# Torah with Onkelos
## Parashat Chayei Sarah — Sixth Aliyah
### Bereshit 25:1 – 25:11
*The sons of Keturah, the death and burial of Avraham, and the blessing of Yitzchok, read through Targum Onkelos*
---
## Contents
- [Orientation](#orientation)
- [How this booklet is laid out](#layout)
- [Unit 1 — Bereshit 25:1–6: Keturah's children, and Avraham's gifts](#unit-1)
- [Unit 2 — Bereshit 25:7–11: Avraham's death and burial](#unit-2)
- [Conclusion of the aliyah](#conclusion)
- [Aramaic word list for the aliyah](#glossary)
- [Source note](#source-note)
---
## Orientation
**What happens in this aliyah.** Avraham marries Keturah, who bears him six sons, and the line of Yokshon, Dedan and Midian is traced. Avraham gives all that he has to Yitzchok and sends the sons of the concubines away eastward with gifts while he is still alive. He then dies at one hundred and seventy-five, in a good old age, and his sons Yitzchok and Yishmael bury him beside Sarah in the cave of Machpeilah, in the field he bought from the sons of Cheis. After his death God blesses Yitzchok, who settles near Be'er Lachai Ro'i.
**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.**
- **Names that become words.** In 25:3 the names of Dedan's sons are rendered as ordinary nouns, 'camps', 'settlements' and 'islands', and in 25:11 Be'er Lachai Ro'i is turned into a description, 'the well at which the living angel was seen'.
- **Bearing and begetting.** The mother's bearing is וִילֵידַת (*vileidat*), the simple form; the father's begetting is the causative אוֹלִיד (*olid*).
- **The relative particle.** Hebrew relative phrases are often compressed with ד, as in דִּילֵהּ (*dileh*), 'that is his', for אֲשֶׁר לוֹ, and דַּחֲיָא (*da-haya*), 'which he lived'.
- **Repetition reduced.** The Hebrew 'a hundred years and seventy years and five years' says 'years' once in Onkelos, and the double use of the root קדם in 25:6 is kept only in the first word.
- **One Aramaic root for old age.** In 25:8 the Hebrew roots שׂיב and זקן are both rendered with סיב: בְּסִיבוּ and סִיב.
- **The burial site.** Machpeilah becomes כָּפֶלְתָּא (*kafelta*), the movement 'to the cave ... to the field' becomes 'in the cave ... in the field', and the 'sons of Cheis' are named with the gentilic חִתָּאָה.
- **The last verse.** In 25:11 the Hebrew אֱלֹקִים is rendered ה׳, and an angel is supplied as the one seen at the well.
---
## 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 25:1–6: Keturah's children, and Avraham's gifts
Avraham marries Keturah, who bears him six sons, and the descendants of Yokshon, Dedan and Midian are listed. Avraham gives all that he has to Yitzchok, and sends the sons of the concubines away eastward with gifts.
---
### Bereshit 25:1
**Torah**
וַיֹּ֧סֶף אַבְרָהָ֛ם וַיִּקַּ֥ח אִשָּׁ֖ה וּשְׁמָ֥הּ קְטוּרָֽה׃
**Translation**
Avraham again took a wife. Her name was Keturah.
**Onkelos**
וְאוֹסֵיף אַבְרָהָם וּנְסֵיב אִתְּתָא וּשְׁמַהּ קְטּוּרָה
**Onkelos in English**
Avraham again took a wife. Her name was Keturah.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Again took".** A literal rendering. The Hebrew idiom 'added and took' is kept with וְאוֹסֵיף (*ve-osif*), 'and he added', and the taking of a wife is expressed with the Aramaic verb נסב, וּנְסֵיב (*u-nesiv*), in place of Hebrew וַיִּקַּח.
**Words to note:** וְאוֹסֵיף *ve-osif* — again (lit. and he added) (וַיֹּסֶף) · וּנְסֵיב *u-nesiv* — took (וַיִּקַּח) · אִתְּתָא *itteta* — a wife (אִשָּׁה)
---
### Bereshit 25:2
**Torah**
וַתֵּ֣לֶד ל֗וֹ אֶת־זִמְרָן֙ וְאֶת־יׇקְשָׁ֔ן וְאֶת־מְדָ֖ן וְאֶת־מִדְיָ֑ן וְאֶת־יִשְׁבָּ֖ק וְאֶת־שֽׁוּחַ׃
**Translation**
She bore him Zimran, Yokshon, Medan, Midian, Yishbok, and Shuach.
**Onkelos**
וִילֵידַת לֵהּ יָת זִמְרָן וְיָת יָקְשָׁן וְיָת מְדָן וְיָת מִדְיָן וְיָת יִשְׁבָּק וְיָת שׁוּחַ
**Onkelos in English**
She bore him Zimran, Yokshon, Medan, Midian, Yishbok, and Shuach.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"She bore him".** A literal rendering. Each Hebrew object marker אֶת is matched by יָת, and the six names are carried over as they are. The verb וִילֵידַת (*vileidat*) is the simple form of ילד, used here of the mother.
**Words to note:** וִילֵידַת *vileidat* — she bore (וַתֵּלֶד) · לֵהּ *leh* — him (לוֹ)
---
### Bereshit 25:3
**Torah**
וְיׇקְשָׁ֣ן יָלַ֔ד אֶת־שְׁבָ֖א וְאֶת־דְּדָ֑ן וּבְנֵ֣י דְדָ֔ן הָי֛וּ אַשּׁוּרִ֥ם וּלְטוּשִׁ֖ם וּלְאֻמִּֽים׃
**Translation**
Yokshon fathered Shevah and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were Ashurim, Letushim and Leumim.
**Onkelos**
וְיָקְשָׁן אוֹלִיד יָת שְׁבָא וְיָת דְּדָן וּבְנֵי דְדָן הֲווֹ לְמַשִּׁירְיָן וְלִשְׁכוּנִין וּלְּנַגְוָן
**Onkelos in English**
Yokshon fathered Shevah and Dedan. The sons of Dedan became camps, and settlements, and islands.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Fathered".** Where the Hebrew uses the simple form יָלַד for the father, Onkelos uses the causative אוֹלִיד (*olid*), 'begot'. The previous verse used the simple form וִילֵידַת for the mother's bearing, so the Aramaic distinguishes the two acts, perhaps to keep the simple verb for giving birth.
- **"Camps, and settlements, and islands".** The Hebrew lists three tribal names, אַשּׁוּרִם, וּלְטוּשִׁם and וּלְאֻמִּים. Onkelos does not carry them over as names but renders them with ordinary nouns:
- לְמַשִּׁירְיָן (*le-mashiryan*), 'camps';
- וְלִשְׁכוּנִין (*ve-lishkhunin*), 'settlements', from שכן, 'to dwell';
- וּלְּנַגְוָן (*u-le-nagvan*), 'islands'.
This suggests he read the plural forms as describing how Dedan's descendants lived rather than what they were called. In the names of 25:2 and 25:4 there is no such change.
- **"Became".** The Hebrew הָיוּ is matched by הֲווֹ (*havo*), but each noun that follows carries the prefix ל, giving the Aramaic idiom 'were to', that is, 'became'.
**Words to note:** אוֹלִיד *olid* — fathered (יָלַד) · הֲווֹ *havo* — became (with ל) (הָיוּ) · לְמַשִּׁירְיָן *le-mashiryan* — camps (אַשּׁוּרִם) · וְלִשְׁכוּנִין *ve-lishkhunin* — and settlements (וּלְטוּשִׁם) · וּלְּנַגְוָן *u-le-nagvan* — and islands (וּלְאֻמִּים)
---
### Bereshit 25:4
**Torah**
וּבְנֵ֣י מִדְיָ֗ן עֵיפָ֤ה וָעֵ֙פֶר֙ וַחֲנֹ֔ךְ וַאֲבִידָ֖ע וְאֶלְדָּעָ֑ה כׇּל־אֵ֖לֶּה בְּנֵ֥י קְטוּרָֽה׃
**Translation**
The sons of Midian were Eiphah, Eipher, Chanoch, Avidah and Eldoah. All these were children of Keturah.
**Onkelos**
וּבְנֵי מִדְיָן עֵיפָה וָעֵפֶר וַחֲנוֹךְ וַאֲבִידָע וְאֶלְדָּעָה כָּל אִלֵּין בְּנֵי קְטוּרָה
**Onkelos in English**
The sons of Midian were Eiphah, Eipher, Chanoch, Avidah and Eldoah. All these were children of Keturah.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"All these".** A literal rendering. The five names are carried over, and כׇּל אֵלֶּה becomes כָּל אִלֵּין (*kol illein*).
**Words to note:** אִלֵּין *illein* — these (אֵלֶּה)
---
### Bereshit 25:5
**Torah**
וַיִּתֵּ֧ן אַבְרָהָ֛ם אֶת־כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר־ל֖וֹ לְיִצְחָֽק׃
**Translation**
Avraham gave all that he possessed to Yitzchok.
**Onkelos**
וִיהַב אַבְרָהָם יָת כָּל דִּילֵהּ לְיִצְחָק
**Onkelos in English**
Avraham gave all that he possessed to Yitzchok.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"All that he possessed".** A literal rendering. The Hebrew phrase אֲשֶׁר לוֹ, 'that was to him', becomes a single Aramaic word, דִּילֵהּ (*dileh*), 'that is his', formed from the relative ד with ל and the suffix. The verb וִיהַב (*vihav*), 'gave', renders וַיִּתֵּן.
**Words to note:** וִיהַב *vihav* — gave (וַיִּתֵּן) · דִּילֵהּ *dileh* — that he possessed (lit. that is his)
---
### Bereshit 25:6
**Torah**
וְלִבְנֵ֤י הַפִּֽילַגְשִׁים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לְאַבְרָהָ֔ם נָתַ֥ן אַבְרָהָ֖ם מַתָּנֹ֑ת וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵ֞ם מֵעַ֨ל יִצְחָ֤ק בְּנוֹ֙ בְּעוֹדֶ֣נּוּ חַ֔י קֵ֖דְמָה אֶל־אֶ֥רֶץ קֶֽדֶם׃
**Translation**
To the sons of the concubines that Avraham had, Avraham gave gifts. He sent them away from Yitzchok, his son, while he [Avraham] was still alive. [He sent them] eastward to the Land of the East.
**Onkelos**
וְלִבְנֵי לְחֵינָתָא דִּי לְאַבְרָהָם יְהַב אַבְרָהָם מַתְּנָן וְשַׁלְחִנּוּן מֵעַל יִצְחָק בְּרֵהּ בְּעוֹד דְּהוּא קַיָּם קִידוּמָא לַאֲרַע מַדִינְחָא
**Onkelos in English**
To the sons of the concubines that Avraham had, Avraham gave gifts. He sent them away from Yitzchok, his son, while he was still alive, eastward to the Land of the East.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"The concubines".** For the Hebrew הַפִּילַגְשִׁים Onkelos uses לְחֵינָתָא (*lehenata*), an Aramaic word from a different root; the ל is part of the word, not a preposition. The phrase 'that Avraham had' keeps the Hebrew construction, with דִּי for אֲשֶׁר.
- **"While he was still alive".** The Hebrew בְּעוֹדֶנּוּ is one word, 'in his still', with a suffix. Onkelos opens it into a clause, בְּעוֹד דְּהוּא (*be-od de-hu*), 'while that he [is]', and renders חַי, 'alive', with קַיָּם (*kayyam*), 'living, enduring'.
- **"Eastward to the Land of the East".** The Hebrew uses the root קדם twice, קֵדְמָה אֶל אֶרֶץ קֶדֶם. Onkelos keeps the root only in the first word, קִידוּמָא (*kiduma*), 'eastward', and renders the second with מַדִינְחָא (*madinha*), 'the East', from דנח, 'to rise' (of the sun). The repetition of the Hebrew is not kept.
**Words to note:** לְחֵינָתָא *lehenata* — the concubines (הַפִּילַגְשִׁים) · מַתְּנָן *mattenan* — gifts (מַתָּנֹת) · וְשַׁלְחִנּוּן *ve-shalhinnun* — he sent them away (וַיְשַׁלְּחֵם) · קַיָּם *kayyam* — alive (חַי) · קִידוּמָא *kiduma* — eastward (קֵדְמָה) · מַדִינְחָא *madinha* — the East (קֶדֶם)
---
### Unit 1 summary
Onkelos follows the genealogy word for word, carrying the names over and matching each אֶת with יָת, with one striking exception: in 25:3 the three names of Dedan's sons, אַשּׁוּרִם, וּלְטוּשִׁם and וּלְאֻמִּים, become ordinary Aramaic nouns, 'camps', 'settlements' and 'islands', so that the line describes how the descendants lived rather than what they were called. The verbs of birth are distinguished, the mother's bearing in the simple form (וִילֵידַת) and the father's begetting in the causative (אוֹלִיד). In 25:5-6 the changes are grammatical: the relative phrase אֲשֶׁר לוֹ becomes the single word דִּילֵהּ, the suffixed בְּעוֹדֶנּוּ is opened into a clause, and the Hebrew play on קדם in 'eastward to the Land of the East' is kept only in its first half, the second word being rendered by מַדִינְחָא, from a different root.
---
## Unit 2 — Bereshit 25:7–11: Avraham's death and burial
Avraham dies at the age of one hundred and seventy-five, and his sons Yitzchok and Yishmael bury him beside Sarah in the cave in the field bought from the sons of Cheis. After his death God blesses Yitzchok, who settles near Be'er Lachai Ro'i.
---
### Bereshit 25:7
**Torah**
וְאֵ֗לֶּה יְמֵ֛י שְׁנֵֽי־חַיֵּ֥י אַבְרָהָ֖ם אֲשֶׁר־חָ֑י מְאַ֥ת שָׁנָ֛ה וְשִׁבְעִ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה וְחָמֵ֥שׁ שָׁנִֽים׃
**Translation**
These are the days of the years of Avraham which he lived, one hundred years, seventy years and five years.
**Onkelos**
וְאִלֵּין יוֹמֵי שְׁנֵי חַיֵּי אַבְרָהָם דַּחֲיָא מְאָה וְשַׁבְעִין וְחָמֵשׁ שְׁנִין
**Onkelos in English**
These are the days of the years of the life of Avraham which he lived, one hundred and seventy and five years.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"One hundred and seventy and five years".** The Hebrew names the year after each number: מְאַת שָׁנָה וְשִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה וְחָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים, 'a hundred years and seventy years and five years'. Onkelos gives the three numbers together and says 'years' once, at the end: מְאָה וְשַׁבְעִין וְחָמֵשׁ שְׁנִין. The repetition is dropped, perhaps as the more natural Aramaic way of counting.
- **"Which he lived".** The Hebrew אֲשֶׁר חָי becomes one word, דַּחֲיָא (*da-haya*), the relative ד joined to the verb. The opening 'the days of the years of the life of' is rendered word for word.
**Words to note:** יוֹמֵי *yomei* — the days of (יְמֵי) · דַּחֲיָא *da-haya* — which he lived (חָי) · שְׁנִין *shenin* — years (שָׁנִים)
---
### Bereshit 25:8
**Torah**
וַיִּגְוַ֨ע וַיָּ֧מׇת אַבְרָהָ֛ם בְּשֵׂיבָ֥ה טוֹבָ֖ה זָקֵ֣ן וְשָׂבֵ֑עַ וַיֵּאָ֖סֶף אֶל־עַמָּֽיו׃
**Translation**
Avraham expired and died in a good old age, old and satisfied, and he was gathered to his people.
**Onkelos**
וְאִתְנְגִיד וּמִית אַבְרָהָם בְּסִיבוּ טָבָא סִיב וּשְׂבַע יוֹמִין וְאִתְכְּנִישׁ לְעַמֵּהּ
**Onkelos in English**
Avraham expired and died in a good old age, old and satisfied [with] days, and he was gathered to his people.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Expired".** For the Hebrew וַיִּגְוַע Onkelos uses וְאִתְנְגִיד (*ve-itnegid*), a reflexive verb from a different root, followed by וּמִית (*u-mit*), 'and died', for וַיָּמׇת.
- **"Old age ... old".** The Hebrew uses two roots, שׂיב in בְּשֵׂיבָה and זקן in זָקֵן. Onkelos uses one Aramaic root, סיב, for both: בְּסִיבוּ (*be-sivu*), 'in old age', and סִיב (*siv*), 'old'.
- **"Satisfied [with] days".** The Hebrew says only וְשָׂבֵעַ, 'and satisfied'. The printed Onkelos adds יוֹמִין (*yomin*), 'days', which may be meant to say what Avraham was satisfied with, namely length of life.
- **"He was gathered to his people".** The passive וַיֵּאָסֶף is matched by the reflexive וְאִתְכְּנִישׁ (*ve-itkenish*). The Hebrew עַמָּיו has the plural form of the suffixed noun; Onkelos has the singular לְעַמֵּהּ (*le-ammeh*), 'to his people'.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads וּסְבַע and lacks יוֹמִין, 'days'. The added word discussed above, and the rendering 'satisfied [with] days', belong to the printed text only; וּסְבַע, spelled with ס rather than שׂ, is the same verb, 'satisfied'.
**Words to note:** וְאִתְנְגִיד *ve-itnegid* — expired (וַיִּגְוַע) · בְּסִיבוּ *be-sivu* — in old age (בְּשֵׂיבָה) · סִיב *siv* — old (זָקֵן) · וּשְׂבַע *u-seva* — and satisfied (וְשָׂבֵעַ) · יוֹמִין *yomin* — days · וְאִתְכְּנִישׁ *ve-itkenish* — he was gathered (וַיֵּאָסֶף)
---
### Bereshit 25:9
**Torah**
וַיִּקְבְּר֨וּ אֹת֜וֹ יִצְחָ֤ק וְיִשְׁמָעֵאל֙ בָּנָ֔יו אֶל־מְעָרַ֖ת הַמַּכְפֵּלָ֑ה אֶל־שְׂדֵ֞ה עֶפְרֹ֤ן בֶּן־צֹ֙חַר֙ הַֽחִתִּ֔י אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־פְּנֵ֥י מַמְרֵֽא׃
**Translation**
His sons Yitzchok and Yishmael buried him in the Machpeilah cave, in the field of Ephron, son of Tzochar, the Chitite, which faces Mamrei.
**Onkelos**
וּקְבָרוּ יָתֵהּ יִצְחָק וְיִשְׁמָעֵאל בְּנוֹהִי בִּמְעָרַת כָּפֶלְתָּא בַּחֲקַל עֶפְרוֹן בַּר צֹחַר חִתָּאָה דִּי עַל אַפֵּי מַמְרֵא
**Onkelos in English**
His sons Yitzchok and Yishmael buried him in the cave of Kafelta, in the field of Ephron, son of Tzochar, the Chitite, which faces Mamrei.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"In the cave of Kafelta, in the field".** The Hebrew twice uses the preposition 'to', אֶל מְעָרַת ... אֶל שְׂדֵה. Onkelos twice uses בְּ, 'in': בִּמְעָרַת ... בַּחֲקַל, describing where Avraham was buried rather than where he was taken.
- **"Kafelta".** The name הַמַּכְפֵּלָה is given an Aramaic form, כָּפֶלְתָּא (*kafelta*), built on the same letters כפל but without the Hebrew prefix מ and with the Aramaic ending. The form may suggest that the name was understood as a word meaning 'double'.
- **"The Chitite" and "which faces".** The gentilic הַחִתִּי becomes חִתָּאָה (*hitta'a*), and עַל פְּנֵי becomes the matching Aramaic idiom עַל אַפֵּי (*al apei*), 'on the face of'. Otherwise a literal rendering, with בַּר for בֶּן.
**Words to note:** וּקְבָרוּ *u-kevaru* — buried (וַיִּקְבְּרוּ) · יָתֵהּ *yateh* — him (אֹתוֹ) · בְּנוֹהִי *benohi* — his sons (בָּנָיו) · כָּפֶלְתָּא *kafelta* — Kafelta (Machpeilah) (הַמַּכְפֵּלָה) · בַּחֲקַל *ba-hakal* — in the field of (שְׂדֵה) · אַפֵּי *apei* — faces (lit. face of) (פְּנֵי)
---
### Bereshit 25:10
**Torah**
הַשָּׂדֶ֛ה אֲשֶׁר־קָנָ֥ה אַבְרָהָ֖ם מֵאֵ֣ת בְּנֵי־חֵ֑ת שָׁ֛מָּה קֻבַּ֥ר אַבְרָהָ֖ם וְשָׂרָ֥ה אִשְׁתּֽוֹ׃
**Translation**
[This was] the field that Avraham purchased from the sons of Cheis. Avraham and his wife, Sarah, were buried there.
**Onkelos**
חַקְלָא דִּי זְבַן אַבְרָהָם מִן בְּנֵי חִתָּאָה תַּמָּן אִתְקְבַר אַבְרָהָם וְשָׂרָה אִתְּתֵהּ
**Onkelos in English**
[This was] the field that Avraham purchased from the sons of the Chitite. Avraham and his wife, Sarah, were buried there.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"From the sons of the Chitite".** The Hebrew בְּנֵי חֵת names the people after their ancestor, Cheis. Onkelos writes בְּנֵי חִתָּאָה, using the gentilic חִתָּאָה, 'the Chitite', the same word that renders הַחִתִּי in 25:9. The phrase may thus name the people rather than their forefather.
- **"Purchased" and "were buried".** The Hebrew קָנָה is rendered with זְבַן (*zevan*), the Aramaic verb for buying. The Hebrew passive קֻבַּר is singular although it has two subjects; Onkelos keeps the singular with אִתְקְבַר (*itkevar*).
**Words to note:** חַקְלָא *hakla* — the field (הַשָּׂדֶה) · זְבַן *zevan* — purchased (קָנָה) · חִתָּאָה *hitta'a* — the Chitite (חֵת) · תַּמָּן *tamman* — there (שָׁמָּה) · אִתְקְבַר *itkevar* — were buried (קֻבַּר)
---
### Bereshit 25:11
**Torah**
וַיְהִ֗י אַחֲרֵי֙ מ֣וֹת אַבְרָהָ֔ם וַיְבָ֥רֶךְ אֱלֹקִ֖ים אֶת־יִצְחָ֣ק בְּנ֑וֹ וַיֵּ֣שֶׁב יִצְחָ֔ק עִם־בְּאֵ֥ר לַחַ֖י רֹאִֽי׃ {פ}
**Translation**
After Avraham died, God blessed his son Yitzchok. Yitzchok lived near Be'er Lachai Ro'i.
**Onkelos**
וַהֲוָה בָּתַר דְּמִית אַבְרָהָם וּבָרֵךְ ה׳ יָת יִצְחָק בְּרֵהּ וִיתֵב יִצְחָק עִם בֵּירָא דְמַלְאָךְ קַיָּמָא אִתְחֲזֵי עֲלַהּ
**Onkelos in English**
It was after Avraham died [that] Hashem blessed his son Yitzchok. Yitzchok lived near the well at which the living angel was seen.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"After Avraham died".** The Hebrew אַחֲרֵי מוֹת uses the noun 'death', 'after the death of'. Onkelos writes a finite verb, בָּתַר דְּמִית (*batar de-mit*), 'after [that] he died'.
- **"Hashem blessed".** Where the Hebrew has אֱלֹקִים, God, Onkelos has ה׳, Hashem. The text gives no reason for the change of Name; it may reflect how the translator understood the blessing.
- **"The well at which the living angel was seen".** The Hebrew gives a place name, Be'er Lachai Ro'i. Onkelos does not transliterate it but renders its parts as a description:
- בְּאֵר, 'well', becomes בֵּירָא (*beira*);
- לַחַי, with the word for 'living', is matched by קַיָּמָא (*kayyama*);
- רֹאִי, with the word for 'seeing', is matched by אִתְחֲזֵי (*ithazei*), 'was seen', from חזי, the Aramaic verb of seeing, so the active seeing of the Hebrew becomes passive.
Onkelos also adds דְמַלְאָךְ (*de-mal'akh*), 'that the angel', so that the one seen at the well is an angel. This may reflect a reluctance to speak of God as seen. The relative ד of this word, together with עֲלַהּ (*alah*), literally 'upon it', is rendered 'at which'.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text vocalizes דְּמַלְאַךְ, with patah, the construct form 'angel of'. On that reading the phrase may be understood as 'the angel of the Living One' rather than 'the living angel'; the translation above follows the printed text.
**Words to note:** בָּתַר *batar* — after (אַחֲרֵי) · וִיתֵב *vitev* — lived (וַיֵּשֶׁב) · בֵּירָא *beira* — the well (בְּאֵר) · דְמַלְאָךְ *de-mal'akh* — that the angel (added) · קַיָּמָא *kayyama* — living (לַחַי) · אִתְחֲזֵי *ithazei* — was seen (רֹאִי)
---
### Unit 2 summary
The account of Avraham's death is rendered closely, with small adjustments: the threefold 'year' of the Hebrew age becomes a single 'years', one Aramaic root, סיב, serves for both 'old age' and 'old', and the printed text adds 'days' to 'satisfied'. In the burial the Hebrew 'to the cave ... to the field' becomes 'in the cave ... in the field', the place name Machpeilah is given an Aramaic form, כָּפֶלְתָּא, and the 'sons of Cheis' are called after the gentilic חִתָּאָה. The last verse carries the largest changes: the Hebrew Elokim is rendered ה׳, and the name Be'er Lachai Ro'i is not transliterated but turned into a description, 'the well at which the living angel was seen', with an angel supplied as the one who was seen; this may reflect reluctance to speak of God as seen.
---
## Conclusion of the aliyah
### The movement of the aliyah
The aliyah moves from the end of Avraham's family story to the end of his life. It opens with a genealogy that Onkelos follows almost word by word, departing from it only where Dedan's descendants are described rather than named. It passes through the settling of the inheritance, rendered with small grammatical adjustments, and the account of Avraham's death and burial, where the changes are mostly of idiom: the counting of years, the vocabulary of old age, the prepositions of burial and the Aramaic form of the place name. It closes with the verse that carries the largest changes, where the Name of God is altered and the name of Yitzchok's well becomes a description of what was seen there.
### What Onkelos tells us in this aliyah
1. **"She bore" and "fathered" (25:2-3).** וִילֵידַת for the mother and the causative אוֹלִיד for the father distinguish the two acts.
2. **"Camps, and settlements, and islands" (25:3).** אַשּׁוּרִם, וּלְטוּשִׁם and וּלְאֻמִּים become לְמַשִּׁירְיָן, וְלִשְׁכוּנִין and וּלְּנַגְוָן, suggesting the forms were read as describing how Dedan's descendants lived.
3. **"All that he possessed" (25:5).** אֲשֶׁר לוֹ becomes the single word דִּילֵהּ, 'that is his'.
4. **"While he was still alive" (25:6).** The suffixed Hebrew word is opened into a clause, בְּעוֹד דְּהוּא, and 'alive' is קַיָּם (*kayyam*).
5. **"Eastward to the Land of the East" (25:6).** קִידוּמָא keeps the root קדם, but the second word is מַדִינְחָא, from a different root, so the Hebrew repetition is lost.
6. **"One hundred and seventy and five years" (25:7).** The three numbers are given together and 'years' is said once, at the end.
7. **"Old age ... old" (25:8).** One root, סיב, serves for both Hebrew words: בְּסִיבוּ and סִיב.
8. **"Satisfied [with] days" (25:8).** The printed text adds יוֹמִין, 'days', which may say what Avraham was satisfied with; the Yemenite text lacks it.
9. **"In the cave of Kafelta, in the field" (25:9).** The Hebrew 'to' becomes 'in', בִּמְעָרַת ... בַּחֲקַל, and Machpeilah is given the Aramaic form כָּפֶלְתָּא.
10. **"The sons of the Chitite" (25:10).** The gentilic חִתָּאָה, which renders 'the Chitite' in 25:9, also replaces the ancestor's name Cheis, so the phrase may name the people rather than their forefather.
11. **"Hashem blessed" (25:11).** The Hebrew has אֱלֹקִים; Onkelos has ה׳. The text gives no reason for the change.
12. **"The well at which the living angel was seen" (25:11).** The place name is rendered by its parts, with קַיָּמָא for 'living' and the passive אִתְחֲזֵי for 'seeing', and דְמַלְאָךְ is added; this may reflect a reluctance to speak of God as seen.
### Recurring features
- **Close rendering of lists.** The genealogies are followed word by word: the names in 25:2 and 25:4 are carried over unchanged, and the Hebrew object marker is matched by יָת where it occurs.
- **Compression with the relative particle.** Hebrew relative phrases and clauses are joined with the Aramaic particle ד or דִּי: דִּילֵהּ in 25:5, דַּחֲיָא in 25:7, and דִּי for אֲשֶׁר in 25:6, 25:9 and 25:10.
- **Names turned into descriptions.** Where the Hebrew names seem to carry meaning, Onkelos sometimes renders the meaning instead of the name: Dedan's sons in 25:3 and Be'er Lachai Ro'i in 25:11; Machpeilah in 25:9 is given an Aramaic form that may point to the meaning 'double'.
- **Hebrew repetition and variation levelled.** The threefold 'year' of 25:7 and the double קדם of 25:6 are reduced, and the two Hebrew roots for old age in 25:8 are given one Aramaic root.
- **Reflexive and passive forms.** Several verbs appear in the Aramaic reflexive-passive pattern, marked where they occur: וְאִתְנְגִיד and וְאִתְכְּנִישׁ in 25:8, אִתְקְבַר in 25:10, and אִתְחֲזֵי in 25:11, where the active seeing of the Hebrew becomes passive.
- **Printed and Yemenite texts.** The textual notes mark differences between the printed Onkelos and the Yemenite text, in 25:8 (the added 'days') and in 25:11 (the vocalization of 'angel').
### Aliyah takeaway
For most of this aliyah Onkelos stays close to the Hebrew, carrying over names, matching grammar and adjusting only where Aramaic idiom requires a different word, a single 'years' or a preposition of place. The departures are concentrated where a name or a phrase can be read for its meaning: Dedan's descendants become a description of their way of life, Machpeilah takes an Aramaic form, and the well where Yitzchok settles becomes the place where a living angel was seen. Read alongside the Hebrew, the Targum shows which words it treated as plain labels and which it read as statements to be translated.
---
## Aramaic word list for the aliyah
| Aramaic | Transliteration | Meaning | Hebrew in the verse |
|---|---|---|---|
| וְאוֹסֵיף | *ve-osif* | again (lit. and he added) | וַיֹּסֶף |
| וּנְסֵיב | *u-nesiv* | took | וַיִּקַּח |
| אִתְּתָא | *itteta* | a wife | אִשָּׁה |
| וִילֵידַת | *vileidat* | she bore | וַתֵּלֶד |
| לֵהּ | *leh* | him | לוֹ |
| אוֹלִיד | *olid* | fathered | יָלַד |
| הֲווֹ | *havo* | became (with ל) | הָיוּ |
| לְמַשִּׁירְיָן | *le-mashiryan* | camps | אַשּׁוּרִם |
| וְלִשְׁכוּנִין | *ve-lishkhunin* | and settlements | וּלְטוּשִׁם |
| וּלְּנַגְוָן | *u-le-nagvan* | and islands | וּלְאֻמִּים |
| אִלֵּין | *illein* | these | אֵלֶּה |
| וִיהַב | *vihav* | gave | וַיִּתֵּן |
| דִּילֵהּ | *dileh* | that he possessed (lit. that is his) | — |
| לְחֵינָתָא | *lehenata* | the concubines | הַפִּילַגְשִׁים |
| מַתְּנָן | *mattenan* | gifts | מַתָּנֹת |
| וְשַׁלְחִנּוּן | *ve-shalhinnun* | he sent them away | וַיְשַׁלְּחֵם |
| קַיָּם | *kayyam* | alive | חַי |
| קִידוּמָא | *kiduma* | eastward | קֵדְמָה |
| מַדִינְחָא | *madinha* | the East | קֶדֶם |
| יוֹמֵי | *yomei* | the days of | יְמֵי |
| דַּחֲיָא | *da-haya* | which he lived | חָי |
| שְׁנִין | *shenin* | years | שָׁנִים |
| וְאִתְנְגִיד | *ve-itnegid* | expired | וַיִּגְוַע |
| בְּסִיבוּ | *be-sivu* | in old age | בְּשֵׂיבָה |
| סִיב | *siv* | old | זָקֵן |
| וּשְׂבַע | *u-seva* | and satisfied | וְשָׂבֵעַ |
| יוֹמִין | *yomin* | days | — |
| וְאִתְכְּנִישׁ | *ve-itkenish* | he was gathered | וַיֵּאָסֶף |
| וּקְבָרוּ | *u-kevaru* | buried | וַיִּקְבְּרוּ |
| יָתֵהּ | *yateh* | him | אֹתוֹ |
| בְּנוֹהִי | *benohi* | his sons | בָּנָיו |
| כָּפֶלְתָּא | *kafelta* | Kafelta (Machpeilah) | הַמַּכְפֵּלָה |
| בַּחֲקַל | *ba-hakal* | in the field of | שְׂדֵה |
| אַפֵּי | *apei* | faces (lit. face of) | פְּנֵי |
| חַקְלָא | *hakla* | the field | הַשָּׂדֶה |
| זְבַן | *zevan* | purchased | קָנָה |
| חִתָּאָה | *hitta'a* | the Chitite | חֵת |
| תַּמָּן | *tamman* | there | שָׁמָּה |
| אִתְקְבַר | *itkevar* | were buried | קֻבַּר |
| בָּתַר | *batar* | after | אַחֲרֵי |
| וִיתֵב | *vitev* | lived | וַיֵּשֶׁב |
| בֵּירָא | *beira* | the well | בְּאֵר |
| דְמַלְאָךְ | *de-mal'akh* | that the angel (added) | — |
| קַיָּמָא | *kayyama* | living | לַחַי |
| אִתְחֲזֵי | *ithazei* | was seen | רֹאִי |
---
## Source note
**Aliyah boundary.** Bereshit 25:1 – 25:11, following the aliyah divisions in Sefaria's index of Bereshit (the next aliyah begins at Bereshit 25:12).
**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.