al penei becomes the word-for-word al appei (אַפֵּי) in 23:19; each Hebrew expression keeps its own Aramaic equivalent.
• ‘Swear’ becomes ‘confirm’. The Hebrew verb of swearing is rendered with forms of קים, ‘establish, confirm’, in 24:3, 24:7 and 24:9, while the noun ‘oath’ in 24:8 receives a different word, momati.
• The oath ‘by the Memra of Hashem’. In 24:3 the servant is made to swear not simply ‘by Hashem’ but be-meimra da-Hashem, ‘by the Memra (Word) of Hashem’.
• Small grammatical smoothings. Collective singulars become plurals (‘trees’, ‘Canaanites’), the many-sided כִּי of 24:4 becomes the plainly adversative elahein, and ‘to the cave’ becomes ‘in the cave’.
• Idioms left as they are. The image of ‘coming into days’ in 24:1 is kept, though with the verb ‘enter’, and the doubled verb of 24:5 is kept word for word.
• ‘Seed’ as offspring. The promise ‘to your seed’ in 24:7 becomes a plain word for offspring: ‘to your son’ in the printed text, a plural ‘children’ in the Yemenite text.

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 23:17–20: The field passes to Avraham, and Sarah is buried

Ephron’s field, with its cave and its trees, is confirmed as Avraham’s purchase before the Chitites at the city gate. Avraham then buries Sarah in the cave, and the field and cave are established as his burial possession.

Bereshit 23:17

Torah

Translation

The field of Ephron was established [as Avraham’s possession], [the field] which was in Machpeilah, facing Mamrei; [this included] the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field that were in the entire circumference of its boundaries.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

The field of Ephron was established, which was in Kafelta, which was facing Mamrei; the field and the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in its entire boundary, round about, round about.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Was established”. Hebrew וַיָּקׇם (va-yakom) and Aramaic וְקָם (ve-kam) are forms of the same verbal root, ‘to rise, stand’. Like the Hebrew, the Aramaic does not yet say in whose favour the field ‘stood’; that is supplied in 23:18.
• “Which was in Kafelta”. The Hebrew בַּמַּכְפֵּלָה (ba-makhpelah) is a noun with the article from the root כפל, ‘to double’. Onkelos does not carry over the Hebrew form: בְּכָפֶלְתָּא (be-khafelta) is an Aramaic noun from the same root, without the Hebrew’s prefixed מ, in the emphatic state. The same noun returns in 23:19 (kafelta). Turning the name into an Aramaic word of the same root may suggest that Onkelos heard Machpelah as descriptive (‘the doubled [place]’) rather than as a bare proper name.
• “Which was facing Mamrei”. Hebrew לִפְנֵי (lifnei, literally ‘before the face of’) becomes the plain preposition קֳדָם (kodam), ‘before’. In 23:19 the Hebrew uses a different expression, al penei, and Onkelos renders that one word for word; each Hebrew phrase keeps its own Aramaic equivalent.
• “Field” and “which”. Each of the three Hebrew forms of ‘field’ is rendered with חקל: חֲקַל (hakal), חַקְלָא (hakla) and בְחַקְלָא (ve-hakla). Each of the five Hebrew אֲשֶׁר (asher) is answered by דִּי (di).
• “All the trees”. The Hebrew הָעֵץ (ha-etz) is a singular, ‘the tree’, used as a collective; Onkelos writes the plural אִילָנֵי (ilanei). A grammatical smoothing that leaves the meaning unchanged.
• “Its entire boundary, round about, round about”. Hebrew גְּבֻלוֹ (gevulo) is rendered by a different noun, תְּחוּמֵהּ (tehumeh), ‘its boundary’, singular as in the Hebrew. The single Hebrew סָבִיב (saviv) is answered by the doubled סְחוֹר סְחוֹר (sehor sehor), an Aramaic idiom for ‘all around’.

Words to note: חֲקַל hakal — field of (שְׂדֵה) · בְּכָפֶלְתָּא be-khafelta — in Kafelta (Machpeilah) (בַּמַּכְפֵּלָה) · קֳדָם kodam — facing, before (לִפְנֵי) · אִילָנֵי ilanei — the trees (הָעֵץ) · תְּחוּמֵהּ tehumeh — its boundary (גְּבֻלוֹ) · סְחוֹר sehor — round about (סָבִיב)

Bereshit 23:18

Torah

Translation

This became Avraham’s [possession] through a purchase before the eyes of the sons of Cheis, all who had come to the gate of his city.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

[It became] Avraham’s as his purchase, before the eyes of the sons of the Chitite, all who had entered the gate of his city.

What Onkelos tells us

• “As his purchase”. Hebrew לְמִקְנָה (le-mikneh), is a bare noun, ‘for a purchase’. Onkelos uses לִזְבִינוֹהִי (li-zevinohi), a noun from a different root, the Aramaic verb ‘to buy’, and adds a possessive suffix, ‘his purchase’, tying the acquisition explicitly to Avraham, who opens the verse. The suffix -ohi is the form usually attached to plural nouns; perhaps the noun is plural in form while denoting the single transaction.
• “The sons of the Chitite”. The Hebrew בְנֵי חֵת (benei Het) names the people after their ancestor Het. Onkelos writes בְּנֵי חִתָּאָה (benei hitta’ah), with the gentilic ‘the Chitite’ used collectively, perhaps preferring to name the people rather than the eponym. The same phrase recurs in 23:20.
• “All who had entered”. Hebrew בָּאֵי (ba’ei), ‘those coming’, becomes עָלֵי (alei), ‘those entering’, from a different verb; both are participles. ‘Gate’ is תְּרַע (tera) and ‘his city’ קַרְתֵּהּ (karteh).

Words to note: לִזְבִינוֹהִי li-zevinohi — as his purchase (לְמִקְנָה) · חִתָּאָה hitta’ah — the Chitite (חֵת) · עָלֵי alei — who had entered (בָּאֵי) · תְּרַע tera — gate (שַׁעַר) · קַרְתֵּהּ karteh — his city (עִירוֹ)

Bereshit 23:19

Torah

Translation

After that Avraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the Machpeilah field, which faces Mamrei, which is Chevron, in the land of Canaan.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

After that Avraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field of Kafelta, which faces Mamrei, which is Chevron, in the land of Canaan.

What Onkelos tells us

• “In the cave”. The Hebrew says Avraham buried Sarah אֶל מְעָרַת (el me’arat), literally ‘to the cave’, with a preposition of direction. Onkelos writes בִּמְעָרַת (bi-me’arat), ‘in the cave’, naming the place of burial rather than the movement toward it. A grammatical smoothing.
• “The field of Kafelta”. Hebrew שְׂדֵה הַמַּכְפֵּלָה (sedeh ha-makhpelah) becomes חֲקַל כָּפֶלְתָּא (hakal kafelta), with the same Aramaic noun as in 23:17, from the root כפל and without the Hebrew prefixed מ.
• “Which faces Mamrei”. Here the Hebrew עַל פְּנֵי (al penei, ‘on the face of’) is rendered word for word, עַל אַפֵּי (al appei), unlike lifnei in 23:17, which became kodam.
• “In the land of Canaan”. The Hebrew construct בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן (be-eretz kena’an) becomes בְּאַרְעָא דִּכְנָעַן (be-ar’a di-khena’an): an emphatic noun followed by the genitive particle ד־. The rest of the verse is literal: וּבָתַר כֵּן (u-vatar ken) for ‘after that’, אִתְּתֵהּ (itteteh) for ‘his wife’.

Words to note: וּבָתַר u-vatar — after (וְאַחֲרֵי) · אִתְּתֵהּ itteteh — his wife (אִשְׁתּוֹ) · בִּמְעָרַת bi-me’arat — in the cave of (מְעָרַת) · כָּפֶלְתָּא kafelta — Kafelta (Machpeilah) (הַמַּכְפֵּלָה) · אַפֵּי appei — faces (literally ‘face of’) (פְּנֵי)

Bereshit 23:20

Torah

Translation

The field and its cave was established as Avraham’s possession as a gravesite, by the sons of Cheis.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

The field and the cave that was in it was established as Avraham’s possession as a gravesite, by the sons of the Chitite.

What Onkelos tells us

• “The field and the cave that was in it”. Onkelos repeats exactly his wording of 23:17, חַקְלָא וּמְעַרְתָּא דִּי בֵהּ (hakla u-me’arta di veh), and again answers וַיָּקׇם with וְקָם (ve-kam), with a singular verb before the double subject as in the Hebrew.
• “Possession”. Hebrew לַאֲחֻזַּת (la-ahuzzat) comes from אחז, ‘to grasp, hold’. Onkelos uses לְאַחֲסָנַת (le-ahasanat), from a different root (h-s-n), a noun whose range covers both ‘possession’ and ‘inheritance’. The sense of a lasting holding is kept; the Hebrew root is not.
• “Gravesite”. Hebrew קָבֶר (kever), ‘grave’, is matched by קְבוּרָא (kevura), from the same root קבר; the Aramaic noun can mean either ‘grave’ or ‘burial’.
• “By the sons of the Chitite”. The compound Hebrew preposition מֵאֵת (me-et) is reduced to the simple מִן (min), and benei Het again becomes בְּנֵי חִתָּאָה (benei hitta’ah), as in 23:18.

Words to note: וְקָם ve-kam — was established (וַיָּקׇם) · לְאַחֲסָנַת le-ahasanat — as a possession of (לַאֲחֻזַּת) · קְבוּרָא kevura — gravesite (קָבֶר) · מִן min — by, from (מֵאֵת)

Unit 1 summary

Onkelos follows this legal closing of the sale almost word for word: each Hebrew relative asher has its di, the verb of the field’s ‘standing’ keeps the Hebrew verb’s root in both 23:17 and 23:20, and the repeated phrase ‘the field and the cave that was in it’ is rendered identically both times. His changes are small but consistent. The place name is given as kafelta, an Aramaic noun from the same root as Machpelah but without its prefixed mem; benei Het becomes the gentilic ‘sons of the Chitite’; the collective ‘tree’ becomes plural ‘trees’; the bare ‘purchase’ becomes ‘his purchase’; and the Hebrew nouns for possession and grave are matched by Aramaic words of a different root (ahasanat) and the same root (kevura) respectively. Two Hebrew expressions for ‘facing’, lifnei and al penei, are each kept distinct in the Aramaic as kodam and al appei.

Unit 2 — Bereshit 24:1–9: Avraham sends his servant to find a wife for Yitzchok

Avraham, old and blessed, makes his senior servant swear not to take a wife for Yitzchok from the Canaanites but from his own land and kindred. The servant asks what to do if the woman refuses; Avraham forbids him to take Yitzchok back there, and the servant swears.

Bereshit 24:1

Torah

Translation

Avraham was old, advanced in days [years], and Hashem had blessed Avraham in all things.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Avraham was old, advanced in days, and Hashem had blessed Avraham in all things.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Was old”. The Hebrew adjective זָקֵן is rendered by the ordinary Aramaic word for an old man, siv (סִיב).
• “Advanced in days”. The Hebrew idiom is literally “came into days” (בָּא בַּיָּמִים). Onkelos keeps the image: al be-yomin (עָל בְּיוֹמִין), “entered into days”. The idiom is not explained or replaced, though al (עָל) is literally “entered”, a different verb from the Hebrew “came”, as with alei (עָלֵי) in 23:18.
• “In all things”. Be-khola (בְּכֹלָא) matches בַּכֹּל. Otherwise a literal rendering.
• Textual note. The printed text vocalizes the verb for “blessed” as בְּרִיךְ, which looks like a passive participle (“blessed”), although it is followed by the object marker יָת. The Yemenite text reads בָּרֵיךְ, an active past form matching the Hebrew בֵּרַךְ. The translation follows the active sense that the sentence requires.

Words to note: סִיב siv — old (זָקֵן) · עָל al — advanced (lit. entered) (בָּא) · בְּיוֹמִין be-yomin — in days (בַּיָּמִים) · בְּכֹלָא be-khola — in all things (בַּכֹּל)

Bereshit 24:2

Torah

Translation

Avraham said to his servant, the senior [servant] of his household, who was in charge of all that he owned, Place your hand under my thigh.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Avraham said to his servant, the senior of his household, who was in charge of all that he owned, Place now your hand under my thigh.

What Onkelos tells us

• “The senior of his household”. The Hebrew זְקַן בֵּיתוֹ uses the same root זקן as Avraham’s age in 24:1 (זָקֵן). Onkelos uses related words in both places, סִיב there and sava (סָבָא) here, so the echo between the old master and his senior servant survives in the Aramaic.
• “Who was in charge”. The Hebrew participle with the article, הַמֹּשֵׁל, becomes a relative clause, de-shallit (דְּשַׁלִּיט), “who has authority” — a normal Aramaic way of expressing the same thing.
• “Place now”. Shavvi khe’an (שַׁוִּי כְעַן) follows שִׂים נָא word for word, with khe’an, “now”, for the particle נָא.

Words to note: סָבָא sava — the senior (lit. the elder) (זְקַן) · דְבֵיתֵהּ de-veiteh — of his household (בֵּיתוֹ) · דְּשַׁלִּיט de-shallit — who was in charge (הַמֹּשֵׁל) · שַׁוִּי shavvi — place (שִׂים) · כְעַן khe’an — now (נָא) · יַרְכִּי yarki — my thigh (יְרֵכִי)

Bereshit 24:3

Torah

Translation

I will have you swear by Hashem, God of heaven and God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

I will confirm [an oath] upon you by the Memra of Hashem, God of heaven and God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live.

What Onkelos tells us

• “I will confirm [an oath] upon you”. The Hebrew וְאַשְׁבִּיעֲךָ is a causative verb, “I will make you swear”. Onkelos uses va-akayyem alakh (וַאֲקַיֵּם עֲלָךְ), literally “I will confirm upon you”, from קים, “establish, confirm”. The same Aramaic verb stands for the Hebrew verb “swear” in 24:7 and 24:9, while the noun “oath” in 24:8 is rendered by a different word.
• “By the Memra of Hashem”. Where the Hebrew has the oath taken simply “by Hashem” (בַּה׳), Onkelos writes be-meimra da-Hashem, “by the Memra (Word) of Hashem”. This places an intermediary term between the oath and the Name, perhaps reflecting a reluctance to speak of swearing directly by God.
• “The Canaanites, among whom I live”. The Hebrew uses a collective singular, הַכְּנַעֲנִי, “the Canaanite”, and correspondingly “in its midst”, בְּקִרְבּוֹ. Onkelos makes both plural: kena’ana’ei, “Canaanites” (כְּנַעֲנָאֵי), and beineihon, “among them” (בֵּינֵיהוֹן).
• “Take”. As usual, the Hebrew verb from לקח is rendered with tissav (תִסַּב), and “my son” is livri (לִבְרִי).

Words to note: וַאֲקַיֵּם va-akayyem — I will confirm (an oath) (וְאַשְׁבִּיעֲךָ) · בְּמֵימְרָא be-meimra — by the Memra (Word) (בַּה׳) · תִסַּב tissav — you will take (תִקַּח) · כְּנַעֲנָאֵי kena’ana’ei — Canaanites (הַכְּנַעֲנִי) · יָתֵב yatev — live (יוֹשֵׁב) · בֵּינֵיהוֹן beineihon — among them (בְּקִרְבּוֹ)

Bereshit 24:4

Torah

Translation

Instead, to my [native] land, to my birthplace, shall you go, and take a wife for my son, for Yitzchok,

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Instead, to my land, to my birthplace, shall you go, and take a wife for my son, for Yitzchok,

What Onkelos tells us

• “Instead”. The Hebrew כִּי has many senses; here, after the negative oath of 24:3, it means “but rather”. Onkelos uses the unambiguous elahein, “but, rather” (אֱלָהֵין), so the Aramaic carries only the adversative sense.
• “To my birthplace”. מוֹלַדְתִּי is rendered u-le-yalladuti (וּלְיַלָּדוּתִי), “my birthplace, my kindred”. Otherwise a literal rendering, with teizil (תֵּיזִיל) for “go”.

Words to note: אֱלָהֵין elahein — instead, but rather (כִּי) · וּלְיַלָּדוּתִי u-le-yalladuti — to my birthplace (מוֹלַדְתִּי) · תֵּיזִיל teizil — shall you go (תֵּלֵךְ) · וְתִסַּב ve-tissav — and take (וְלָקַחְתָּ)

Bereshit 24:5

Torah

Translation

The servant said to him, Perhaps the woman will not want to come back with me to this land? Shall I bring your son back to the land from where you came?

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

The servant said to him, Perhaps the woman will not want to come back with me to this land? Shall I bring your son back to the land from where you came?

What Onkelos tells us

• “To come back with me”. The Hebrew says “to go after me” (לָלֶכֶת אַחֲרַי); Onkelos says “to come after me”, le-meitei vatrai (לְמֵיתֵי בַתְרַי), with a verb of coming rather than going. This may view the journey from its goal, Avraham’s land, which is where the servant is speaking.
• “Shall I bring your son back”. The Hebrew doubles the verb for emphasis, an infinitive with a question marker followed by the finite verb (הֶהָשֵׁב אָשִׁיב). Onkelos keeps the same construction: ha-atava atev (הַאֲתָבָא אָתֵיב).
• “Perhaps”. Ma’im (מָאִים) renders אוּלַי; teivei (תֵיבֵי) renders “want”.

Words to note: מָאִים ma’im — perhaps (אוּלַי) · תֵיבֵי teivei — will want (תֹאבֶה) · לְמֵיתֵי le-meitei — to come (לָלֶכֶת) · בַתְרַי vatrai — with me (lit. after me) (אַחֲרַי) · הַאֲתָבָא ha-atava — shall I (indeed) (הֶהָשֵׁב) · נְפַקְתָּא nefakta — you came (lit. went out) (יָצָאתָ)

Bereshit 24:6

Torah

Translation

Avraham said to him, Take care, not to bring my son back there.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Avraham said to him, Take care, not to bring my son back there.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Take care”. The Hebrew reflexive הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ is matched by the Aramaic reflexive istammar lakh (אִסְתַּמַּר לָךְ), including the dative “for yourself”.
• “Not to bring back”. פֶּן, “lest”, is rendered dilma (דִּילְמָא), and שָׁמָּה, “there” with a suffix of direction, becomes le-tamman, “to there” (לְתַמָּן). A literal rendering.

Words to note: אִסְתַּמַּר istammar — take care (הִשָּׁמֶר) · דִּילְמָא dilma — not to (lit. lest) (פֶּן) · תָתֵיב tatev — bring back (תָּשִׁיב) · לְתַמָּן le-tamman — there (שָׁמָּה)

Bereshit 24:7

Torah

Translation

Hashem, God of heaven, Who took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my birth, Who spoke to me, and Who swore to me, saying, To your descendants I will give this land—He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Hashem, God of heaven, Who led me from my father’s house, and from the land of my birth, Who spoke to me, and Who confirmed to me, saying, To your son I will give this land—He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Who led me”. The Hebrew says that Hashem “took” Avraham (לְקָחַנִי). Onkelos uses dabberani (דַּבְּרַנִי), “led me”, from דבר, “lead”, rather than the verb he uses for taking a wife later in the same verse (וְתִסַּב). The choice suggests he distinguished leading a person on a journey from taking an object or a wife.
• “Who confirmed to me”. נִשְׁבַּע, “swore”, is rendered kayyem (קַיֵּם), “confirmed”, the same verb used for the servant’s oath in 24:3 and 24:9.
• “To your son”. The Hebrew promise is “to your seed” (לְזַרְעֲךָ). Onkelos replaces the metaphor with a plain word for offspring; the printed text reads livrakh (לִבְרָךְ), “to your son”.
• “Before you”. לְפָנֶיךָ becomes kodamakh (קֳדָמָךְ), and “my father” is abba (אַבָּא). Otherwise a literal rendering.
• Textual note. For “to your son” the Yemenite text reads לִבְנָךְ (livnakh), “to your sons” or “children”, a plural that matches the collective sense of the Hebrew “seed”. The singular “son” holds for the printed text only.
• Textual note. The printed text vocalizes “my birth” here as יַלְדוּתִי, but as וּלְיַלָּדוּתִי in 24:4 for the same Hebrew word; the Yemenite text has the doubled-lamed form in both verses (יַלָּדוּתִי here, וּלְיַלָּדוּתִי in 24:4).

Words to note: דַּבְּרַנִי dabberani — led me (לְקָחַנִי) · אַבָּא abba — my father (אָבִי) · יַלְדוּתִי yalduti — my birth (מוֹלַדְתִּי) · קַיֵּם kayyem — confirmed (נִשְׁבַּע) · לִבְרָךְ livrakh — to your son (לְזַרְעֲךָ) · קֳדָמָךְ kodamakh — before you (לְפָנֶיךָ)

Bereshit 24:8

Torah

Translation

If the woman does not want to come back with you, you are absolved from this oath to me. But do not bring my son back there.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

If the woman does not want to come back with you, you will be absolved from this oath to me. But do not bring my son back there.

What Onkelos tells us

• “To come back with you”. As in 24:5, the Hebrew “to go after you” (לָלֶכֶת אַחֲרֶיךָ) becomes “to come after you” (לְמֵיתֵי בַתְרָךְ).
• “You will be absolved”. The Hebrew uses a single verb, וְנִקִּיתָ, “you will be clear”. Onkelos uses “be” with an adjective: u-tehei zakka’ah (וּתְהֵי זַכָּאָה), “and you will be clear, innocent”.
• “From this oath to me”. The Hebrew noun מִשְּׁבֻעָתִי is from the same root as the verbs “swear” in 24:3, 24:7 and 24:9. Onkelos renders those verbs with forms of קים, but the noun with a different word, momati (מִמּוֹמָתִי), “my oath”, so the Hebrew link between the verb and the noun is not kept.
• “But”. רַק is rendered le-hod (לְחוֹד), “only”.

Words to note: בַתְרָךְ vatrakh — with you (lit. after you) (אַחֲרֶיךָ) · זַכָּאָה zakka’ah — absolved (lit. clear, innocent) (וְנִקִּיתָ) · מִמּוֹמָתִי mi-momati — from this oath to me (lit. from my oath) (מִשְּׁבֻעָתִי) · לְחוֹד le-hod — but (lit. only) (רַק) · תָתֵב tatev — bring back (תָשֵׁב)

Bereshit 24:9

Torah

Translation

The servant placed his hand under the thigh of Avraham, his master, and swore to him regarding this matter.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

The servant placed his hand under the thigh of Avraham, his master, and confirmed [it] to him regarding this matter.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Placed”. Ve-shavvi (וְשַׁוִּי) is the same Aramaic verb as the command in 24:2 (שַׁוִּי), as the Hebrew uses the same verb in both verses (וַיָּשֶׂם, שִׂים). The fulfilment echoes the command in both languages.
• “And confirmed [it] to him”. וַיִּשָּׁבַע, “and he swore”, is rendered ve-kayyem (וְקַיֵּם), “and confirmed”, matching 24:3 and 24:7.
• “His master” and “matter”. Ribboneh (רִבּוֹנֵהּ) renders אֲדֹנָיו, and pitgama (פִּתְגָּמָא) renders הַדָּבָר. Otherwise a literal rendering.

Words to note: וְשַׁוִּי ve-shavvi — placed (וַיָּשֶׂם) · יַרְכָא yarkha — the thigh (יֶרֶךְ) · רִבּוֹנֵהּ ribboneh — his master (אֲדֹנָיו) · וְקַיֵּם ve-kayyem — and confirmed (וַיִּשָּׁבַע) · פִּתְגָּמָא pitgama — matter (הַדָּבָר)

Unit 2 summary

Onkelos follows this dialogue closely, but handles its language of oaths with care. The Hebrew verb “swear” is consistently rendered by the Aramaic “confirm”, while the noun “oath” receives a different word, and the oath itself is taken “by the Memra of Hashem” rather than simply “by Hashem”. Elsewhere he smooths the Hebrew: the collective “Canaanite” becomes plural, an ambiguous particle is made clearly adversative, “go after me” becomes “come after me”, and Hashem’s “taking” Avraham becomes “leading” him. The promise to Avraham’s “seed” is turned into a plain word for offspring, which in the printed text is the singular “son” and in the Yemenite text the plural “children”. Idioms are kept: the image of “coming into days” survives, though with the verb “enter”, and the doubled verb of 24:5 is kept word for word.

Conclusion of the aliyah

The movement of the aliyah

The aliyah moves from a legal record to a sworn charge, and Onkelos’s handling shifts with it. In the closing of the sale (23:17-20) he follows the Hebrew almost word for word: each of the five asher of 23:17 is answered by di, the verb of the field’s ‘standing’ keeps its Hebrew root in both 23:17 and 23:20, and ‘the field and the cave that was in it’ is rendered identically both times. His changes there are small: the place name becomes the Aramaic kafelta, benei Het becomes ‘the sons of the Chitite’, ‘purchase’ becomes ‘his purchase’, and possession and grave are matched by ahasanat and kevura. In the dialogue of chapter 24 the text again stays close, keeping even the idiom ‘came into days’ and the doubled verb of 24:5, but here the changes gather around the language of oaths and around Hashem: the verb ‘swear’ is rendered ‘confirm’, the noun ‘oath’ has a word of its own, the oath is taken by the Memra of Hashem, and Hashem ‘leads’ Avraham rather than ‘taking’ him.

What Onkelos tells us in this aliyah

1. “Was established” (23:17). Ve-kam (וְקָם) is a form of the same root as the Hebrew va-yakom, ‘to rise, stand’, and returns unchanged in 23:20.
2. “In Kafelta” (23:17). Be-khafelta (בְּכָפֶלְתָּא) is an Aramaic noun from the root כפל, without the Hebrew’s prefixed mem, which may suggest that Onkelos heard Machpelah as descriptive rather than as a bare proper name.
3. “As his purchase” (23:18). Li-zevinohi (לִזְבִינוֹהִי), from the Aramaic verb ‘to buy’, adds a possessive suffix and so ties the acquisition explicitly to Avraham.
4. “The sons of the Chitite” (23:18). Benei hitta’ah uses the gentilic collectively, perhaps naming the people rather than their ancestor Het; the phrase recurs in 23:20.
5. “Possession as a gravesite” (23:20). Le-ahasanat (לְאַחֲסָנַת) comes from a different root from the Hebrew and covers both ‘possession’ and ‘inheritance’; kevura (קְבוּרָא) keeps the Hebrew root קבר.
6. “Entered into days” (24:1). Al be-yomin (עָל בְּיוֹמִין) keeps the Hebrew image of ‘coming into days’ without explaining or replacing it.
7. “The senior of his household” (24:2). Sava (סָבָא) echoes siv (סִיב) in 24:1, so the link between the old master and his senior servant survives in the Aramaic.
8. “By the Memra of Hashem” (24:3). Be-meimra da-Hashem (בְּמֵימְרָא דַּה׳) places an intermediary term between the oath and the Name, perhaps reflecting a reluctance to speak of swearing directly by God.
9. “Instead” (24:4). Elahein (אֱלָהֵין) gives the Hebrew כִּי only its adversative sense, ‘but rather’.
10. “To come after me” (24:5). Le-meitei vatrai (לְמֵיתֵי בַתְרַי) uses a verb of coming rather than going, which may view the journey from its goal; 24:8 does the same.
11. “Who led me” (24:7). Dabberani (דַּבְּרַנִי) replaces ‘took me’, distinct from the verb used for taking a wife later in the same verse, which suggests a distinction between leading a person and taking a wife or an object.
12. “From this oath to me” (24:8). Mi-momati (מִמּוֹמָתִי) is a different word from the קים verbs used for ‘swear’, so the Hebrew link between the verb and the noun of oath is not kept.

Recurring features

• Swearing rendered as confirming. Every Hebrew verb ‘swear’ in the aliyah (24:3, 24:7, 24:9) is rendered with a form of קים, while the one noun ‘oath’ (24:8) receives a different word.
• Each Hebrew expression keeps its own Aramaic match. Lifnei and lefanekha become kodam and kodamakh (23:17, 24:7), al penei becomes al appei (23:19), every asher of 23:17 is answered by di, and repeated Hebrew phrases are repeated in the Aramaic: ‘the field and the cave that was in it’ (23:17, 23:20), benei hitta’ah (23:18, 23:20), and shavvi for ‘place’ in the command and its fulfilment (24:2, 24:9).
• Collectives made plural. The collective ‘tree’ becomes ilanei, ‘trees’ (23:17), and the collective ‘Canaanite’ becomes kena’ana’ei, ‘Canaanites’, with ‘among them’ to match (24:3).
• Grammatical smoothing that leaves the meaning unchanged. The bare ‘purchase’ becomes ‘his purchase’, ‘to the cave’ becomes ‘in the cave’, the compound me-et becomes min, the single verb ve-nikkita becomes ‘you will be clear’ with an adjective, and כִּי is made explicitly adversative.
• Different roots for familiar Hebrew words. Possession (ahasanat), purchase (zevinohi), ‘those coming’ (alei, ‘those entering’), boundary (tehumeh) and oath (momati) are rendered from roots other than the Hebrew, while grave (kevura) and old (siv, sava) are matched closely.
• Idiom and emphasis kept. Where the Hebrew construction can stand in Aramaic, Onkelos keeps it: the image of ‘coming into days’ (24:1, with ‘enter’ for ‘come’), ‘place now’ (24:2), the reflexive ‘take care for yourself’ (24:6) and the doubled verb of 24:5.

Aliyah takeaway

This aliyah shows Onkelos as a close translator who makes a small number of deliberate choices. The legal closing of the sale of the field is reproduced almost phrase by phrase, with only the place name, the people’s name and a few nouns turned into ordinary Aramaic. Avraham’s charge to his servant is also rendered closely, idioms included, but the vocabulary of oaths is handled with consistent care: swearing is ‘confirming’, the oath has its own noun, and the oath is taken by the Memra of Hashem rather than directly by the Name. Read side by side with the Hebrew, the Targum keeps the shape of both scenes while making its own pattern of word choices visible.

Aramaic word list for the aliyah

Source note

Aliyah boundary. Bereshit 23:17 – 24:9, following the aliyah divisions in Sefaria’s index of Bereshit (the next aliyah begins at Bereshit 24:10).

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.

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