# Torah with Onkelos
## Parashat Lech Lecha — Third Aliyah
### Bereshit 13:5 – 13:18
*Avram and Lot part ways and Avram is promised the land, read through Targum Onkelos*
---
## Contents
- [Orientation](#orientation)
- [How this booklet is laid out](#layout)
- [Unit 1 — Bereshit 13:5–11: Avram and Lot part ways](#unit-1)
- [Unit 2 — Bereshit 13:12–18: Lot in Sedom, Avram promised the land](#unit-2)
- [Conclusion of the aliyah](#conclusion)
- [Aramaic word list for the aliyah](#glossary)
- [Source note](#source-note)
---
## Orientation
**What happens in this aliyah.** Lot, who travels with Avram, has flocks, herds and tents of his own, and the land cannot support both households. When their herdsmen quarrel, Avram proposes that they separate and offers Lot the choice of direction. Lot looks out over the well-watered plain of the Jordan, as it was before Sedom and Amorah were destroyed, chooses it and moves east, settling among the cities of the Plain as far as Sedom, whose people are described as exceedingly wicked and sinful. After Lot has gone, Hashem tells Avram to look in every direction, promises him and his offspring all the land he sees, and bids him walk its length and breadth. Avram moves his tent to the plains of Mamrei in Chevron and builds an altar there.
**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.**
- **Points of the compass.** Avram's 'left' and 'right' become 'north' and 'south' (לְצִפּוּנָא, לְדָרוֹמָא), and Hashem's four directions are named with Onkelos's own Aramaic terms rather than the Hebrew's Negev and sea.
- **'Before Hashem'.** Where the Hebrew says la-Hashem, 'to Hashem', Onkelos writes קֳדָם ה׳, 'before Hashem', both for the sin of Sedom and for Avram's altar.
- **'Your sons' for 'your seed'.** The promise of offspring is given with וְלִבְנָיךְ, 'and to your sons', in place of the Hebrew metaphor of seed.
- **The sins of Sedom.** 'Wicked and sinful' each receive an added sphere: 'with their property' (בְּמָמוֹנְהוֹן) and 'with their bodies' (בִּגְוִיָתְהוֹן).
- **One Hebrew word, two Aramaic words, and the reverse.** The verb nasa becomes sovarat for the land that 'bears' them and zekaf for lifting the eyes, while the two Hebrew nouns from ריב are both rendered matzuta.
- **Small interpretive touches in the landscape.** The plain is a 'place of watering' (בֵּית שַׁקְיָא), it is 'reaching to Zoar', and Mamrei's elonei become plains.
---
## 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 13:5–11: Avram and Lot part ways
Lot's flocks grow alongside Avram's until the land cannot hold them both; when their herdsmen quarrel, Avram offers Lot his choice of direction, and Lot chooses the well-watered plain of the Jordan.
---
### Bereshit 13:5
**Torah**
וְגַ֨ם־לְל֔וֹט הַהֹלֵ֖ךְ אֶת־אַבְרָ֑ם הָיָ֥ה צֹאן־וּבָקָ֖ר וְאֹהָלִֽים׃
**Translation**
Lot who accompanied Avram also had sheep, cattle and tents.
**Onkelos**
וְאַף לְלוֹט דְּאָזִיל עִם אַבְרָם הֲוָה עָאן וְתוֹרִין וּמַשְׁכְּנִין
**Onkelos in English**
And also Lot, who went with Avram, had sheep, cattle and tents.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Who went with Avram".** A literal rendering. The Hebrew participle with את, 'who goes with', becomes the participle דְּאָזִיל (de-azil) with the ordinary preposition עִם, 'with', perhaps so that את is not taken as the object marker.
- **"Sheep, cattle and tents".** The usual Aramaic equivalents: וְתוֹרִין (torin) for וּבָקָר, and וּמַשְׁכְּנִין (mashkenin) for וְאֹהָלִים.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads the plural הֲווֹ (havo), 'were', where the printed text has the singular הֲוָה, as the Hebrew הָיָה does; the plural agrees with the list of possessions that follows.
**Words to note:** דְּאָזִיל *de-azil* — who went (הַהֹלֵךְ) · וְתוֹרִין *ve-torin* — and cattle (וּבָקָר) · וּמַשְׁכְּנִין *u-mashkenin* — and tents (וְאֹהָלִים)
---
### Bereshit 13:6
**Torah**
וְלֹא־נָשָׂ֥א אֹתָ֛ם הָאָ֖רֶץ לָשֶׁ֣בֶת יַחְדָּ֑ו כִּֽי־הָיָ֤ה רְכוּשָׁם֙ רָ֔ב וְלֹ֥א יָֽכְל֖וּ לָשֶׁ֥בֶת יַחְדָּֽו׃
**Translation**
The land was unable to support them that they might dwell together, for their wealth was so great that they were unable to dwell together.
**Onkelos**
וְלָא סוֹבָרַת יָתְהוֹן אַרְעָא לְמִיתַב כַּחֲדָא אֲרֵי הֲוָה קִנְיָנְהוֹן סַגִּי וְלָא יְכִילוּ לְמִיתַּב כַּחֲדָא
**Onkelos in English**
And the land was not supporting them, that they might dwell together, for their wealth was so great that they were unable to dwell together.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"The land was not supporting them".** The Hebrew verb is the perfect נָשָׂא, literally 'carry', in the masculine form though its subject, the land, is usually feminine. Onkelos uses the feminine participle סוֹבָרַת (sovarat), 'bear, support'. The agreement with אַרְעָא is thus regular in the Aramaic, a small piece of grammatical smoothing.
- **"Their wealth".** קִנְיָנְהוֹן (kinyanhon), 'their acquisitions', renders רְכוּשָׁם. The rest of the verse is literal, with כַּחֲדָא (kahada) for 'together' in both of its occurrences.
**Words to note:** סוֹבָרַת *sovarat* — supporting (נָשָׂא) · לְמִיתַב *le-meitav* — to dwell (לָשֶׁבֶת) · כַּחֲדָא *ka-hada* — together (יַחְדָּו) · קִנְיָנְהוֹן *kinyanhon* — their wealth (רְכוּשָׁם) · סַגִּי *sagi* — great (רָב)
---
### Bereshit 13:7
**Torah**
וַֽיְהִי־רִ֗יב בֵּ֚ין רֹעֵ֣י מִקְנֵֽה־אַבְרָ֔ם וּבֵ֖ין רֹעֵ֣י מִקְנֵה־ל֑וֹט וְהַֽכְּנַעֲנִי֙ וְהַפְּרִזִּ֔י אָ֖ז יֹשֵׁ֥ב בָּאָֽרֶץ׃
**Translation**
There was a quarrel between the herdsmen of Avram's flocks and the herdsmen of Lot's flocks. The Canaanites and the Perizzites were then living in the land.
**Onkelos**
וַהַוַת מַצוּתָא בֵּין רָעֵי בְּעִירֵה דְאַבְרָם וּבֵין רָעֵי בְּעִירֵה דְלוֹט וּכְנַעֲנָאָה וּפְרִזָאָה בְּכֵן יָתִיב בְּאַרְעָא
**Onkelos in English**
There was a quarrel between the herdsmen of Avram's flocks and the herdsmen of Lot's flocks. The Canaanites and the Perizzites were then living in the land.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"A quarrel".** רִיב is rendered מַצוּתָא (matzuta). The same Aramaic noun stands in the next verse for מְרִיבָה, so the Hebrew's two nouns from ריב become one word in the Aramaic. The verb וַהַוַת is feminine to agree with it.
- **"Avram's flocks".** The Hebrew construct מִקְנֵה אַבְרָם becomes בְּעִירֵה דְאַבְרָם, 'his livestock, of Avram', the common Aramaic pattern of a possessive suffix anticipating a noun joined by ד. The sense is unchanged.
- **"Then".** בְּכֵן (bekhen) renders אָז; the singular gentilic nouns and the singular participle יָתִיב follow the Hebrew exactly.
**Words to note:** מַצוּתָא *matzuta* — quarrel (רִיב) · רָעֵי *ra'ei* — herdsmen of (רֹעֵי) · בְּעִירֵה *be'ireh* — flocks (מִקְנֵה) · בְּכֵן *bekhen* — then (אָז) · יָתִיב *yativ* — living (יֹשֵׁב)
---
### Bereshit 13:8
**Torah**
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אַבְרָ֜ם אֶל־ל֗וֹט אַל־נָ֨א תְהִ֤י מְרִיבָה֙ בֵּינִ֣י וּבֵינֶ֔ךָ וּבֵ֥ין רֹעַ֖י וּבֵ֣ין רֹעֶ֑יךָ כִּֽי־אֲנָשִׁ֥ים אַחִ֖ים אֲנָֽחְנוּ׃
**Translation**
Avram said to Lot: Please [*Now*], let there not be strife between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are kinsmen.
**Onkelos**
וַאֲמַר אַבְרָם לְלוֹט לָא כְעַן תְּהֵי מַצוּתָא בֵּינָא וּבֵינָךְ וּבֵין רַעֲוָתִי וּבֵין רַעֲוָתָךְ אֲרֵי גוּבְרִין אַחִין אֲנָחְנָא
**Onkelos in English**
Avram said to Lot: Let there not now be strife between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are kinsmen.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Let there not now be".** The particle נָא is rendered כְעַן (khe'an), 'now', reading it in its temporal sense. The same word renders it again in 13:9.
- **"Strife".** מַצוּתָא, the noun used for רִיב in 13:7, here renders מְרִיבָה.
- **"For we are kinsmen".** A literal rendering: גוּבְרִין אַחִין אֲנָחְנָא, 'men, brothers are we', keeps the Hebrew phrase word for word.
**Words to note:** כְעַן *khe'an* — now (נָא) · מַצוּתָא *matzuta* — strife (מְרִיבָה) · רַעֲוָתִי *ra'avati* — my herdsmen (רֹעַי) · גוּבְרִין *guvrin* — men (אֲנָשִׁים) · אַחִין *ahin* — brothers (אַחִים)
---
### Bereshit 13:9
**Torah**
הֲלֹ֤א כׇל־הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ לְפָנֶ֔יךָ הִפָּ֥רֶד נָ֖א מֵעָלָ֑י אִם־הַשְּׂמֹ֣אל וְאֵימִ֔נָה וְאִם־הַיָּמִ֖ין וְאַשְׂמְאִֽילָה׃
**Translation**
Is not all the land before you? Please [*Now*] separate from me, if [you go] to the left [*north*], I [will go] to the right [*south*], and if [you go] to the right [*south*], I [will go] to the left [*north*].
**Onkelos**
הֲלָא כָל אַרְעָא קֳדָמָךְ אִתְפָּרַשׁ כְּעַן מִלְוָתִי אִם אַתְּ לְצִפּוּנָא וַאֲנָא לְדָרוֹמָא וְאִם אַתְּ לְדָרוֹמָא וַאֲנָא לְצִפּוּנָא
**Onkelos in English**
Is not all the land before you? Now separate from me; if you [go] to the north, and I [will go] to the south, and if you [go] to the south, and I [will go] to the north.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"North ... south".** The Hebrew speaks of left and right: הַשְּׂמֹאל and הַיָּמִין. Onkelos replaces them with points of the compass, לְצִפּוּנָא (le-tzippuna), 'to the north', and לְדָרוֹמָא (le-daroma), 'to the south'. Left corresponds to north and right to south for one facing east, so this suggests the Hebrew was understood in that orientation.
- **"If you ... and I ...".** The Hebrew uses first-person verbs, וְאֵימִנָה and וְאַשְׂמְאִילָה, 'I will go right', 'I will go left'. The printed Onkelos has no verbs at all, only the pronouns אַתְּ and וַאֲנָא with a direction each, making the offer a balanced pair of short clauses.
- **"Now separate from me".** אִתְפָּרַשׁ (itparash) renders הִפָּרֶד, כְּעַן again renders נָא as in 13:8, and מִלְוָתִי (milvati), 'from with me', renders מֵעָלָי.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text lacks 'and' before the first אֲנָא and ends with the single verb וְאַצְפְּנָךְ, related to לְצִפּוּנָא, 'north', in place of 'and I to the north'. In that text the last clause has a verb, as in the Hebrew; the remark above that Onkelos has no verbs holds for the printed text only.
**Words to note:** קֳדָמָךְ *kodamakh* — before you (לְפָנֶיךָ) · אִתְפָּרַשׁ *itparash* — separate (הִפָּרֶד) · מִלְוָתִי *milvati* — from me (מֵעָלָי) · לְצִפּוּנָא *le-tzippuna* — to the north (הַשְּׂמֹאל) · לְדָרוֹמָא *le-daroma* — to the south (הַיָּמִין)
---
### Bereshit 13:10
**Torah**
וַיִּשָּׂא־ל֣וֹט אֶת־עֵינָ֗יו וַיַּרְא֙ אֶת־כׇּל־כִּכַּ֣ר הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן כִּ֥י כֻלָּ֖הּ מַשְׁקֶ֑ה לִפְנֵ֣י ׀ שַׁחֵ֣ת ה׳ אֶת־סְדֹם֙ וְאֶת־עֲמֹרָ֔ה כְּגַן־ה׳ כְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם בֹּאֲכָ֖ה צֹֽעַר׃
**Translation**
Lot raised his eyes and saw the entire Jordan Plain, that it was [*an*] abundantly watered [*place*]; before Hashem destroyed Sedom and Amorah, it was like Hashem's garden, like the land of Egypt, going towards Zoar.
**Onkelos**
וּזְקַף לוֹט יָת עֵינוֹהִי וַחֲזָא יָת כָּל מֵישַׁר יַרְדְנָא אֲרֵי כֻלַהּ בֵּית שַׁקְיָא קֳדָם חַבָּלוּת ה׳ יָת סְדוֹם וְיָת עֲמֹרָא כְּגִנְתָא דַה׳ כְּאַרְעָא דְמִצְרַיִם מָטֵּי לְצוֹעַר
**Onkelos in English**
Lot raised his eyes and saw the entire Jordan Plain, that all of it [was] a place of watering, before Hashem's destruction of Sedom and Amorah, like the garden of Hashem, like the land of Egypt, reaching to Zoar.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Raised".** וַיִּשָּׂא is rendered וּזְקַף (u-zekaf), the verb for lifting the eyes. In 13:6 the same Hebrew root, נָשָׂא, was rendered by סוֹבָרַת. One Hebrew verb thus has two Aramaic equivalents, chosen by sense.
- **"A place of watering".** For the Hebrew מַשְׁקֶה, 'well-watered', Onkelos writes בֵּית שַׁקְיָא (beit shakya), adding the noun 'place'. The whole plain is described as a place where water is found, a small interpretive addition.
- **"Before Hashem's destruction".** The Hebrew infinitive שַׁחֵת becomes the noun חַבָּלוּת (habbalut), 'destruction', with the Name after it: 'before the destruction of Hashem'. This is a change of construction only; Hashem remains the one who destroys.
- **"Like the garden of Hashem".** כְּגַן־ה׳ is kept as כְּגִנְתָא דַה׳, with the construct replaced by ד as usual.
- **"Reaching to Zoar".** The Hebrew בֹּאֲכָה, 'as you come', addresses the reader in the second person. Onkelos has the participle מָטֵּי (matei), 'reaching', with לְצוֹעַר, so the phrase marks how far the plain extends and the second person disappears.
**Words to note:** וּזְקַף *u-zekaf* — raised (וַיִּשָּׂא) · מֵישַׁר *meishar* — plain (כִּכַּר) · שַׁקְיָא *shakya* — watering (מַשְׁקֶה) · חַבָּלוּת *habbalut* — destruction (שַׁחֵת) · כְּגִנְתָא *ke-ginta* — like the garden (כְּגַן) · מָטֵּי *matei* — reaching (בֹּאֲכָה)
---
### Bereshit 13:11
**Torah**
וַיִּבְחַר־ל֣וֹ ל֗וֹט אֵ֚ת כׇּל־כִּכַּ֣ר הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן וַיִּסַּ֥ע ל֖וֹט מִקֶּ֑דֶם וַיִּפָּ֣רְד֔וּ אִ֖ישׁ מֵעַ֥ל אָחִֽיו׃
**Translation**
Lot chose for himself the entire Jordan Plain; Lot journeyed from the east [*before*], and they separated one from another.
**Onkelos**
וּבְחַר לֵיהּ לוֹט יַת כָּל מֵישַׁר יַרְדְנָא וּנְטַל לוֹט מִלְקַדְמִין וְאִתַּפְרָשׁוּ גְבַר מִלְוַת אָחוּהִי
**Onkelos in English**
Lot chose for himself the entire Jordan Plain; Lot journeyed from before, and they separated one from another.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"From before".** The Hebrew מִקֶּדֶם can mean 'from the east' or 'from before'. Onkelos writes מִלְקַדְמִין (milkadmin), from the same root קדם, a word meaning 'from before, from earlier'. He perhaps avoids committing to the geographical sense, keeping the Hebrew's root and its ambiguity.
- **"They separated".** וְאִתַּפְרָשׁוּ (ve-ittafrashu) is from the same root פרש as אִתְפָּרַשׁ in 13:9, matching the Hebrew, which uses פרד in both verses.
- **"One from another".** A literal rendering: גְבַר מִלְוַת אָחוּהִי, 'a man from with his brother', keeps the Hebrew idiom, with מִלְוַת for מֵעַל as מִלְוָתִי rendered מֵעָלָי in 13:9.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads בְּקַדְמֵיתָא (bekadmeita), 'at first', for מִלְקַדְמִין. This is clearly temporal, so in that text the verse says Lot journeyed 'at first', and the ambiguity noted above holds for the printed text only.
**Words to note:** וּבְחַר *u-vehar* — chose (וַיִּבְחַר) · וּנְטַל *u-netal* — journeyed (וַיִּסַּע) · מִלְקַדְמִין *milkadmin* — from before (מִקֶּדֶם) · וְאִתַּפְרָשׁוּ *ve-ittafrashu* — and they separated (וַיִּפָּרְדוּ) · גְבַר *gevar* — one (אִישׁ)
---
### Unit 1 summary
Onkelos renders this passage closely, keeping the Hebrew's order and most of its idioms, such as 'men, brothers' and 'a man from his brother'. His changes are mainly matters of Aramaic usage: the one Hebrew verb נשא becomes sovarat for the land that cannot 'bear' them and zekaf for Lot 'raising' his eyes, and the two Hebrew nouns from ריב are both rendered by the single noun matzuta. Two changes reach further. Avram's 'left' and 'right' become 'north' and 'south', which suggests the directions were understood as points of the compass; and the plain is called a 'place of watering', with an added beit, and is described as 'reaching to Zoar' rather than 'as you come to Zoar'. The obscure mi-kedem of 13:11 is answered with milkadmin, a word from the same root that keeps the ambiguity rather than resolving it.
---
## Unit 2 — Bereshit 13:12–18: Lot in Sedom, Avram promised the land
Lot settles among the cities of the Plain near the wicked people of Sedom, while Avram remains in Canaan. After Lot's departure Hashem shows Avram the land in every direction, promises it to him and his offspring, and Avram settles in Chevron and builds an altar.
---
### Bereshit 13:12
**Torah**
אַבְרָ֖ם יָשַׁ֣ב בְּאֶֽרֶץ־כְּנָ֑עַן וְל֗וֹט יָשַׁב֙ בְּעָרֵ֣י הַכִּכָּ֔ר וַיֶּאֱהַ֖ל עַד־סְדֹֽם׃
**Translation**
Avram lived in the land of Canaan; and Lot lived in the cities of the Plain, setting up his tents as far as Sedom.
**Onkelos**
אַבְרָם יָתֵיב בְּאַרְעָא דִכְנָעַן וְלוֹט יָתֵיב בְּקִרְוֵי מֵישְׁרָא וּפְרַס עַד סְדוֹם
**Onkelos in English**
Avram was living in the land of Canaan; and Lot was living in the cities of the Plain, and spread [his tent] as far as Sedom.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Was living".** The printed vocalization יָתֵיב (yatev, twice) is that of the participle, describing an ongoing state, where the Hebrew has the perfect יָשַׁב (yashav). The sense in context is hardly affected.
- **"The cities of the Plain".** The Hebrew kikkar (a round district) becomes מֵישְׁרָא (meishra), 'plain'; the Hebrew arei, 'cities', becomes kirvei.
- **"And spread [his tent]".** The Hebrew וַיֶּאֱהַל (vayye'ehal) is a verb formed from ohel, 'tent'. Aramaic has no matching verb, and Onkelos uses וּפְרַס (u-feras), 'and spread', leaving the tent implied. The same verb renders the same Hebrew word in 13:18.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads יְתֵיב both times, the perfect 'lived', matching the Hebrew tense. The remark about the participle holds for the printed text only.
**Words to note:** יָתֵיב *yatev* — living (יָשַׁב) · בְּקִרְוֵי *kirvei* — cities of (בְּעָרֵי) · מֵישְׁרָא *meishra* — the Plain (הַכִּכָּר) · וּפְרַס *u-feras* — and spread [his tent] (וַיֶּאֱהַל)
---
### Bereshit 13:13
**Torah**
וְאַנְשֵׁ֣י סְדֹ֔ם רָעִ֖ים וְחַטָּאִ֑ים לַה׳ מְאֹֽד׃
**Translation**
The people of Sedom were wicked [*with their property*] and sinful [*with their bodies*] towards [*before*] Hashem, exceedingly.
**Onkelos**
וֶאֱנָשִׁין דִסְדוֹם בִּישִׁין בְּמָמוֹנְהוֹן וְחַיָבִין בִּגְוִיָתְהוֹן קֳדָם ה׳ לַחֲדָא
**Onkelos in English**
And the people of Sedom [were] wicked with their property and sinful with their bodies before Hashem, exceedingly.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"With their property ... with their bodies".** The Hebrew pairs two adjectives, ra'im ve-hatta'im, 'wicked and sinful'. Onkelos keeps both (bishin, hayavin) but adds a domain to each: בְּמָמוֹנְהוֹן (be-mamonhon), 'with their property', and בִּגְוִיָתְהוֹן (bi-gviyathon), 'with their bodies'. This suggests he read the pair not as a synonym doublet but as two distinct kinds of wrongdoing, one against others' goods and one of the person.
- **"Before Hashem".** The Hebrew לַה׳, 'to Hashem', becomes קֳדָם ה׳, 'before Hashem'. The wrongdoing is set in Hashem's presence rather than described as directed at Him; the same change occurs with the altar in 13:18.
- **"The people of Sedom".** Where the Hebrew uses a construct phrase, anshei Sedom, the printed Onkelos writes וֶאֱנָשִׁין דִסְדוֹם, with the linking particle di, 'people of Sedom'. The meaning is unchanged.
- **"Exceedingly".** The Hebrew me'od is rendered לַחֲדָא (lahada), the usual Aramaic intensifier.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads וְאַנְשֵׁי סְדוֹם, a construct phrase exactly like the Hebrew, in place of the printed phrase with di.
**Words to note:** בִּישִׁין *bishin* — wicked (רָעִים) · בְּמָמוֹנְהוֹן *be-mamonhon* — with their property · וְחַיָבִין *ve-hayavin* — and sinful (וְחַטָּאִים) · בִּגְוִיָתְהוֹן *bi-gviyathon* — with their bodies · קֳדָם *kodam* — before · לַחֲדָא *lahada* — exceedingly (מְאֹד)
---
### Bereshit 13:14
**Torah**
וַֽה׳ אָמַ֣ר אֶל־אַבְרָ֗ם אַחֲרֵי֙ הִפָּֽרֶד־ל֣וֹט מֵֽעִמּ֔וֹ שָׂ֣א נָ֤א עֵינֶ֙יךָ֙ וּרְאֵ֔ה מִן־הַמָּק֖וֹם אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּ֣ה שָׁ֑ם צָפֹ֥נָה וָנֶ֖גְבָּה וָקֵ֥דְמָה וָיָֽמָּה׃
**Translation**
Hashem said to Avram after Lot had separated from him: Raise your eyes and look about from the place where you are, to the north, to the south to the east and to the west.
**Onkelos**
וַה׳ אֲמַר לְאַבְרָם בָּתַר דְאִתְפָּרֶשׁ לוֹט מֵעִמֵהּ זְקוֹף כְּעַן עֵינָךְ וַחֲזֵי מִן אַתְרָא דְאַתְּ תַּמָן לְצִפּוּנָא וּלְדָרוֹמָא וּלְמַדִינְחָא וּלְמַעֲרָבָא
**Onkelos in English**
And Hashem said to Avram after Lot had separated from him: Raise now your eyes and look about from the place where you are, to the north and to the south and to the east and to the west.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Had separated".** The Hebrew passive-reflexive הִפָּרֶד (hippared) is matched by the Aramaic reflexive דְאִתְפָּרֶשׁ (de-itparesh), 'that [Lot] had separated'.
- **"Raise now your eyes".** The Hebrew 'lift' (sa) becomes זְקוֹף (zekof), 'raise', and the particle na is rendered כְּעַן (ke'an), 'now'. The resumptive Hebrew sham, 'there', is kept as tamman; in English both are absorbed into 'where you are'.
- **The four directions.** The Hebrew names the directions partly by the landscape of the land: וָנֶגְבָּה (toward the Negev) for south and וָיָמָּה (toward the sea) for west, with וָקֵדְמָה for east. Onkelos uses his own standard terms throughout: לְצִפּוּנָא (le-tzippuna), 'north'; וּלְדָרוֹמָא (u-le-daroma), 'south'; וּלְמַדִינְחָא (u-le-madinha), 'east', from the root דנח, 'to shine, rise'; and וּלְמַעֲרָבָא (u-le-ma'arava), 'west', from ערב, 'to set'. The last two may name east and west by sunrise and sunset rather than by the geography the Hebrew words reflect.
- **"To the north".** The Hebrew directional ending -ah is replaced by the Aramaic preposition le-, 'to'.
**Words to note:** דְאִתְפָּרֶשׁ *de-itparesh* — had separated (הִפָּרֶד) · זְקוֹף *zekof* — raise (שָׂא) · כְּעַן *ke'an* — now (נָא) · וַחֲזֵי *va-hazei* — and look about (וּרְאֵה) · וּלְדָרוֹמָא *u-le-daroma* — and to the south (וָנֶגְבָּה) · וּלְמַדִינְחָא *u-le-madinha* — and to the east (וָקֵדְמָה)
---
### Bereshit 13:15
**Torah**
כִּ֧י אֶת־כׇּל־הָאָ֛רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּ֥ה רֹאֶ֖ה לְךָ֣ אֶתְּנֶ֑נָּה וּֽלְזַרְעֲךָ֖ עַד־עוֹלָֽם׃
**Translation**
For all the land that you see I give to you and to your descendants forever.
**Onkelos**
אֲרֵי יָת כָּל אַרְעָא דִי אַתְּ חָזֵי לָךְ אֶתְּנִנַהּ וְלִבְנָיךְ עַד עָלָם
**Onkelos in English**
For all the land that you see, to you I will give it, and to your sons forever.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"To your sons".** The Hebrew וּלְזַרְעֲךָ, 'and to your seed' (descendants), becomes וְלִבְנָיךְ (ve-livnakh), 'and to your sons'. Onkelos replaces the metaphor of seed with the plain word for offspring; he does the same twice in 13:16.
- **"I will give it".** The Hebrew imperfect with object suffix, ettenennah, is matched by the Aramaic אֶתְּנִנַהּ (etteninah), 'I will give it'. Otherwise a literal rendering: arei for ki, 'for', and alam for olam, 'forever'.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text spells the word וְלִבְנָךְ without the yod that marks the plural suffix in the printed וְלִבְנָיךְ. The point that Onkelos uses the word for sons rather than seed holds in either text.
**Words to note:** אֲרֵי *arei* — for (כִּי) · חָזֵי *hazei* — see (רֹאֶה) · אֶתְּנִנַהּ *etteninah* — I will give it (אֶתְּנֶנָּה) · וְלִבְנָיךְ *ve-livnakh* — and to your sons (וּלְזַרְעֲךָ) · עָלָם *alam* — forever (עוֹלָם)
---
### Bereshit 13:16
**Torah**
וְשַׂמְתִּ֥י אֶֽת־זַרְעֲךָ֖ כַּעֲפַ֣ר הָאָ֑רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֣ר ׀ אִם־יוּכַ֣ל אִ֗ישׁ לִמְנוֹת֙ אֶת־עֲפַ֣ר הָאָ֔רֶץ גַּֽם־זַרְעֲךָ֖ יִמָּנֶֽה׃
**Translation**
I will make your descendants [*numerous*] as the dust of the earth; so that if a man can count the dust of the earth, then your descendants too will be countable [*just as it is impossible for a man to count the dust of the earth, so too your descendants will not be countable*].
**Onkelos**
וֶאֱשַׁוֵּי יָת בְּנָיךְ סַגִיאִין כְּעַפְרָא דְאַרְעָא כְּמָא דִי לָא אֶפְשַׁר לִגְבַר לְּמִמְנֵי יָת עַפְרָא דְאַרְעָא אַף בְּנָיךְ לָא יִתִּמְנוּן
**Onkelos in English**
And I will make your sons numerous as the dust of the earth; just as it is not possible for a man to count the dust of the earth, your sons too will not be countable.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Numerous".** The Hebrew says only 'I will make your seed as the dust of the earth'. Onkelos adds סַגִיאִין (sagi'in), 'numerous', spelling out the point of the comparison.
- **"Just as it is not possible ... will not be countable".** The Hebrew is a conditional: 'if a man can count the dust of the earth, then your seed too will be countable'. Onkelos turns it into a negative comparison: כְּמָא דִי לָא אֶפְשַׁר, 'just as it is not possible', and לָא יִתִּמְנוּן, 'will not be countable'. This may be meant to rule out a reading in which the descendants could after all be counted; the conclusion the Hebrew implies is stated outright.
- **"Your sons".** As in 13:15, both occurrences of the Hebrew זַרְעֲךָ, 'your seed', become בְּנָיךְ (benakh), 'your sons'.
- **"A man".** The Hebrew ish is rendered לִגְבַר (li-gvar), 'for a man'; the counting verb limnot becomes le-mimnei, from the corresponding Aramaic root מני.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads דְּלֵית אִפְשָׁר, '[as] there is no possibility', for the printed דִי לָא אֶפְשַׁר. The sense, a negative comparison, is the same.
**Words to note:** וֶאֱשַׁוֵּי *ve-eshavvei* — and I will make (וְשַׂמְתִּי) · בְּנָיךְ *benakh* — your sons (זַרְעֲךָ) · סַגִיאִין *sagi'in* — numerous · אֶפְשַׁר *efshar* — possible · לִגְבַר *li-gvar* — for a man (אִישׁ) · יִתִּמְנוּן *yittimnun* — will be countable (יִמָּנֶה)
---
### Bereshit 13:17
**Torah**
ק֚וּם הִתְהַלֵּ֣ךְ בָּאָ֔רֶץ לְאׇרְכָּ֖הּ וּלְרׇחְבָּ֑הּ כִּ֥י לְךָ֖ אֶתְּנֶֽנָּה׃
**Translation**
Rise, walk through the land—its length and breadth—for to you I will give it.
**Onkelos**
קוּם הֲלִיךְ בְּאַרְעָא לְאָרְכַּהּ וְלִפְתָיַהּ אֲרֵי לָךְ אֶתְּנִינַהּ
**Onkelos in English**
Rise, walk through the land—its length and its breadth—for to you I will give it.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Walk".** The Hebrew reflexive הִתְהַלֵּךְ (hithallekh), 'walk about', is rendered by the plain imperative הֲלִיךְ (halikh), 'walk'; the sense of roaming in all directions is carried by the context.
- **"Its breadth".** For the Hebrew וּלְרׇחְבָּהּ (root רחב) Onkelos uses וְלִפְתָיַהּ (ve-liftayah), from the Aramaic root פתי, 'width'. The length, orkah, shares its root with the Hebrew.
- **"For to you I will give it".** A literal rendering, repeating the promise of 13:15 with the same verb, here spelled אֶתְּנִינַהּ with a yod where 13:15 has אֶתְּנִנַהּ.
**Words to note:** קוּם *kum* — rise (קוּם) · הֲלִיךְ *halikh* — walk (הִתְהַלֵּךְ) · וְלִפְתָיַהּ *ve-liftayah* — and its breadth (וּלְרׇחְבָּהּ) · אֶתְּנִינַהּ *etteninah* — I will give it (אֶתְּנֶנָּה)
---
### Bereshit 13:18
**Torah**
וַיֶּאֱהַ֣ל אַבְרָ֗ם וַיָּבֹ֛א וַיֵּ֛שֶׁב בְּאֵלֹנֵ֥י מַמְרֵ֖א אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּחֶבְר֑וֹן וַיִּֽבֶן־שָׁ֥ם מִזְבֵּ֖חַ לַֽה׳׃ {פ}
**Translation**
Avram set up his tent, and he came and settled in the Plains of Mamrei which are in Chevron, and he built there an altar to [*before*] Hashem.
**Onkelos**
וּפְרַס אַבְרָם וַאֲתָא וִיתֵב בְּמֵישְׁרֵי מַמְרֵא דִי בְחֶבְרוֹן וּבְנָא תַמָן מַדְבְּחָא קֳדָם ה׳
**Onkelos in English**
And Avram spread [his tent], and he came and settled in the Plains of Mamrei which are in Chevron, and he built there an altar before Hashem.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Spread [his tent]".** As in 13:12, the Hebrew וַיֶּאֱהַל is rendered וּפְרַס (u-feras), 'and spread', with the tent left implied.
- **"The Plains of Mamrei".** The Hebrew בְּאֵלֹנֵי is usually understood as 'the terebinths (or oaks) of Mamrei'. Onkelos writes בְּמֵישְׁרֵי (be-meishrei), 'in the plains of', from the same root as meishra in 13:12. He thus names a place by its terrain rather than by its trees.
- **"Before Hashem".** The Hebrew לַה׳, 'to Hashem', becomes קֳדָם ה׳, 'before Hashem', as in 13:13. The altar is built in Hashem's presence rather than 'to' Him, perhaps to avoid describing God as receiving something directly.
- **"An altar".** The Hebrew mizbeah becomes מַדְבְּחָא (madbeha), the Aramaic noun from the same root זבח/דבח.
**Words to note:** וּפְרַס *u-feras* — and spread [his tent] (וַיֶּאֱהַל) · וִיתֵב *vitev* — and settled (וַיֵּשֶׁב) · בְּמֵישְׁרֵי *be-meishrei* — in the Plains of (בְּאֵלֹנֵי) · תַמָן *tamman* — there (שָׁם) · מַדְבְּחָא *madbeha* — an altar (מִזְבֵּחַ)
---
### Unit 2 summary
Onkelos follows the Hebrew closely through most of this unit, but several of his choices shape its meaning. He explains the doubled 'wicked and sinful' of Sedom by adding the sphere of each sin, 'with their property' and 'with their bodies'. Both times the Hebrew says la-Hashem he writes kodam Hashem, 'before Hashem'. He names the four directions with his own Aramaic terms, of which darom, madinha and ma'arava are not the Hebrew negev, kedem and yam. He consistently renders 'your seed' as 'your sons', and he recasts the hypothetical of 13:16 ('if a man can count...') as a plain negative comparison. The verb ufras, 'and spread', renders the Hebrew tent-pitching verb in both 13:12 and 13:18, and the root of meishra, 'plain', gives both the 'Plain' of 13:12 and Mamrei's 'plains' in 13:18, where the Hebrew has elonei.
---
## Conclusion of the aliyah
### The movement of the aliyah
The aliyah moves from crowding to separation to promise. It opens with possessions so great that the land cannot hold Avram and Lot together, passes through the quarrel of the herdsmen and Avram's offer, and follows Lot's eyes to the watered plain he chooses. Lot's settlement near Sedom is set against the verdict on Sedom's people. Then, once Lot has separated, Hashem turns Avram's own eyes outward in all four directions and promises him the whole land and countless offspring, and the aliyah closes with Avram settled in Chevron before an altar. Onkelos follows this movement closely, keeping the Hebrew's order and most of its idioms, and making his larger changes at the points where direction, offspring and Hashem's presence are named.
### What Onkelos tells us in this aliyah
1. **'A quarrel' and 'strife' (13:7-8).** The two Hebrew nouns riv and merivah are both rendered by the single noun matzuta (מַצוּתָא).
2. **'Men, brothers are we' (13:8).** Avram's appeal is kept word for word, guvrin ahin anahna.
3. **'North ... south' (13:9).** Left and right become north and south, which suggests the Hebrew was understood as spoken by one facing east.
4. **'A place of watering' (13:10).** For mashkeh Onkelos writes beit shakya, adding the noun 'place', a small interpretive addition.
5. **'Reaching to Zoar' (13:10).** The second-person 'as you come' becomes the participle matei, marking how far the plain extends.
6. **'From before' (13:11).** Milkadmin (מִלְקַדְמִין) keeps the root of mi-kedem and, perhaps, its ambiguity between 'from the east' and 'from before'; in the Yemenite text the reading is clearly temporal.
7. **'With their property ... with their bodies' (13:13).** The added domains suggest the pair 'wicked and sinful' was read as two distinct kinds of wrongdoing.
8. **'Before Hashem' (13:13).** The wrongdoing is set in Hashem's presence rather than described as directed at Him.
9. **The four directions (13:14).** Darom, madinha and ma'arava replace the Hebrew negev, kedem and yam; madinha and ma'arava may name east and west by sunrise and sunset.
10. **'Your sons' (13:15-16).** All three occurrences of 'your seed' in the promise become 'your sons'.
11. **'Just as it is not possible' (13:16).** The Hebrew conditional, 'if a man can count the dust', becomes a negative comparison, stating outright that the descendants will not be countable, with 'numerous' added.
12. **'The Plains of Mamrei' (13:18).** Elonei becomes בְּמֵישְׁרֵי, from the same root as meishra, naming the place by its terrain rather than by its trees.
### Recurring features
- **Kean for na.** The particle na is rendered כְּעַן, 'now', in all three verses where it occurs (13:8, 13:9, 13:14).
- **Kodam for 'to Hashem'.** Both times the Hebrew has la-Hashem (13:13, 13:18), Onkelos has kodam Hashem.
- **The root פרש for separating.** Lot's separating from Avram is rendered with forms of פרש in 13:9, 13:11 and 13:14, matching the Hebrew's use of פרד.
- **Meishar for the plain.** The kikkar of the Jordan and the 'Plain' of Lot's cities are rendered with meishar and meishra, and the same root reappears in the 'plains' of Mamrei.
- **Ufras for tent-pitching.** The Hebrew verb from ohel, 'tent', is rendered וּפְרַס, 'and spread', in both 13:12 and 13:18, with the tent left implied.
- **The construct replaced by di.** Phrases such as 'Avram's flocks', 'the garden of Hashem' and, in the printed text, 'the people of Sedom' are rendered with the linking particle ד, the sense unchanged.
- **Printed and Yemenite texts.** Several notes depend on the printed text: the verbless offer of 13:9, milkadmin in 13:11, the participle yatev in 13:12 and the di phrase of 13:13 all read differently in the Yemenite text.
### Aliyah takeaway
In this aliyah Onkelos is mostly a close, literal translator, keeping Avram's 'men, brothers' and the Hebrew's order and idioms. His changes cluster where the text orients itself: left and right become points of the compass, the four directions receive standard Aramaic names, the plain becomes a place of watering reaching to Zoar, and Mamrei is named by its terrain. Where the text speaks of Hashem he writes 'before Hashem', and where it promises seed he writes sons, made numerous beyond counting. Read alongside the Hebrew, the Targum makes the geography and the promise more explicit while leaving most of the story exactly as it stands.
---
## Aramaic word list for the aliyah
| Aramaic | Transliteration | Meaning | Hebrew in the verse |
|---|---|---|---|
| דְּאָזִיל | *de-azil* | who went | הַהֹלֵךְ |
| וְתוֹרִין | *ve-torin* | and cattle | וּבָקָר |
| וּמַשְׁכְּנִין | *u-mashkenin* | and tents | וְאֹהָלִים |
| סוֹבָרַת | *sovarat* | supporting | נָשָׂא |
| לְמִיתַב | *le-meitav* | to dwell | לָשֶׁבֶת |
| כַּחֲדָא | *ka-hada* | together | יַחְדָּו |
| קִנְיָנְהוֹן | *kinyanhon* | their wealth | רְכוּשָׁם |
| סַגִּי | *sagi* | great | רָב |
| מַצוּתָא | *matzuta* | quarrel | רִיב |
| בְּכֵן | *bekhen* | then | אָז |
| יָתִיב | *yativ* | living | יֹשֵׁב |
| כְעַן | *khe'an* | now | נָא |
| אִתְפָּרַשׁ | *itparash* | separate | הִפָּרֶד |
| מִלְוָתִי | *milvati* | from me | מֵעָלָי |
| לְצִפּוּנָא | *le-tzippuna* | to the north | הַשְּׂמֹאל |
| לְדָרוֹמָא | *le-daroma* | to the south | הַיָּמִין |
| וּזְקַף | *u-zekaf* | raised | וַיִּשָּׂא |
| שַׁקְיָא | *shakya* | watering | מַשְׁקֶה |
| חַבָּלוּת | *habbalut* | destruction | שַׁחֵת |
| מָטֵּי | *matei* | reaching | בֹּאֲכָה |
| מִלְקַדְמִין | *milkadmin* | from before | מִקֶּדֶם |
| וְאִתַּפְרָשׁוּ | *ve-ittafrashu* | and they separated | וַיִּפָּרְדוּ |
| בְּקִרְוֵי | *kirvei* | cities of | בְּעָרֵי |
| מֵישְׁרָא | *meishra* | the Plain | הַכִּכָּר |
| וּפְרַס | *u-feras* | and spread [his tent] | וַיֶּאֱהַל |
| בִּישִׁין | *bishin* | wicked | רָעִים |
| בְּמָמוֹנְהוֹן | *be-mamonhon* | with their property | — |
| בִּגְוִיָתְהוֹן | *bi-gviyathon* | with their bodies | — |
| לַחֲדָא | *lahada* | exceedingly | מְאֹד |
| דְאִתְפָּרֶשׁ | *de-itparesh* | had separated | הִפָּרֶד |
| זְקוֹף | *zekof* | raise | שָׂא |
| וּלְדָרוֹמָא | *u-le-daroma* | and to the south | וָנֶגְבָּה |
| וּלְמַדִינְחָא | *u-le-madinha* | and to the east | וָקֵדְמָה |
| אֲרֵי | *arei* | for | כִּי |
| אֶתְּנִנַהּ | *etteninah* | I will give it | אֶתְּנֶנָּה |
| וְלִבְנָיךְ | *ve-livnakh* | and to your sons | וּלְזַרְעֲךָ |
| עָלָם | *alam* | forever | עוֹלָם |
| בְּנָיךְ | *benakh* | your sons | זַרְעֲךָ |
| סַגִיאִין | *sagi'in* | numerous | — |
| לִגְבַר | *li-gvar* | for a man | אִישׁ |
| הֲלִיךְ | *halikh* | walk | הִתְהַלֵּךְ |
| וְלִפְתָיַהּ | *ve-liftayah* | and its breadth | וּלְרׇחְבָּהּ |
| אֶתְּנִינַהּ | *etteninah* | I will give it | אֶתְּנֶנָּה |
| בְּמֵישְׁרֵי | *be-meishrei* | in the Plains of | בְּאֵלֹנֵי |
| מַדְבְּחָא | *madbeha* | an altar | מִזְבֵּחַ |
---
## Source note
**Aliyah boundary.** Bereshit 13:5 – 13:18, following the aliyah divisions in Sefaria's index of Bereshit (the next aliyah begins at Bereshit 14:1).
**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.