Parashat Lech Lecha — Seventh Aliyah

Torah with Onkelos · Bereshit 17:7 – 17:27 · פרשת לך לך, שביעי

The covenant of circumcision, Sarah’s new name and the promise of Yitzchok, read through Targum Onkelos

Contents

• Orientation
• How this page is laid out
• Unit 1 — Bereshit 17:7–14: The covenant of circumcision
• Unit 2 — Bereshit 17:15–21: Sarah’s new name and the promise of Yitzchok
• Unit 3 — Bereshit 17:22–27: Avraham circumcises his household
• Conclusion of the aliyah
• Aramaic word list for the aliyah
• Source note

Orientation

What happens in this aliyah. God promises to sustain His covenant with Avraham and his descendants and to give them the land of Canaan. He then gives the sign of that covenant: every male is to be circumcised at eight days, including slaves born in the household or bought with money, and the uncircumcised male is cut off from his people. God renames Sarai as Sarah and promises Avraham a son through her; Avraham asks that Yishmael endure, and God answers that Yishmael will be blessed but that the covenant will be established with Yitzchok, to be born the following year. When God’s speech ends, Avraham circumcises himself, Yishmael and every male of his household on that same day.

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.

• One root for the covenant. Berit is rendered keyam (קְיָמִי), from the root קום, so the Aramaic ties the covenant to the verbs “sustain” and “establish” and, in 17:18, to Yishmael’s “enduring”.
• “Between My Word”. Where God is a party to the covenant, “between Me” becomes בֵּין מֵימְרִי.
• One root for circumcision. Every form of the Hebrew מול, active, passive and infinitive, is rendered with the Aramaic root גזר, “cut”.
• “Your sons” for “your seed”. The image of seed gives way to the plain word for descendants (בְּנָךְ).
• Hashem for Elokim. Where the Hebrew says that Elokim spoke, was addressed or ascended, the Aramaic has the Name.
• Reverent and interpretive touches. Avraham speaks “before” Hashem, his laughter becomes rejoicing (וַחֲדִי), God “accepts a prayer” rather than “hears”, and the Glory of Hashem (יְקָרָא דַה׳) withdraws from Avraham.
• Printed text and Yemenite text. Several grammatical points - feminine verbs, plural forms, and active alternatives in parentheses - are found in the printed text only; the textual notes mark them where they occur.

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 17:7–14: The covenant of circumcision

God promises to sustain His covenant with Avraham and his descendants and to give them the land of Canaan, and then gives the sign of that covenant: every male is to be circumcised at eight days, including household slaves, and the uncircumcised is cut off.

Bereshit 17:7

Torah

Translation

I will sustain My covenant between Me [My Word] and you, and between your descendants after you throughout their generations as an eternal covenant, to be a God to you, and to your descendants after you.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

I will sustain My covenant between My Word and you, and between your sons after you throughout their generations as an eternal covenant, to be a God to you, and to your sons after you.

What Onkelos tells us

• “I will sustain My covenant”. The Hebrew verb וַהֲקִמֹתִי (from קום) is matched by וַאַקֵים, from the same root. The noun differs: Onkelos renders berit by keyam (קְיָמִי), also from קום, so in the Aramaic the verb and the noun share one root - “I will establish My establishment” - where the Hebrew pairs a קום verb with an unrelated noun.
• “Between My Word and you”. Where the Hebrew has “between Me” (בֵּינִי), Onkelos writes בֵּין מֵימְרִי, “between My Word”. God is not made a direct party to the covenant in the Aramaic; the relationship is framed through His Memra, perhaps to soften language placing God alongside a human partner.
• “Your sons”. The Hebrew “your seed” (זַרְעֲךָ) becomes בְּנָךְ, “your sons”, here and again at the end of the verse (וְלִבְנָיךְ). The agricultural metaphor is dropped for the plain sense.
• “As an eternal covenant”. לִבְרִית עוֹלָם is rendered לִקְיָם עָלָם, again with keyam for berit; “to be a God to you” (לְמֵהֲוֵי לָךְ לֵאלָהָא) follows the Hebrew closely.

Words to note: וַאַקֵים va-akeim — I will sustain (וַהֲקִמֹתִי) · קְיָמִי keyami — My covenant (בְּרִיתִי) · מֵימְרִי meimri — My Word (בֵּינִי) · בְּנָךְ benakh — your sons (זַרְעֲךָ) · בַּתְרָךְ batrakh — after you (אַחֲרֶיךָ) · לְדָרֵיהוֹן ledareihon — throughout their generations (לְדֹרֹתָם)

Bereshit 17:8

Torah

Translation

I will give to you, and to your descendants after you, the land of your temporary residence, all the land of Canaan as an eternal possession, and I will be a God to them.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

I will give to you, and to your sons after you, the land of your residence, all the land of Canaan as an eternal possession, and I will be a God to them.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Your sons”. As in the previous verse, “your seed” (וּלְזַרְעֲךָ) becomes וְלִבְנָיךְ, “your sons”.
• “The land of your residence”. The Hebrew מְגֻרֶיךָ comes from גור, the root of sojourning as a stranger. Onkelos uses תּוֹתָבוּתָךְ, a noun from יתב, “to dwell”, related to totav, a resident settler. The Aramaic word describes Avraham’s status as one who lives in the land; whether it keeps the Hebrew’s sense of impermanence as strongly is not clear.
• “Of Canaan”. The Hebrew construct אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן becomes אַרְעָא דִכְנַעַן, with the genitive particle di- - an ordinary Aramaic idiom.
• “An eternal possession”. For לַאֲחֻזַּת (from אחז, “to take hold”) Onkelos writes לְאַחֲסָנַת, from a different root, חסן, a common Aramaic word for a holding or inheritance.
• “I will be a God to them”. וְאֱהֶוֵי לְהוֹן לֵאלָהָא follows the Hebrew וְהָיִיתִי לָהֶם לֵאלֹקִים word for word.

Words to note: וְאֶתֵּן ve-etten — I will give (וְנָתַתִּי) · תּוֹתָבוּתָךְ totavutakh — your residence (מְגֻרֶיךָ) · דִכְנַעַן dikhna’an — of Canaan (כְּנַעַן) · לְאַחֲסָנַת le-ahasanat — as a possession (לַאֲחֻזַּת) · וְאֱהֶוֵי ve-ehevei — and I will be (וְהָיִיתִי)

Bereshit 17:9

Torah

Translation

God said to Avraham: And as for you, you must preserve My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Hashem said to Avraham: And as for you, you must preserve My covenant, you and your sons after you throughout their generations.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Hashem said”. The Hebrew has Elokim (אֱלֹקִים), but Onkelos has ה׳, the Name. Both the printed and the Yemenite text read so. The Aramaic does not reproduce the Hebrew’s shift between Names here; why is not stated, and any explanation would be an inference.
• “You must preserve”. The Hebrew תִשְׁמֹר (from שמר) is rendered תִטָר, from נטר, “to guard, keep” - the regular Aramaic equivalent. Otherwise the verse is literal, with “your sons” (וּבְנָךְ) again for “your seed”.

Words to note: וְאַתְּ ve-at — and as for you (וְאַתָּה) · תִטָר titar — you must preserve (תִשְׁמֹר) · וּבְנָךְ u-venakh — and your sons (וְזַרְעֲךָ)

Bereshit 17:10

Torah

Translation

This is My covenant which you must preserve between Me [My Word] and you, and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

This is My covenant which you must preserve between My Word and you, and between your sons after you: every male among you [is] to be circumcised.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Between My Word and you”. As in 17:7, “between Me” (בֵּינִי) becomes בֵּין מֵימְרִי.
• “Which you must preserve”. Again נטר (תִטְרוּן) for שמר (תִּשְׁמְרוּ), here with the relative particle דִי for אֲשֶׁר.
• “To be circumcised”. The Hebrew command is an infinitive, הִמּוֹל, from מול. Onkelos keeps the infinitive form (מִגְזַר) but uses the root גזר, “to cut”. The same Aramaic root renders every form of מול in this passage.
• “Every male”. זָכָר becomes דְכוּרָא, the ordinary Aramaic word for a male.

Words to note: דָא da — this (זֹאת) · תִטְרוּן titrun — you must preserve (תִּשְׁמְרוּ) · מִגְזַר migzar — to be circumcised (הִמּוֹל) · דְכוּרָא dekhura — male (זָכָר)

Bereshit 17:11

Torah

Translation

You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin. This shall be the sign of the covenant between Me [My Word] and you.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin. And it shall be (another version: and it shall be) the sign of the covenant between My Word and you.

What Onkelos tells us

• “You shall circumcise”. The Hebrew perfect with vav (וּנְמַלְתֶּם) becomes a plain imperfect, וְתִגְזְרוּן, the usual Aramaic equivalent of this construction; the root is again גזר.
• “The flesh of your foreskin”. The Hebrew construct בְּשַׂר עׇרְלַתְכֶם becomes בִּשְׂרָא דְעָרְלָתְכוֹן, with the genitive particle de-.
• “And it shall be”. The Hebrew verb וְהָיָה is masculine. The printed Onkelos has a feminine form, וּתְהֵי, and the alternative reading it records in parentheses (u-tehe) is feminine too. The subject may be understood as the circumcision itself rather than the flesh; this is an inference.
• “The sign of the covenant”. לְאוֹת בְּרִית is rendered לְאָת קְיָם: at for ot, and keyam for berit as throughout the passage.
• Textual note. The Yemenite text reads וִיהֵי, a masculine verb like the Hebrew, without the parenthetical alternative. The point about the feminine verb holds for the printed text only.

Words to note: וְתִגְזְרוּן ve-tigzerun — you shall circumcise (וּנְמַלְתֶּם) · בִּשְׂרָא bisra — the flesh (בְּשַׂר) · וּתְהֵי u-tehei — and it shall be (וְהָיָה) · לְאָת le-at — the sign (לְאוֹת) · קְיָם keyam — covenant (בְּרִית)

Bereshit 17:12

Torah

Translation

At the age of eight days every male among you must be circumcised, throughout your generations; he that is a house-born [slave] or one that was bought with money from any stranger who is not your descendant.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

At the age of eight days every male among you must be circumcised (another version: shall circumcise), throughout your generations; those born of the house or those bought with money from any son of the nations who is not of your sons.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Must be circumcised”. The Hebrew passive יִמּוֹל is matched by the passive יִתְגְזַר. The printed text adds in parentheses the active (יִגְזַר), “shall circumcise”, which is the only reading of the Yemenite text.
• “Those born of the house”. The Hebrew singulars יְלִיד and וּמִקְנַת become plurals in the printed Onkelos, יְלִידֵי and וּזְבִינֵי. The plural states openly that the category is collective.
• “Any son of the nations”. The Hebrew “son of a stranger” (בֶּן נֵכָר) becomes בַּר עַמְמִין, “son of the nations” - a non-Israelite, stated as such.
• “Not of your sons”. As elsewhere in the passage, “your seed” (מִזַּרְעֲךָ) becomes מִבְּנָךְ.
• Textual note. The Yemenite text reads the singulars יְלִיד and וּזְבִין, like the Hebrew. The point about the plurals holds for the printed text only.

Words to note: וּבַר u-var — at the age of (וּבֶן) · יִתְגְזַר yitgezar — must be circumcised (יִמּוֹל) · יְלִידֵי yelidei — those born of (יְלִיד) · וּזְבִינֵי u-zevinei — those bought (וּמִקְנַת) · עַמְמִין ammemin — the nations (נֵכָר)

Bereshit 17:13

Torah

Translation

Your house-born slaves must be circumcised, and also those bought with your money. This shall be My covenant in your flesh as an eternal covenant.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Your house-born [slaves] must be circumcised (another version: must circumcise), and also those bought with your money. This shall be My covenant in your flesh as an eternal covenant.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Must be circumcised”. The Hebrew doubles the verb for emphasis: הִמּוֹל יִמּוֹל. The printed Onkelos keeps the doubling with passive forms, אִתְגַזָרָא יִתְגַזְרוּן, an infinitive followed by a plural verb. The alternative it records in parentheses, מִגְזַר followed by יִגְזַר, is active and singular, the same doubled form as in the Hebrew.
• “Those bought with your money”. וּמִקְנַת כַּסְפֶּךָ becomes וּזְבִין כַּסְפָּךְ, with the passive participle zevin, “bought”, for the Hebrew noun miknat.
• “This shall be My covenant”. The Hebrew verb וְהָיְתָה is feminine, agreeing with berit. The printed Onkelos keeps a feminine verb, וּתְהֵי, although keyam (קְיָמִי) is masculine in Aramaic; the verb seems to follow the form of the Hebrew rather than the gender of its own noun.
• “In your flesh as an eternal covenant”. בְּבִשְׂרֵיכוֹן לִקְיָם עָלָם follows the Hebrew closely, with keyam for berit.
• Textual note. The Yemenite text reads only מִגְזָר יִגְזַר, the active singular form, and the masculine verb וִיהֵי. The points about the passive plural and the feminine verb hold for the printed text only.

Words to note: אִתְגַזָרָא itgazara — [must] (הִמּוֹל) · יִתְגַזְרוּן yitgazrun — be circumcised (יִמּוֹל) · וּזְבִין u-zevin — and those bought (וּמִקְנַת) · וּתְהֵי u-tehei — shall be (וְהָיְתָה) · בְּבִשְׂרֵיכוֹן be-visreikhon — in your flesh (בִּבְשַׂרְכֶם)

Bereshit 17:14

Torah

Translation

An uncircumcised male, who will not circumcise his foreskin, that soul [man] shall be cut off from its people; he has broken [changed] My covenant.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

An uncircumcised male, who will not circumcise the flesh of his foreskin, that man shall be destroyed from his people; he has changed My covenant.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Who will not circumcise”. The Hebrew passive יִמּוֹל becomes the active יִגְזַר; with the object marker יָת following, the Aramaic reads naturally as “who will not circumcise”.
• “That man”. The Hebrew “that soul” (הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא) becomes אֱנָשָׁא הַהוּא, “that man”. With the masculine noun, the possessive changes too: Hebrew מֵעַמֶּיהָ, “from its people” (agreeing with feminine nefesh), becomes מֵעַמֵּיהּ, “from his people”.
• “Shall be destroyed”. For וְנִכְרְתָה, “shall be cut off”, Onkelos has וְיִשְׁתֵּיצֵי, from a root meaning “to be finished, destroyed”. The image of cutting is replaced by a plainer word for the outcome.
• “He has changed My covenant”. The Hebrew הֵפַר, “he has broken”, becomes אַשְׁנִי, “he has changed”. The Aramaic speaks of altering the covenant rather than breaking it; perhaps it avoids describing the covenant as something a person can destroy.

Words to note: וְעָרֵל ve-‘arel — an uncircumcised (וְעָרֵל) · וְיִשְׁתֵּיצֵי ve-yishteitzei — shall be destroyed (וְנִכְרְתָה) · אֱנָשָׁא enasha — man (הַנֶּפֶשׁ) · מֵעַמֵּיהּ me-‘ammeih — from his people (מֵעַמֶּיהָ) · אַשְׁנִי ashni — he has changed (הֵפַר)

Unit 1 summary

Onkelos renders the passage closely but with a consistent vocabulary of his own. Berit is always keyam, from the root קום, which in 17:7 ties the noun to the verb “sustain”; every form of מול is rendered by גזר; and “your seed” is always “your sons”. Where God is a party to the covenant, “between Me” becomes “between My Word”. A few renderings may be interpretive: Hashem for Elokim in 17:9, “son of the nations” for “stranger”, “destroyed” for “cut off” and “changed” rather than “broken” in 17:14. Several grammatical points - feminine verbs, plural forms, passive versus active - are found only in the printed text and not in the Yemenite.

Unit 2 — Bereshit 17:15–21: Sarah’s new name and the promise of Yitzchok

God renames Sarai as Sarah and promises Avraham a son through her. Avraham asks that Yishmael endure; God promises to bless Yishmael but to establish His covenant with Yitzchok, to be born the following year.

Bereshit 17:15

Torah

Translation

And God said to Avraham [As for] Sarai your wife, do not call her by the name Sarai, for Sarah is her name.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

And Hashem said to Avraham: Sarai your wife, do not call her by the name Sarai, for Sarah is her name.

What Onkelos tells us

• “And Hashem said”. Where the Hebrew has Elokim (God), the printed Aramaic has the Name, ה׳. The same happens in every verse of this passage where the Hebrew has Elokim (17:18 and 17:19 as well).
• A literal rendering. Otherwise the verse follows the Hebrew word for word: אֲרֵי for כִּי, יָת for the object marker אֶת, and the names Sarai and Sarah are kept unchanged.

Words to note: אִתְּתָךְ itetakh — your wife (אִשְׁתְּךָ) · תִקְרֵי tikrei — call (תִקְרָא) · אֲרֵי arei — for (כִּי)

Bereshit 17:16

Torah

Translation

I will bless her, and I will also give you a son through her. I will bless her, and she will be [a mother] of nations [assemblies], kings of peoples [who rule over nations] will descend from her.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

I will bless her, and I will also give you a son through her. I will bless her, and she will become assemblies; kings who rule over peoples will descend from her.

What Onkelos tells us

• “I will also give”. The Hebrew נָתַתִּי is a perfect form (“I have given”), since the vav is attached to וְגַם and not to the verb. Onkelos uses the future אֶתֵּן, “I will give”, perhaps reading the Hebrew perfect as a promise for the future rather than as a past act.
• “She will become assemblies”. For לְגוֹיִם, “nations”, Onkelos has לְכִנְשִׁין, “assemblies” (root כנש). This may suggest he understood Sarah’s “nations” as the gathered communities of her descendants rather than as foreign peoples.
• “Kings who rule over peoples”. The Hebrew construct מַלְכֵי עַמִּים, “kings of peoples”, is expanded into a relative clause: מַלְכִין דְשַׁלִּיטִין בְעַמְמַיָּא, “kings who rule over peoples”. The ambiguous “of” is given a definite sense: the kings are not drawn from the peoples but rule over them.
• “I will bless her”. Both occurrences of the Hebrew verb are rendered by the same Aramaic verb in the future, וֶאֱבָרֵךְ and וֶאֱבָרֲכִנַהּ, the second with the object suffix attached, as in וּבֵרַכְתִּיהָ.

Words to note: וְאַף ve-af — and also (וְגַם) · אֶתֵּן etten — I will give (נָתַתִּי) · לְכִנְשִׁין le-khinshin — assemblies (לְגוֹיִם) · דְשַׁלִּיטִין de-shallitin — who rule · בְעַמְמַיָּא ve-ammemaya — over peoples (עַמִּים)

Bereshit 17:17

Torah

Translation

Avraham fell on his face and laughed [rejoiced]. He said in his heart: Can a hundred year old man have children? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old give birth?

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Avraham fell on his face and rejoiced. He said in his heart: Can a hundred year old man have a child? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old give birth?

What Onkelos tells us

• “And rejoiced”. The Hebrew וַיִּצְחָק, “and he laughed”, becomes וַחֲדִי, “and he rejoiced”. Laughter can express doubt as well as joy; the choice of a word meaning only joy may indicate that Onkelos read Avraham’s reaction as gladness, not disbelief. The change also loses the link between the verb and the name Yitzchok given in 17:19.
• “Have a child”. The Hebrew passive יִוָּלֵד, “will be born”, is rephrased as יְהֵי וְלַד, “will there be a child”: the verb becomes “to be” with a noun, וְלַד, “child, offspring”.
• “Years”. After a number the Hebrew uses the singular שָׁנָה twice; Aramaic idiom requires the plural, שְׁנִין, in both places.
• “On his face”. אַפּוֹהִי is the usual Aramaic for “face” in this expression, matching פָּנָיו.

Words to note: אַפּוֹהִי appohi — his face (פָּנָיו) · וַחֲדִי va-hadi — and rejoiced (וַיִּצְחָק) · הַלְּבַר ha-levar — a … man (literally ‘to a son of’) (הַלְּבֶן) · וְלַד velad — a child · תְּלִיד telid — give birth (תֵּלֵד)

Bereshit 17:18

Torah

Translation

And Avraham said to [before] God: May it be granted that Yishmael live before You.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

And Avraham said before Hashem: May it be granted that Yishmael endure before You.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Said before Hashem”. The Hebrew “said to God” (with אֶל) becomes “said before”, קֳדָם. Speech addressed to God is phrased as speech in His presence, a reverential form that perhaps avoids addressing Him directly.
• “Endure”. For יִחְיֶה, “live”, Onkelos has יִתְקַיָּם, “be established, endure”. This may suggest that Avraham’s prayer concerns Yishmael’s lasting place rather than mere survival. The same root recurs in this passage for the covenant (17:19, 17:21).
• “May it be granted”. The wishing particle לוּ is rendered by its Aramaic equivalent לְוַי, and לְפָנֶיךָ by קֳדָמָךְ, “before You”.

Words to note: קֳדָם kodam — before (אֶל) · לְוַי levai — may it be granted (לוּ) · יִתְקַיָּם yitkayyam — endure (יִחְיֶה) · קֳדָמָךְ kodamakh — before You (לְפָנֶיךָ)

Bereshit 17:19

Torah

Translation

God said: Indeed, your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Yitzchok. I will establish My covenant with him as an eternal covenant to his descendants after him.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Hashem said: Indeed, your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Yitzchok. I will establish My covenant with him as an eternal covenant to his sons after him.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Indeed”. The Hebrew אֲבָל can mean “but” or “truly”. Onkelos chooses the second: בְּקוּשְׁטָא, literally “in truth”, an emphatic affirmation rather than a contrast.
• “Will bear”. The Hebrew participle יֹלֶדֶת becomes the future תְּלִיד, “she will bear”.
• One root for the covenant. The Hebrew uses two different words: וַהֲקִמֹתִי, “I will establish”, and בְּרִיתִי / לִבְרִית, “covenant”. Onkelos renders all three from a single root: וַאֲקִים, קְיָמִי and לִקְיָם. The Aramaic thus links establishing and covenant by sound in a way the Hebrew does not.
• “To his sons”. The Hebrew לְזַרְעוֹ, “to his seed”, becomes לִבְנוֹהִי, “to his sons”, replacing the image of seed with the plain term for descendants.

Words to note: בְּקוּשְׁטָא bekushta — indeed (literally ‘in truth’) (אֲבָל) · וַאֲקִים va-akim — I will establish (וַהֲקִמֹתִי) · קְיָמִי keyami — My covenant (בְּרִיתִי) · לִקְיָם li-keyam — as a covenant (לִבְרִית) · עָלָם ‘alam — eternal (עוֹלָם) · לִבְנוֹהִי livnohi — to his sons (לְזַרְעוֹ)

Bereshit 17:20

Torah

Translation

And as for Yishmael, I have heard you [I have accepted your prayer]. I have blessed him, and I will make him fruitful, and will increase him exceedingly. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

And concerning Yishmael, I have accepted your prayer. Behold, I have blessed him, and I will multiply him, and I will increase him exceedingly, exceedingly. He will beget twelve princes, and I will make him into a great people.

What Onkelos tells us

• “I have accepted your prayer”. The Hebrew שְׁמַעְתִּיךָ, “I have heard you”, becomes קַבֵּלִית צְלוֹתָךְ, “I have accepted your prayer”. Avraham’s words in 17:18 are identified as a prayer, and “hearing” is rendered as acceptance, stressing that the plea was granted. Onkelos uses the same verb in 16:2, where Avram “accepted” Sarai’s words, so the choice is not only about speech concerning God.
• “And concerning Yishmael”. The Hebrew prefix le- in וּלְיִשְׁמָעֵאל is rendered וְעַל, “concerning”, clarifying that it introduces the topic.
• “I will multiply him”. For וְהִפְרֵיתִי, “I will make fruitful”, Onkelos has וְאַפֵּישּׁ, “I will multiply”, dropping the image of fruit. וְהִרְבֵּיתִי is rendered וְאַסְגֵּי, “I will increase” (root סגי).
• “Exceedingly, exceedingly”. The doubled בִּמְאֹד מְאֹד is matched by a doubled לַחֲדָא.
• “Princes”. נְשִׂיאִם is rendered רַבְרְבַיָּא, literally “great ones”. The Hebrew causative יוֹלִיד becomes the simple יְלִיד, “he will beget”, in the printed text.
• “A great people”. For לְגוֹי, “nation”, Onkelos has לְעַם, “people”, and for גָּדוֹל, סַגִּי.
• Textual note. The Yemenite text reads וְאַפֵּישִׁית and וְאַסְגִּיתִי, past forms (“I have multiplied … I have increased”), where the printed text has the futures וְאַפֵּישּׁ and וְאַסְגֵּי. The note that these verbs are future holds for the printed text only. For the printed יְלִיד the Yemenite text has the causative יוֹלִיד, matching the Hebrew form.

Words to note: קַבֵּלִית kabbelit — I have accepted (שְׁמַעְתִּיךָ) · צְלוֹתָךְ tzelotakh — your prayer · וְאַפֵּישּׁ ve-appeish — and I will multiply (וְהִפְרֵיתִי) · לַחֲדָא lahada — exceedingly (מְאֹד) · רַבְרְבַיָּא ravrevaya — princes (literally ‘great ones’) (נְשִׂיאִם) · יְלִיד yelid — he will beget (יוֹלִיד)

Bereshit 17:21

Torah

Translation

But I will establish My covenant with Yitzchok, who Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

But My covenant I will establish with Yitzchok, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.

What Onkelos tells us

• “With Yitzchok”. The Hebrew word וְאֶת / אֶת appears twice in this verse with two different functions. Before “My covenant” it marks the object, and Onkelos writes וְיָת; before “Yitzchok” it means “with”, and Onkelos writes עִם. The Aramaic distinguishes what the Hebrew spells alike.
• “My covenant I will establish”. As in 17:19, קְיָמִי, “My covenant”, and אָקִים, “I will establish”, share a single root, where the Hebrew uses בְּרִיתִי and אָקִים.
• “At this time next year”. לְזִמְנָא renders לַמּוֹעֵד, “at the appointed time”, with the ordinary word for “time”, and בְּשַׁתָּא אָחֳרַנְתָּא, “in the other year”, follows the Hebrew literally.

Words to note: עִם ‘im — with (אֶת) · דִי di — whom (אֲשֶׁר) · לְזִמְנָא le-zimna — at … time (לַמּוֹעֵד) · אָחֳרַנְתָּא ohoranta — next (literally ‘other’) (הָאַחֶרֶת)

Unit 2 summary

Onkelos follows the passage closely but makes several small interpretive choices. Avraham’s laughter becomes rejoicing, which may reflect a reading of his reaction as joy rather than doubt; his words to God are spoken “before” Hashem, and God’s “hearing” becomes acceptance of a prayer. The “nations” from Sarah become “assemblies”, and the “kings of peoples” become kings who rule over peoples. Most strikingly, a single root runs through the Aramaic: Yishmael is to “endure”, and the covenant itself is a word from the same root as “I will establish”, tying together a theme the Hebrew expresses with different words. Where the Hebrew has Elokim, the printed text uses the Name throughout.

Unit 3 — Bereshit 17:22–27: Avraham circumcises his household

Hashem’s speech to Avraham ends and the Glory of Hashem departs from him. On that same day Avraham circumcises himself, Yishmael and every male of his household, as he had been commanded.

Bereshit 17:22

Torah

Translation

And when He finished speaking with him, [the Glory of] God ascended from Avraham.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

And when He finished speaking with him, the Glory of Hashem ascended from above Avraham.

What Onkelos tells us

• “The Glory of Hashem ascended”. The Hebrew says simply that Elokim ‘ascended from Avraham’ (וַיַּעַל אֱלֹקִים). Onkelos makes the subject ‘the Glory of Hashem’ (יְקָרָא דַה׳), so that the movement is attributed to God’s manifest Glory rather than to God Himself. This may reflect a reluctance to describe God as moving from place to place. The Aramaic also has Hashem where the Hebrew has Elokim.
• “Ascended”. The verb וְאִסְתַּלַּק answers the Hebrew וַיַּעַל; it can mean ‘go up’ or ‘depart’, and here perhaps carries both senses: the Glory withdraws from Avraham.
• “From above Avraham”. The Hebrew מֵעַל becomes מֵעִלָּווֹהִי דְּאַבְרָהָם, literally ‘from above him, of Avraham’, an Aramaic construction with an anticipatory suffix. The sense is unchanged.
• “When He finished”. וְשֵׁיצֵי is the ordinary Aramaic verb for completing, matching וַיְכַל.

Words to note: וְשֵׁיצֵי ve-sheitzei — and finished (וַיְכַל) · וְאִסְתַּלַּק ve-istallak — and ascended (or: withdrew) (וַיַּעַל) · יְקָרָא yekara — the Glory · מֵעִלָּווֹהִי me-illavohi — from above him (מֵעַל)

Bereshit 17:23

Torah

Translation

Avraham took his son, Yishmael, and all those that were born in his household, and all that he had bought with his money, every male member of Avraham’s household, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that very day as God had said to him.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Avraham took his son, Yishmael, and all those that were born in his household, and all those bought with his money, every male member of Avraham’s household, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that very day as Hashem had said to him.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Took”. For וַיִּקַּח Onkelos uses וּדְבַר, from a root meaning ‘lead’ or ‘conduct’, rather than a verb of physically taking. Since the objects are people, the choice perhaps suggests that Avraham brought them along rather than seized them.
• “All those bought with his money”. The Hebrew מִקְנַת כַּסְפּוֹ is a singular collective noun, ‘the purchase of his money’. Onkelos uses the plural זְבִינֵי כַסְפֵּה, ‘those bought of his money’, making explicit that people are meant.
• “He circumcised”. The Hebrew וַיָּמׇל (root מול) is rendered וּגְזַר, from גזר, ‘cut’. Onkelos uses this one root for every form of מול in this passage (17:23-27).
• “On that very day”. The Hebrew idiom בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה, literally ‘in the bone of this day’, is matched by the Aramaic idiom בִּכְרַן יוֹמָא הָדֵין, ‘on the very [strength] of this day’.
• “As Hashem had said to him”. The Hebrew has Elokim (אֱלֹקִֽים); Onkelos has Hashem (ה׳), as in 17:22.

Words to note: וּדְבַר u-devar — took (lit. led) (וַיִּקַּח) · זְבִינֵי zevinei — those bought (מִקְנַת) · דְּכוּרָא dekhura — male (זָכָר) · וּגְזַר u-gezar — and he circumcised (lit. cut) (וַיָּמׇל) · בִּכְרַן bikhran — on the very (בְּעֶצֶם)

Bereshit 17:24

Torah

Translation

Avraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Avraham was ninety-nine years old when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin.

What Onkelos tells us

• “When he circumcised”. The Hebrew בְּהִמֹּלוֹ is a passive (nif’al) infinitive, ‘when he was circumcised’. Onkelos turns it into an active finite clause, כַּד גְזַר, ‘when he circumcised’. Read naturally, this may present Avraham as performing his own circumcision, perhaps because 17:23 has just said that he did the circumcising.
• “Years”. The Hebrew uses the singular שָׁנָה after the number, as Hebrew idiom allows; Onkelos has the plural שְׁנִין. The meaning is unchanged.
• “Ninety-nine years old”. The idiom ‘son of … years’ is kept: בַּר for בֶּן.

Words to note: בַּר bar — son of (i.e. aged) (בֶּן) · שְׁנִין shenin — years (שָׁנָה) · כַּד kad — when · גְזַר gezar — he circumcised (בְּהִמֹּלוֹ)

Bereshit 17:25

Torah

Translation

And his son Yishmael was thirteen years old when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

And his son Yishmael was thirteen years old when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin.

What Onkelos tells us

• “When he circumcised”. As in 17:24, the passive infinitive בְּהִמֹּלוֹ becomes the active כַּד גְּזַר. Here the Hebrew has the object marker אֵת, and Onkelos keeps it (יַת), so the Aramaic reads as a plain active clause with a direct object. Who ‘he’ is, Avraham or Yishmael, is not stated in the Aramaic.
• “Years”. Again the Hebrew singular שָׁנָה is rendered with the plural שְׁנִין.

Words to note: תְּלַת telat — three (שְׁלֹשׁ) · עַשְׂרֵי asrei — ten (in ‘thirteen’) (עֶשְׂרֵה) · גְּזַר gezar — he circumcised (בְּהִמֹּלוֹ)

Bereshit 17:26

Torah

Translation

On that very day Avraham and his son Yishmael were circumcised.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

On that very day (circumcised) Avraham and his son Yishmael were circumcised.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Were circumcised”. Here the passive is kept: נִמּוֹל (nif’al) is rendered אִתְגְּזַר, the passive (itpe’el) of גזר. Like the Hebrew, the verb is singular though it has two subjects.
• “(Circumcised)”. The printed text adds the active (גְּזַר) before the passive, marking an alternative reading. With it the clause would read ‘on that very day Avraham circumcised’, matching the active forms of 17:24-25.
• “On that very day”. The idiom בִּכְרַן יוֹמָא הָדֵין again renders בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה, as in 17:23.
• Textual note. The Yemenite text lacks the parenthesized word (גְּזַר) and reads only the passive אִתְגְּזַר. The note on the alternative active reading applies to the printed text only.

Words to note: אִתְגְּזַר itgezar — was circumcised (נִמּוֹל)

Bereshit 17:27

Torah

Translation

All the men of his household, those born in his household, and bought with money from a stranger, were circumcised with him.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

All the men of his household, those born in the household, and those bought with money from a son of nations, were circumcised (they circumcised) with him.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Those born in the household”. The Hebrew יְלִיד בָּיִת is singular, ‘one born of the house’; Onkelos uses the plural יְלִידֵי בֵיתָא to agree with ‘all the men’. Likewise the collective וּמִקְנַת כֶּסֶף becomes the plural וּזְבִינֵי כַסְפָּא, ‘those bought with money’.
• “From a son of nations”. The Hebrew בֶּן נֵכָר, ‘a son of a foreigner’, becomes בַּר עַמְמִין, ‘a son of nations’. Onkelos replaces the abstract ‘foreignness’ with ‘nations’, perhaps to specify that the seller was a non-Israelite.
• “Were circumcised”. The nif’al נִמֹּלוּ is rendered with the passive אִתְגְּזָרוּ, again from גזר. The printed text adds, in parentheses, the active form of the same verb, ‘they circumcised’, as an alternative reading.
• Textual note. For בַּר עַמְמִין the Yemenite text reads בְּנֵי עַמְמַיָּא, ‘sons of the nations’, in the plural.
• Textual note. The Yemenite text lacks the parenthesized active ‘they circumcised’; the alternative active reading belongs to the printed text only.

Words to note: יְלִידֵי yelidei — those born (יְלִיד) · וּזְבִינֵי u-zevinei — and those bought (וּמִקְנַת) · עַמְמִין ammemin — nations (נֵכָר) · אִתְגְּזָרוּ itgezaru — were circumcised (נִמֹּלוּ)

Unit 3 summary

In this closing unit Onkelos is largely literal, but three features stand out. First, the language about God is adjusted: where the Hebrew says that Elokim ‘ascended from Avraham’, the Aramaic has the Glory of Hashem (יְקָרָא דַה׳) withdraw, and both mentions of Elokim in 17:22-23 appear as Hashem. Second, every form of the Hebrew root מול, active, passive and infinitive, is rendered with the single Aramaic root גזר, ‘cut’. Third, verb forms shift in places: the passive infinitive of 17:24-25 becomes an active ‘when he circumcised’, while the passive נִמּוֹל and נִמֹּלוּ remain passive (אִתְגְּזַר, אִתְגְּזָרוּ); the printed text, however, also carries active alternatives in parentheses, which the Yemenite text lacks. Smaller smoothing appears in the plural זְבִינֵי for the collective מִקְנַת, plural שְׁנִין for the singular שָׁנָה after numbers, and ‘a son of nations’ for ‘a foreigner’.

Conclusion of the aliyah

The movement of the aliyah

The aliyah moves from promise to command to fulfilment. It opens with God’s undertaking to sustain His covenant and give the land, turns to the sign of circumcision and the penalty for neglecting it, then widens to the next generation: Sarah’s new name, the promised son, and the contrasting futures of Yishmael and Yitzchok. It closes with Avraham carrying out the command on the very day it was given. Onkelos follows this movement closely, but his fixed vocabulary - keyam for the covenant, גזר for circumcision, “sons” for “seed” - binds the three sections together in the Aramaic.

What Onkelos tells us in this aliyah

1. “I will sustain My covenant” (17:7). The verb and the noun share the root קום in the Aramaic, where the Hebrew pairs a קום verb with an unrelated noun.
2. “Between My Word and you” (17:7). בֵּין מֵימְרִי frames God’s side of the covenant through His Memra, perhaps to soften language placing God alongside a human partner.
3. “The land of your residence” (17:8). The Aramaic noun from יתב, “dwell”, describes Avraham as one who lives in the land; whether it keeps the Hebrew sense of impermanence as strongly is not clear.
4. “Son of the nations” (17:12). “Son of a stranger” becomes בַּר עַמְמִין, a non-Israelite, stated as such.
5. “Destroyed” and “changed” (17:14). “Cut off” becomes וְיִשְׁתֵּיצֵי, “shall be destroyed”, and “he has broken My covenant” becomes אַשְׁנִי, “he has changed” - perhaps avoiding describing the covenant as something a person can destroy.
6. “Assemblies” (17:16). Sarah’s “nations” become לְכִנְשִׁין, which may suggest the gathered communities of her descendants; the “kings of peoples” become kings who rule over peoples.
7. “And he rejoiced” (17:17). וַחֲדִי may indicate that Onkelos read Avraham’s reaction as gladness, not disbelief; the link to the name Yitzchok is lost.
8. “That Yishmael endure” (17:18). יִתְקַיָּם may suggest that Avraham’s prayer concerns Yishmael’s lasting place, and it shares its root with the covenant of 17:19 and 17:21.
9. “I have accepted your prayer” (17:20). קַבֵּלִית צְלוֹתָךְ identifies Avraham’s words as a prayer and renders “hearing” as acceptance.
10. “The Glory of Hashem ascended” (17:22). The departure is attributed to יְקָרָא דַה׳, which may reflect a reluctance to describe God as moving from place to place.
11. “When he circumcised” (17:24). The passive infinitive becomes an active clause, כַּד גְזַר, which may present Avraham as performing his own circumcision.

Recurring features

• Fixed vocabulary. Berit is keyam, מול is גזר, and “seed” is “sons” every time they occur in the aliyah.
• Hashem for Elokim. Where Elokim speaks, is addressed or ascends (17:9, 17:15, 17:18, 17:19, 17:22, 17:23), the Aramaic has the Name; “to be a God” keeps לֵאלָהָא.
• Distance in speech to and about God. “Between Me” becomes “between My Word”, Avraham speaks “before” Hashem, hearing becomes acceptance of prayer, and the Glory departs rather than God Himself.
• Collectives made plural. Singular or collective nouns such as “house-born” and “bought with money” become plurals in the printed text, and “year” after a number becomes the plural “years”.
• Shifts between passive and active. Some Hebrew passives of מול become active in the Aramaic, others stay passive, and the printed text records active alternatives in parentheses that the Yemenite text lacks.
• Printed-text features. Feminine verbs, plurals and parenthetical alternatives are noted as belonging to the printed text only where the Yemenite text differs.

Aliyah takeaway

In this aliyah Onkelos is close to the Hebrew in content but consistent in his own vocabulary. By rendering every berit as keyam and every form of מול with גזר, he makes the covenant, its establishment and its sign audible as a single theme, and the root of keyam reaches even Avraham’s prayer that Yishmael endure. Alongside this run his familiar adjustments in speaking of God - the Word, the Glory, speech “before” Him, prayer accepted - and a few interpretive choices, such as rejoicing for laughter, which the notes offer as possibilities rather than certainties.

Aramaic word list for the aliyah

Source note

Aliyah boundary. Bereshit 17:7 – 17:27, following the aliyah divisions in Sefaria’s index of Bereshit.

Torah text. Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA), the Masoretic text based on the Aleppo Codex, from Wikisource via Sefaria .

Targum Onkelos. The Aramaic is the commonly printed text, from the Torat Emet edition (Public Domain), via Sefaria .

Comparison text. “Targum Onkelos, vocalized according to the Yemenite Taj” (CC-BY-SA), from Wikisource via Sefaria. Its readings were compared with the printed text word by word; only differences that change a word or the meaning are noted.

Translation of the Torah. Metsudah Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009 (CC-BY), via Sefaria, with the Divine Names rendered Hashem and God.

Translation of Onkelos, notes and summaries. New, prepared for this page. The Onkelos translation follows the wording of the Torah translation wherever the Aramaic agrees with the Hebrew, so that the differences stand out.

Divine Names. In the Hebrew and Aramaic, the Tetragrammaton and the Aramaic abbreviation of the Name are printed as ה׳, and Elokim as אלקים.

Notes. The notes compare the Aramaic with the Hebrew only. No later commentaries on Onkelos have been used. Where a note suggests why Onkelos translated as he did, this is presented as an inference from the text.

Licence. The Hebrew and Aramaic texts are shared under their own licences as stated above; CC-BY-SA material remains under CC-BY-SA.

← Sixth Aliyah

Back to Parashat Lech Lecha · Torah with Onkelos