Parashat Noach — Fourth Aliyah
Torah with Onkelos · Bereshit 8:15 – 9:7 · פרשת נח, רביעי
Leaving the ark, Noach’s offering, and the blessing and law of blood, read through Targum Onkelos
Export as MarkdownContents
- Orientation
- How this page is laid out
- Unit 1 — Bereshit 8:15–22: Leaving the ark, and Noach’s offering
- Unit 2 — Bereshit 9:1–7: The blessing of Noach and the law of blood
- Conclusion of the aliyah
- Aramaic word list for the aliyah
- Source note
Orientation
What happens in this aliyah. God tells Noach to leave the ark with his wife, his sons, their wives and every creature with him, and they go out according to their families. Noach builds an altar and brings up burnt-offerings of every clean animal and bird; Hashem resolves never again to curse the earth because of man nor to smite all that lives, and declares that seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will not cease. God then blesses Noach and his sons with the command to be fruitful and multiply, places the animals in their power, permits them meat but forbids flesh with its lifeblood, and declares that He will demand an account for human blood, for man was made in the image of God.
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.
- Language about God. The altar is built קֳדָם ה׳ (“before Hashem”) rather than “to Hashem”; God’s smelling of the fragrance becomes His accepting Noach’s offering with favour; and “to His heart” becomes בְּמֵימְרֵהּ, “in His Memra”.
- The Name for Elokim. Where the Hebrew has Elokim in this aliyah (8:15, 9:1, 9:6), the printed Aramaic has the Name, ה׳; at 9:6 the Yemenite text keeps the Hebrew words.
- Sin and judgement made explicit. “Because of man” becomes בְּדִיל חוֹבֵי אֱנָשָׁא, “because of the sins of man” (8:21), and “through man” becomes בְּסַעֲדִין עַל מֵימַר דַיָנַיָא, “with witnesses, by the word of the judges” (9:6).
- Swarming becomes birth. The Hebrew verb of swarming is rendered from the root ילד, “be born, breed”, both for the creatures (8:17) and for Noach’s family (9:7).
- One verb for leaving the ark. Every departure is rendered from the root נפק, from the command puk to the Af’el אַפֵּיק, “bring out”.
- One word for the earth. Hebrew eretz and adamah are both rendered אַרְעָא, so the distinction between them is not kept.
- Close rendering elsewhere. The blessing, the permission of meat and the ban on lifeblood follow the Hebrew closely, with small grammatical touches such as the relative ד before a participle.
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 8:15–22: Leaving the ark, and Noach’s offering
God commands Noach to leave the ark with his family and every creature; they come out, Noach builds an altar and offers burnt-offerings, and Hashem resolves never again to curse the earth or smite all life.
Bereshit 8:15
Torah
Translation
God spoke to Noach, saying,
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
Hashem spoke with Noach, saying,
What Onkelos tells us
- “Hashem”. Where the Hebrew has Elokim, Onkelos writes the Name (ה׳). Otherwise the verse is close to the Hebrew.
- “Spoke with Noach”. The Hebrew preposition אֶל (“to”) becomes עִם (“with”), the ordinary Aramaic idiom after a verb of speaking; the verb itself is the Pa’el malil, “spoke”.
Words to note: וּמַלִּיל u-malil — spoke (וַיְדַבֵּר) · עִם im — with (אֶל) · לְמֵימָר le-meimar — saying (לֵאמֹר)
Bereshit 8:16
Torah
Translation
Depart from the ark, yourself and your wife, your sons, and your son’s wives with you.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
Depart from the ark, yourself and your wife, your sons, and your son’s wives with you.
What Onkelos tells us
- “Depart from the ark”. A literal rendering. The Hebrew imperative צֵא is matched by the Aramaic imperative puk (פּוּק), and “with you” is עִמָךְ, the Aramaic counterpart of אִתָּךְ.
Words to note: פּוּק puk — depart (צֵא) · תֵּבוֹתָא tevota — the ark (הַתֵּבָה) · וְאִתְּתָךְ ve-itetakh — and your wife (וְאִשְׁתְּךָ) · עִמָךְ imakh — with you (אִתָּךְ)
Bereshit 8:17
Torah
Translation
Every living thing that is with you, of all flesh, [including] birds, animals, every creeping creature that creeps on the earth, let them depart with you. Let them spread over the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
Every living thing that is with you, of all flesh, [including] birds, animals, every creeping creature that creeps on the earth, bring out with you. Let them breed on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.
What Onkelos tells us
- “Bring out with you”. The Hebrew word is written (הוצא) and read with a slightly different spelling; both forms are causative imperatives, “bring out”. Onkelos has the Af’el imperative apeik (אַפֵּיק), “bring out”, which agrees with both the written and the read form: Noach is told to take the creatures out, not merely that they should leave.
- “Let them breed”. The Hebrew וְשָׁרְצוּ (“let them swarm”) is rendered וְיִתְיַלְּדוּן, an Itpa’al of the root ילד, “let them be born, breed”. The image of swarming gives way to the plain idea of reproduction, perhaps because the point of the verse is the renewal of life after the Flood.
- “Be fruitful and multiply”. The pair וּפָרוּ וְרָבוּ becomes וְיִפְּשׁוּן וְיִסְגּוּן, “increase” and “grow many”. The Hebrew converted perfects become plain imperfects, which in Aramaic carry the same wish or command.
- “Creeping creature that creeps”. The Hebrew repeats the root רמש in noun and participle (הָרֶמֶשׂ הָרֹמֵשׂ); Onkelos keeps the repetition with his own root רחש: רִחֲשָׁא דְּרָחֵשׁ, adding the relative particle ד (“that creeps”).
- “The earth”. All three occurrences of Hebrew ha-aretz / ba-aretz in the verse are rendered with the one word ar’a.
Words to note: חַיְתָא hayta — living thing (הַחַיָּה) · רִחֲשָׁא rihasha — creeping creature (הָרֶמֶשׂ) · אַפֵּיק apeik — bring out · וְיִתְיַלְּדוּן ve-yityaldun — and let them breed (וְשָׁרְצוּ) · וְיִפְּשׁוּן ve-yipeshun — and be fruitful (וּפָרוּ) · וְיִסְגּוּן ve-yisgun — and multiply (וְרָבוּ)
Bereshit 8:18
Torah
Translation
Noach departed [from the ark together with] his sons, his wife and son’s wives.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
Noach departed, his sons, his wife and son’s wives with him.
What Onkelos tells us
- “Noach departed”. A literal rendering. The Hebrew וַיֵּצֵא is matched by וּנְפַק from the root נפק, the same root as the imperative puk in 8:16, so command and fulfilment share one verb in the Aramaic as in the Hebrew (יצא in both). The final “with him” (עִמֵּהּ) is kept.
Words to note: וּנְפַק u-nefak — departed (וַיֵּצֵא) · וּבְנוֹהִי u-venohi — his sons (וּבָנָיו) · וְאִתְּתֵהּ ve-itteteh — his wife (וְאִשְׁתּוֹ) · עִמֵּהּ immeh — with him (אִתּוֹ)
Bereshit 8:19
Torah
Translation
Every living thing, every creeping creature, every bird, everything that creeps on the earth, departed from the ark according to their families.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
Every living thing, every creeping creature, and every bird, everything that creeps on the earth, departed from the ark according to their families.
What Onkelos tells us
- “Everything that creeps”. The Hebrew participle רוֹמֵשׂ stands without a relative word; Onkelos writes דְּרָחֵשׁ, “that creeps”, with the particle ד, as in 8:17.
- “According to their families”. The Hebrew לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתֵיהֶם is rendered לְזַרְעֲיָתְהוֹן, a noun from the root זרע, “seed”: the families are thought of as lines of descent. This may suggest that the animals left the ark grouped by kind and offspring.
- “Departed”. The verb is again from נפק (נְפָקוּ), linking this verse to the command in 8:17 and to Noach’s own departure in 8:18.
Words to note: רִחֲשָׁא rihasha — creeping creature (הָרֶמֶשׂ) · דְּרָחֵשׁ de-rahesh — that creeps (רוֹמֵשׂ) · לְזַרְעֲיָתְהוֹן le-zarayathon — according to their families (לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתֵיהֶם) · נְפָקוּ nefaku — departed (יָצְאוּ)
Bereshit 8:20
Torah
Translation
Noach built an altar to Hashem, and took of every [ritually] clean animal and of every [ritually] clean bird, and brought up burnt-offerings on the altar.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
Noach built an altar before Hashem, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and brought up burnt-offerings on the altar.
What Onkelos tells us
- “Before Hashem”. The Hebrew לַה׳ (“to Hashem”) becomes קֳדָם ה׳, “before Hashem”. The altar is built in the presence of God rather than directly to Him; the change suggests a reverent distance in speaking of what is offered to God.
- “Altar”. The Hebrew מִזְבֵּחַ corresponds to מַדְבְּחָא: the same root, with the Aramaic ד where Hebrew has ז (זבח / דבח).
- “Brought up burnt-offerings”. The causative וַיַּעַל is matched by the Af’el וְאַסֵּיק, and the offerings עֹלֹת by עֲלָוָן, a noun from the same idea of going up. The two Hebrew words for clean, הַטְּהֹרָה and הַטָּהוֹר, are both rendered from the root דכי.
- Textual note. For “on the altar” the printed text has בְּמִדְבְּחָא, following the Hebrew preposition of בַּמִּזְבֵּחַ; the Yemenite text reads עַל מַדְבְּחָא, “upon the altar”. The meaning is the same.
Words to note: מַדְבְּחָא madbeha — an altar (מִזְבֵּחַ) · קֳדָם kodam — before (לַה׳) · דַּכְיָא dakhya — clean (הַטְּהֹרָה) · וְאַסֵּיק ve-aseik — and brought up (וַיַּעַל) · עֲלָוָן alavan — burnt-offerings (עֹלֹת)
Bereshit 8:21
Torah
Translation
Hashem smelled the pleasing fragrance, and Hashem said in His heart, Never again will I curse the ground because of man, for the inclination of man’s heart is evil from [the time of] his youth. I will never again smite every living thing as I have done.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
Hashem accepted his offering with favour, and Hashem said in His Memra, Never again will I curse the earth because of the sins of man, for the inclination of man’s heart is evil from his youth. I will never again smite all that lives as I have done.
What Onkelos tells us
- “Accepted his offering with favour”. The Hebrew “Hashem smelled the pleasing fragrance” (וַיָּרַח … רֵיחַ הַנִּיחֹחַ) is wholly rephrased: וְקַבִּיל ה׳ בְּרַעֲוָא יָת קוּרְבָּנֵהּ, “Hashem accepted with favour his offering”. The sense of smell is not attributed to God, and the “fragrance” is identified as the offering of 8:20. This is a clear case of rephrasing physical language about God, perhaps to avoid any suggestion that He literally smells.
- “In His Memra”. The Hebrew אֶל לִבּוֹ (“to His heart”) becomes בְּמֵימְרֵהּ, “in His word”. A heart is not ascribed to God; His inner decision is expressed through His Memra.
- “Because of the sins of man”. For בַּעֲבוּר הָאָדָם (“because of man”) Onkelos adds a word: בְּדִיל חוֹבֵי אֱנָשָׁא, “because of the sins of man”. The addition may indicate that the curse is understood as a response to human wrongdoing, not to humanity as such.
- “Curse the earth”. Hebrew לְקַלֵּל (root קלל) is rendered לְמֵילַט, from a different root. The Hebrew הָאֲדָמָה, “the ground”, becomes אַרְעָא, the same word that renders ha-aretz in 8:17 and 8:22, so the Hebrew distinction between adamah and eretz is not kept here.
- “From his youth”. The Hebrew מִנְּעֻרָיו is rendered מִזְעִירֵהּ, from זעיר, “small”: literally “from his smallness”, that is, from childhood.
- “All that lives”. The Hebrew כׇּל חַי becomes כָּל דְּחַי, with the relative ד, “all that lives”. “Smite” is לְמִמְחֵי.
Words to note: וְקַבִּיל ve-kabil — accepted (וַיָּרַח) · בְּרַעֲוָא be-ra’ava — with favour · קוּרְבָּנֵהּ kurbaneh — his offering · בְּמֵימְרֵהּ be-meimreh — in His Memra (His word) (לִבּוֹ) · חוֹבֵי hovei — the sins of · מִזְעִירֵהּ mi-ze’ireh — from his youth (מִנְּעֻרָיו)
Bereshit 8:22
Torah
Translation
So long as the earth exists, seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, will never be suspended.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
So long as the earth exists, seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, will never be suspended.
What Onkelos tells us
- “Will never be suspended”. A literal rendering, word for word through the four pairs. The Hebrew יִשְׁבֹּתוּ (root שבת) is rendered יִבְטְּלוּן, from the Aramaic root בטל, “cease, be idle”. “So long as the earth exists” is literally “still all the days of the earth” (עוֹד כָּל יוֹמֵי אַרְעָא) in both languages.
Words to note: זְרוֹעָא zero’a — seed-time (זֶרַע) · וַחֲצָדָא va-hatzada — and harvest (וְקָצִיר) · וְקַיְטָא ve-kayta — and summer (וְקַיִץ) · וְסִתְוָא ve-sitva — and winter (וָחֹרֶף) · יִבְטְּלוּן yivtelun — will be suspended (יִשְׁבֹּתוּ)
Unit 1 summary
Through the departure from the ark Onkelos stays close to the Hebrew, with small grammatical touches: the relative ד before participles, the verb apeik (“bring out”) that agrees with both the written and the read Hebrew form, the root נפק for every departure, and zarayathon for “families”. The swarming of the creatures becomes breeding. The real changes come where the text speaks of God: the altar is built “before Hashem”; God’s smelling of the pleasing fragrance becomes His accepting Noach’s offering with favour; His speaking “to His heart” becomes speaking “in His Memra”; and “because of man” becomes “because of the sins of man”. Together these suggest a consistent care to avoid physical language about God and to state the cause of the curse explicitly.
Unit 2 — Bereshit 9:1–7: The blessing of Noach and the law of blood
God blesses Noach and his sons, places the animals in their power and permits them meat, but forbids eating flesh with its lifeblood and declares that the shedder of human blood will be held to account.
Bereshit 9:1
Torah
Translation
God blessed Noach and his sons. He said to them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
Hashem blessed Noach and his sons. He said to them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
What Onkelos tells us
- “Hashem blessed”. Where the Hebrew has Elokim, the Aramaic has the Name, ה׳. Both the printed and the Yemenite texts read so here. Otherwise the verse is a literal rendering.
- “Be fruitful and multiply”. The Hebrew pair פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ is rendered by the Aramaic pair פּוּשׁוּ וּסְגוּ (pushu u-segu), and וּמִלְאוּ (“fill”) by וּמְלוּ. The same pair of Aramaic verbs returns for the same Hebrew pair in 9:7.
Words to note: פּוּשׁוּ pushu — be fruitful (פְּרוּ) · וּסְגוּ u-segu — and multiply (וּרְבוּ) · וּמְלוּ u-melu — and fill (וּמִלְאוּ)
Bereshit 9:2
Torah
Translation
Your fear and terror will be upon every wild beast of the earth, and upon every bird in the heavens. All that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, are given into your hands.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
Your fear and terror will be upon every wild beast of the earth, and upon every bird in the heavens. All that creeps on the earth, and all the fish of the sea, will be delivered into your hands.
What Onkelos tells us
- “Your fear and terror will be”. The Hebrew nouns וּמוֹרַאֲכֶם and וְחִתְּכֶם are rendered by וְדַחֲלַתְכוֹן and וְאֵימַתְכוֹן. The verb תְּהֵי is feminine singular, agreeing with the feminine Aramaic nouns, where the Hebrew יִהְיֶה is masculine singular.
- “On the earth”. The Hebrew uses two different words in this verse, הָאָרֶץ (“the earth”) with the wild beasts and הָאֲדָמָה (“the ground”) with the creeping things. Onkelos renders both by the one word אַרְעָא (ar’a), so the distinction between them is not kept in the Aramaic.
- “All that creeps”. The Hebrew verb תִּרְמֹשׂ is rendered by תַרְחֵישׁ (tarhesh), from the Aramaic root רחש, the same root as the noun רִחֲשָׁא (“moving creature”) in 9:3, just as the Hebrew uses the root רמש in both verses.
- “Will be delivered into your hands”. The Hebrew נִתָּנוּ is a past form, “they have been given”. The printed Aramaic has a future, יְהוֹן מְסִירִין, “will be delivered”, with the participle mesirin, “handed over”. This may present the dominion over the animals as something that will take effect from now on rather than as a gift already made.
- Textual note. The Yemenite text lacks יְהוֹן and reads only בְּיַדְכוֹן מְסִירִין, “are delivered into your hands”, a present participle. The future “will be delivered” discussed above holds for the printed text only.
Words to note: וְדַחֲלַתְכוֹן ve-dahalatkhon — your fear (וּמוֹרַאֲכֶם) · וְאֵימַתְכוֹן ve-eimatkhon — and terror (וְחִתְּכֶם) · חֵוַת hevat — wild beast of (חַיַּת) · תַרְחֵישׁ tarhesh — creeps (תִּרְמֹשׂ) · נוּנֵי nunei — the fish of (דְּגֵי) · מְסִירִין mesirin — delivered (נִתָּנוּ)
Bereshit 9:3
Torah
Translation
Every moving creature that lives, shall be yours for food; like the green vegetation [which I gave previously] I have [now] given you everything [for food].
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
Every moving creature that lives, shall be yours to eat; like the green vegetation I have given you everything.
What Onkelos tells us
- A literal rendering. The verse follows the Hebrew word for word: רִחֲשָׁא (“moving creature”) for רֶמֶשׂ, the same Aramaic noun rendered “creeping creature” in 8:17 and 8:19, כִּירוֹק עִשְׂבָּא for כְּיֶרֶק עֵשֶׂב, and יְהָבִית (“I have given”) for נָתַתִּי.
- “To eat”. The Hebrew לְאׇכְלָה is a noun, “for food”; Onkelos uses the infinitive לְמֵיכָל (le-meikhal), “to eat”. The sense is unchanged.
Words to note: רִחֲשָׁא rihasha — moving creature (רֶמֶשׂ) · לְמֵיכָל le-meikhal — to eat (לְאׇכְלָה) · כִּירוֹק kirok — like the green (כְּיֶרֶק) · עִשְׂבָּא isba — vegetation (עֵשֶׂב) · יְהָבִית yehavit — I have given (נָתַתִּי)
Bereshit 9:4
Torah
Translation
Nevertheless, flesh with its lifeblood, you shall not eat.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
Nevertheless, flesh with its lifeblood, you shall not eat.
What Onkelos tells us
- A literal rendering. Onkelos keeps the Hebrew’s compressed phrase “flesh with its life, its blood” exactly: בִּשְׂרָא בְּנַפְשֵׁהּ דְּמֵהּ for בָּשָׂר בְּנַפְשׁוֹ דָמוֹ. The restrictive אַךְ is rendered by בְּרַם (beram), “nevertheless”.
Words to note: בְּרַם beram — nevertheless (אַךְ) · בְּנַפְשֵׁהּ be-nafsheh — with its life (בְּנַפְשׁוֹ) · דְּמֵהּ demeh — its blood (דָמוֹ) · תֵכְלוּן tekhlun — you shall eat (תֹאכֵלוּ)
Bereshit 9:5
Torah
Translation
However, of the blood of your souls, I will demand an account; from the hand of every beast will I demand it. From the hand of man, even from the hand of man’s own brother, will I demand an account of man’s soul.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
However, of the blood of your souls, I will demand an account; from the hand of every beast will I demand it. From the hand of man, from the hand of a man who spills the blood of his brother, will I demand an account of man’s soul.
What Onkelos tells us
- “A man who spills the blood of his brother”. The Hebrew מִיַּד אִישׁ אָחִיו is terse: literally “from the hand of a man, his brother”. Onkelos expands it to מִיַד גְבַר דְיֵשׁוֹד יָת דְמָא דַאֲחוֹהִי, “from the hand of a man who spills the blood of his brother”. The added words make the man the killer and the brother the victim, which the bare Hebrew leaves to be inferred. The verb דְיֵשׁוֹד (de-yeshod) is the same that renders שֹׁפֵךְ (“he who spills”) in 9:6.
- “I will demand”. All three forms of the Hebrew root דרש in the verse (אֶדְרֹשׁ twice and אֶדְרְשֶׁנּוּ once) are rendered from the Aramaic root תבע: אֶתְבַּע twice and אֶתְבְּעִנֵהּ once.
- “Man”. The Hebrew הָאָדָם, which occurs twice here, is rendered by אֱנָשָׁא both times, and אִישׁ (“a man”) by גְבַר (gevar).
Words to note: אֶתְבַּע etba — I will demand (אֶדְרֹשׁ) · אֶתְבְּעִנֵהּ etbe’ineh — will I demand it (אֶדְרְשֶׁנּוּ) · אֱנָשָׁא enasha — man (הָאָדָם) · גְבַר gevar — a man (אִישׁ) · דְיֵשׁוֹד de-yeshod — who spills · דַאֲחוֹהִי da-ahohi — of his brother (אָחִיו)
Bereshit 9:6
Torah
Translation
He who spills the blood of man, through man shall his blood be spilled, for in the image of God, He made man.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
He who spills the blood of man, with witnesses, by the word of the judges, his blood shall be spilled, for in the image of Hashem, He made man.
What Onkelos tells us
- “With witnesses, by the word of the judges”. For the Hebrew בָּאָדָם, “through man”, Onkelos has בְּסַעֲדִין עַל מֵימַר דַיָנַיָא, “with witnesses, by the word of the judges”. The Hebrew does not say how the killer’s blood is to be shed; the Aramaic places it in the hands of a court acting on testimony. This suggests that Onkelos read “through man” as human judicial process rather than private vengeance.
- “He who spills … shall be spilled”. The Hebrew wordplay of שֹׁפֵךְ and יִשָּׁפֵךְ, active and passive of one root, is kept: Onkelos has דְיֵשׁוֹד and יִתְּשָׁד, active and passive forms of one Aramaic verb, “spill”.
- “In the image of Hashem”. Where the Hebrew has בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹקִים, the printed Aramaic has בְּצַלְמָא דַה׳, “in the image of Hashem”, with the Name in place of Elokim.
- Textual note. The printed text reads בְּסַעֲדִין, the Yemenite בְּסָהֲדִין, the usual Aramaic word for “witnesses”. The printed spelling may be the same word written with ע for ה; the translation “with witnesses” follows that understanding.
- Textual note. The Yemenite text reads בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹקִים, keeping the Hebrew words, where the printed text has בְּצַלְמָא דַה׳. The remark above about the Name in place of Elokim holds for the printed text only.
Words to note: דְיֵשׁוֹד de-yeshod — he who spills (שֹׁפֵךְ) · בְּסַעֲדִין be-sa’adin — with witnesses · מֵימַר meimar — the word of · דַיָנַיָא dayanaya — the judges · יִתְּשָׁד yitteshad — shall be spilled (יִשָּׁפֵךְ) · בְּצַלְמָא be-tzalma — in the image of (בְּצֶלֶם)
Bereshit 9:7
Torah
Translation
And now be fruitful and multiply, spread throughout the earth and multiply on it.
Onkelos
Onkelos in English
And now be fruitful and multiply, be born throughout the earth and multiply on it.
What Onkelos tells us
- “Be born”. The Hebrew שִׁרְצוּ, “swarm”, the verb of teeming creatures, is rendered by אִתְיְלִידוּ (ityelidu), a reflexive form of the root ילד, “be born”. Perhaps Onkelos preferred not to apply the image of swarming to human beings, and put the plain sense, increase by birth, in its place.
- “Be fruitful and multiply”. As in 9:1, פּוּשׁוּ וּסְגוּ renders פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ, and the second וּרְבוּ is again וּסְגוּ.
Words to note: וְאַתּוּן ve-attun — and you (וְאַתֶּם) · פּוּשׁוּ pushu — be fruitful (פְּרוּ) · וּסְגוּ u-segu — and multiply (וּרְבוּ) · אִתְיְלִידוּ ityelidu — be born (שִׁרְצוּ)
Unit 2 summary
For most of the unit Onkelos is close and literal: the blessing ‘be fruitful and multiply’ is rendered by the same pair of Aramaic verbs at both ends of the passage, and the permission of meat and the ban on its lifeblood follow the Hebrew word for word. The real interventions cluster around bloodshed. In 9:5 the terse ‘from the hand of a man, his brother’ becomes ‘from the hand of a man who spills the blood of his brother’, and in 9:6 ‘through man’ becomes ‘with witnesses, by the word of the judges’, so that the punishment of the killer is placed in the hands of a court. The same Aramaic verb for spilling blood links the two verses. Smaller shifts include a future ‘will be delivered’ for the Hebrew past ‘are given’ in 9:2, the Name in place of Elokim in 9:1 and 9:6, and ‘be born’ in place of the Hebrew ‘swarm’ in 9:7, which may suggest a wish to avoid applying the language of teeming creatures to human beings.
Conclusion of the aliyah
The movement of the aliyah
The aliyah moves from the ark to the altar and from the altar to a new order for the world. In the first unit Onkelos stays close to the Hebrew as the family and the creatures go out, and its changes gather around the offering and God’s response to it: the altar stands before Hashem, the offering is accepted with favour, God speaks in His Memra, and the curse is tied to the sins of man. In the second unit the blessing and the laws of food follow the Hebrew closely, and the interventions gather around bloodshed, where the Aramaic names the killer and his victim in 9:5 and sets the punishment in the hands of judges acting on witnesses in 9:6.
What Onkelos tells us in this aliyah
- “Hashem spoke with Noach” (8:15). The Name stands for Elokim, and Hebrew אֶל after a verb of speaking becomes the ordinary Aramaic עִם.
- “Bring out with you” (8:17). The Af’el אַפֵּיק agrees with both the written and the read Hebrew form: Noach is to take the creatures out.
- “Let them breed” (8:17). וְיִתְיַלְּדוּן, from ילד, replaces the image of swarming with the plain idea of reproduction.
- “According to their families” (8:19). לְזַרְעֲיָתְהוֹן, from the root זרע, thinks of the families as lines of descent.
- “Before Hashem” (8:20). קֳדָם ה׳ for “to Hashem” suggests a reverent distance in speaking of what is offered to God.
- “Accepted his offering with favour” (8:21). וְקַבִּיל ה׳ בְּרַעֲוָא יָת replaces God’s smelling of the fragrance, and identifies the fragrance as the offering of 8:20.
- “In His Memra” (8:21). בְּמֵימְרֵהּ takes the place of “to His heart”; a heart is not ascribed to God.
- “Because of the sins of man” (8:21). The added word may indicate that the curse is a response to human wrongdoing, not to humanity as such.
- “Will be delivered” (9:2). The printed text’s future יְהוֹן מְסִירִין for the Hebrew past may present dominion over the animals as taking effect from now on; the Yemenite text has a present participle.
- “A man who spills the blood of his brother” (9:5). גְבַר דְיֵשׁוֹד יָת דְמָא דַאֲחוֹהִי makes the man the killer and the brother the victim, which the bare Hebrew leaves to be inferred.
- “With witnesses, by the word of the judges” (9:6). בְּסַעֲדִין עַל מֵימַר דַיָנַיָא suggests that “through man” was read as human judicial process rather than private vengeance.
- “Be born” (9:7). אִתְיְלִידוּ for “swarm” may suggest a wish not to apply the language of teeming creatures to human beings.
Recurring features
- Avoiding physical language about God. Smelling and a heart are not ascribed to God (8:21), and the altar is built before Him rather than to Him (8:20).
- The Name for Elokim. Marked where it occurs, in 8:15, 9:1 and 9:6 (the last in the printed text only).
- Shared verbs that link verses. נפק joins command and fulfilment in the departure from the ark (וּנְפַק in 8:18); פּוּשׁוּ וּסְגוּ renders “be fruitful and multiply” at both ends of the second unit (9:1, 9:7); and the verb of spilling, דְיֵשׁוֹד, links 9:5 and 9:6.
- Wordplay kept in Aramaic terms. “Creeping creature that creeps” keeps its repetition with the root רחש, and “he who spills … shall be spilled” with דְיֵשׁוֹד and יִתְּשָׁד.
- One word for the earth. Eretz and adamah are both אַרְעָא throughout the aliyah.
- The relative ד. Onkelos adds the relative particle before a participle where the Hebrew has none, as in “that creeps” (8:17, 8:19) and “all that lives” (8:21).
- Swarming rendered as birth. The root ילד replaces the Hebrew verb of swarming in 8:17 and 9:7.
Aliyah takeaway
For most of this aliyah Onkelos is a close, literal guide to the Hebrew, and its departures are therefore easy to see. They fall in two places: where the text speaks of God, and where it speaks of guilt and bloodshed. At the altar the Aramaic speaks of acceptance, presence and Memra instead of smell and heart, and names sin as the cause of the curse; at the law of blood it names the killer and sets his punishment in the hands of witnesses and judges. Read together, the changes suggest a translation concerned both with reverent speech about God and with making plain what the Hebrew leaves implicit.
Aramaic word list for the aliyah
| Aramaic | Transliteration | Meaning | Hebrew in the verse |
|---|---|---|---|
| וּמַלִּיל | u-malil | spoke | וַיְדַבֵּר |
| עִם | im | with | אֶל |
| לְמֵימָר | le-meimar | saying | לֵאמֹר |
| פּוּק | puk | depart | צֵא |
| תֵּבוֹתָא | tevota | the ark | הַתֵּבָה |
| וְאִתְּתָךְ | ve-itetakh | and your wife | וְאִשְׁתְּךָ |
| עִמָךְ | imakh | with you | אִתָּךְ |
| חַיְתָא | hayta | living thing | הַחַיָּה |
| רִחֲשָׁא | rihasha | creeping creature | הָרֶמֶשׂ |
| אַפֵּיק | apeik | bring out | — |
| וְיִתְיַלְּדוּן | ve-yityaldun | and let them breed | וְשָׁרְצוּ |
| וְיִפְּשׁוּן | ve-yipeshun | and be fruitful | וּפָרוּ |
| וְיִסְגּוּן | ve-yisgun | and multiply | וְרָבוּ |
| וּנְפַק | u-nefak | departed | וַיֵּצֵא |
| וּבְנוֹהִי | u-venohi | his sons | וּבָנָיו |
| וְאִתְּתֵהּ | ve-itteteh | his wife | וְאִשְׁתּוֹ |
| עִמֵּהּ | immeh | with him | אִתּוֹ |
| דְּרָחֵשׁ | de-rahesh | that creeps | רוֹמֵשׂ |
| לְזַרְעֲיָתְהוֹן | le-zarayathon | according to their families | לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתֵיהֶם |
| נְפָקוּ | nefaku | departed | יָצְאוּ |
| מַדְבְּחָא | madbeha | an altar | מִזְבֵּחַ |
| קֳדָם | kodam | before | לַה׳ |
| דַּכְיָא | dakhya | clean | הַטְּהֹרָה |
| וְאַסֵּיק | ve-aseik | and brought up | וַיַּעַל |
| עֲלָוָן | alavan | burnt-offerings | עֹלֹת |
| בְּמֵימְרֵהּ | be-meimreh | in His Memra (His word) | לִבּוֹ |
| מִזְעִירֵהּ | mi-ze’ireh | from his youth | מִנְּעֻרָיו |
| יִבְטְּלוּן | yivtelun | will be suspended | יִשְׁבֹּתוּ |
| פּוּשׁוּ | pushu | be fruitful | פְּרוּ |
| וּסְגוּ | u-segu | and multiply | וּרְבוּ |
| וּמְלוּ | u-melu | and fill | וּמִלְאוּ |
| וְדַחֲלַתְכוֹן | ve-dahalatkhon | your fear | וּמוֹרַאֲכֶם |
| וְאֵימַתְכוֹן | ve-eimatkhon | and terror | וְחִתְּכֶם |
| תַרְחֵישׁ | tarhesh | creeps | תִּרְמֹשׂ |
| מְסִירִין | mesirin | delivered | נִתָּנוּ |
| לְמֵיכָל | le-meikhal | to eat | לְאׇכְלָה |
| יְהָבִית | yehavit | I have given | נָתַתִּי |
| בְּרַם | beram | nevertheless | אַךְ |
| אֶתְבַּע | etba | I will demand | אֶדְרֹשׁ |
| אֶתְבְּעִנֵהּ | etbe’ineh | will I demand it | אֶדְרְשֶׁנּוּ |
| אֱנָשָׁא | enasha | man | הָאָדָם |
| גְבַר | gevar | a man | אִישׁ |
| דְיֵשׁוֹד | de-yeshod | who spills | — |
| יִתְּשָׁד | yitteshad | shall be spilled | יִשָּׁפֵךְ |
| אִתְיְלִידוּ | ityelidu | be born | שִׁרְצוּ |
Source note
Aliyah boundary. Bereshit 8:15 – 9:7, following the aliyah divisions in Sefaria’s index of Bereshit (the next aliyah begins at Bereshit 9:8).
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.
← Third Aliyah | Fifth Aliyah →
Back to Parashat Noach · Torah with Onkelos