# Torah with Onkelos
## Parashat Noach — Sixth Aliyah
### Bereshit 9:18 – 10:32
*Noach's vineyard, the curse of Canaan and the table of nations, read through Targum Onkelos*
---
## Contents
- [Orientation](#orientation)
- [How this booklet is laid out](#layout)
- [Unit 1 — Bereshit 9:18–23: Noach's vineyard and the covering of his nakedness](#unit-1)
- [Unit 2 — Bereshit 9:24–29: Noach's curse and blessings, and his death](#unit-2)
- [Unit 3 — Bereshit 10:1–7: The sons of Noach: Yafes and Cham](#unit-3)
- [Unit 4 — Bereshit 10:8–14: Nimrod's kingdom and the families of Mitzraim](#unit-4)
- [Unit 5 — Bereshit 10:15–20: The sons of Canaan and the borders of their land](#unit-5)
- [Unit 6 — Bereshit 10:21–26: The line of Sheim, from Aram to Yaktan](#unit-6)
- [Unit 7 — Bereshit 10:27–32: The sons of Yaktan, and the close of the table of nations](#unit-7)
- [Conclusion of the aliyah](#conclusion)
- [Aramaic word list for the aliyah](#glossary)
- [Source note](#source-note)
---
## Orientation
**What happens in this aliyah.** The aliyah opens with the three sons of Noach, named as the ancestors of the whole world. Noach plants a vineyard, drinks and uncovers himself in his tent; Cham sees his father's nakedness and tells his brothers, and Sheim and Yafes walk backwards with a cloak to cover him. Waking, Noach curses Canaan and blesses Hashem as the God of Sheim and Yafes with enlargement, and the Torah records his years and his death. Chapter 10 then sets out the descendants of Noach's sons: the line of Yafes, spreading out among the islands of the nations; the line of Cham, with Nimrod's kingdom in Bavel, Asshur's cities, the peoples of Mitzraim and the sons and borders of Canaan; and the line of Sheim through Eiver to Peleg and Yaktan. It closes with the summary of all the families from whom the nations were separated on the earth after the Flood.
**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.**
- **The blessing of Yafes (9:27).** Onkelos puts Hashem for Elokim, keeps the pun of *yaftei* and *Yefet*, and makes "His Shekhinah" the one who dwells in the tent of Sheim.
- **The curse of Canaan (9:25-27).** In the printed text "a slave of slaves" becomes "a slave serving slaves", and the ambiguous *lamo* is twice rendered with the plural *le-hon*, "to them".
- **Nimrod without the hunt (10:8-9).** *Gibbor tzayid*, "a mighty hunter", becomes *gibbar takkif*, "a mighty man", and the image of hunting disappears.
- **Names updated for the reader.** Shinar becomes "the land of Babylon" (10:10), the Kaphtorim become the *Kapputka'ei* (10:14) and the Sinite becomes the Antosites (10:17).
- **Peoples as plurals.** Hebrew names of peoples, whether plurals in -im or singular gentilics with the article, appear in the printed Aramaic as gentilic plurals in -a'ei.
- **Standard Aramaic vocabulary for the genealogy.** *Olid* for *yalad*, *tofana* for the Flood, *zar'ayat* for "families", *amemaya* for *goyim* and *matei*, "reaching", for the idiom "as you come".
- **Variants that change the picture.** Several points in the printed text are not shared by the Yemenite text; the textual notes mark where they occur.
---
## 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 9:18–23: Noach's vineyard and the covering of his nakedness
The three sons of Noach are named as the ancestors of the whole world. Noach plants a vineyard and becomes drunk; Cham sees his father's nakedness and tells his brothers, and Sheim and Yafes cover him without looking.
---
### Bereshit 9:18
**Torah**
וַיִּֽהְי֣וּ בְנֵי־נֹ֗חַ הַיֹּֽצְאִים֙ מִן־הַתֵּבָ֔ה שֵׁ֖ם וְחָ֣ם וָיָ֑פֶת וְחָ֕ם ה֖וּא אֲבִ֥י כְנָֽעַן׃
**Translation**
The sons of Noach, who went out of the ark were Sheim, Yafes and Cham; Cham was the father of Canaan.
**Onkelos**
וַהֲווֹ בְנֵי נֹחַ דִּי נְפָקוּ מִן תֵּבוֹתָא שֵׁם וְחָם וָיָפֶת וְחָם הוּא אֲבוּהִי דִכְנָעַן
**Onkelos in English**
The sons of Noach who went out of the ark were Sheim, Cham and Yafes; and Cham was the father of Canaan.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Who went out".** The Hebrew describes the sons with a participle and article, *ha-yotze'im*, "the ones going out". Onkelos turns this into a relative clause with a past-tense verb, *di nefaku*, "who went out".
- **"The father of Canaan".** For the Hebrew construct *avi khena'an* Onkelos writes *avuhi di-khna'an*, literally "his father, of Canaan". This analytic genitive with *di* is ordinary Aramaic and does not change the meaning; the same construction recurs in 9:22.
**Words to note:** נְפָקוּ *nefaku* — went out (הַיֹּצְאִים) · תֵּבוֹתָא *tevota* — the ark (הַתֵּבָה) · אֲבוּהִי *avuhi* — the father (אֲבִי)
---
### Bereshit 9:19
**Torah**
שְׁלֹשָׁ֥ה אֵ֖לֶּה בְּנֵי־נֹ֑חַ וּמֵאֵ֖לֶּה נָֽפְצָ֥ה כׇל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
**Translation**
These three were the sons of Noach, and from these, the whole world developed.
**Onkelos**
תְּלָתָא אִלֵּין בְּנֵי נֹחַ וּמֵאִלֵּין אִתְבַּדָּרוּ כָּל אַרְעָא
**Onkelos in English**
These three were the sons of Noach, and from these the whole world were dispersed.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Were dispersed".** The Hebrew verb *nafetzah* is singular and feminine, agreeing with *ha-aretz*, "the world". Onkelos uses the plural reflexive *itbaddaru*, "were dispersed", with *kol ar'a*. The plural may indicate that he understood "the whole world" as the people of the world, who spread out from Noach's three sons.
- **"The world".** Hebrew *ha-aretz* is rendered *ar'a*, the same word Onkelos uses for *ha-adamah* in the next verse.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads *be-khol ar'a* (בְּכָל אַרְעָא), "over the whole world". There the world is the place over which the people were dispersed, not the subject of the verb; the point about a plural verb with "the whole world" as its subject holds for the printed text only.
**Words to note:** אִלֵּין *illein* — these (אֵלֶּה) · אִתְבַּדָּרוּ *itbaddaru* — were dispersed (נָפְצָה) · אַרְעָא *ar'a* — world (הָאָרֶץ)
---
### Bereshit 9:20
**Torah**
וַיָּ֥חֶל נֹ֖חַ אִ֣ישׁ הָֽאֲדָמָ֑ה וַיִּטַּ֖ע כָּֽרֶם׃
**Translation**
Noach began to be a man of the soil and he planted a vineyard.
**Onkelos**
וְשָׁרִי נֹחַ גְּבַר פָּלַח בְּאַרְעָא וּנְצִיב כַּרְמָא
**Onkelos in English**
Noach began [to be] a man working the soil, and he planted a vineyard.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Began".** The Hebrew *va-yahel* is a homograph: from the root חלל it can mean "he began" or "he profaned". Onkelos's *ve-shari* means only "began", so the Aramaic carries one sense of the Hebrew word.
- **"A man working the soil".** For the construct phrase *ish ha-adamah*, "a man of the soil", Onkelos writes *gevar palah be-ar'a*, literally "a man working in the soil". The Hebrew names Noach by his connection to the land; the Aramaic spells it out as an occupation.
- **One Aramaic word for two Hebrew words.** *Ar'a* here renders *adamah*, while in 9:19 it renders *eretz*. The Aramaic does not keep the Hebrew distinction between the two words.
**Words to note:** וְשָׁרִי *ve-shari* — began (וַיָּחֶל) · גְּבַר *gevar* — a man (אִישׁ) · פָּלַח *palah* — working · וּנְצִיב *u-netziv* — and he planted (וַיִּטַּע) · כַּרְמָא *karma* — a vineyard (כָּרֶם)
---
### Bereshit 9:21
**Torah**
וַיֵּ֥שְׁתְּ מִן־הַיַּ֖יִן וַיִּשְׁכָּ֑ר וַיִּתְגַּ֖ל בְּת֥וֹךְ אׇהֳלֹֽה׃
**Translation**
He drank of the wine and was intoxicated. He [then] uncovered himself in his tent.
**Onkelos**
וּשְׁתִי מִן חַמְרָא וּרְוִי וְאִתְגְּלִי בְּגוֹ מַשְׁכְּנֵהּ
**Onkelos in English**
He drank of the wine and was intoxicated, and he uncovered himself in his tent.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **A literal rendering.** Each Hebrew word has its Aramaic equivalent, and the reflexive *va-yitgal*, "he uncovered himself", is matched by the reflexive *ve-itgeli*. The vocabulary is the ordinary Aramaic: *hamra* for *yayin*, "wine"; *be-go*, "within", for *be-tokh*; and *mashkena* for *ohel*, "tent".
- **"Was intoxicated".** For *va-yishkar* (root שכר) Onkelos writes *u-revi*, from a root meaning "to be saturated, to drink one's fill". The sense is the same, though the Aramaic word is perhaps less blunt than the Hebrew.
**Words to note:** חַמְרָא *hamra* — the wine (הַיַּיִן) · וּרְוִי *u-revi* — and was intoxicated (וַיִּשְׁכָּר) · וְאִתְגְּלִי *ve-itgeli* — and he uncovered himself (וַיִּתְגַּל) · מַשְׁכְּנֵהּ *mashkeneh* — his tent (אׇהֳלֹה)
---
### Bereshit 9:22
**Torah**
וַיַּ֗רְא חָ֚ם אֲבִ֣י כְנַ֔עַן אֵ֖ת עֶרְוַ֣ת אָבִ֑יו וַיַּגֵּ֥ד לִשְׁנֵֽי־אֶחָ֖יו בַּחֽוּץ׃
**Translation**
Cham the father of Canaan saw the nakedness of his father, and told it to his brothers [who were] Outside.
**Onkelos**
וַחֲזָא חָם אֲבוּהִי דִּכְנַעַן יָת עֶרְיְתָא דַּאֲבוּהִי וְחַוֵּי לִתְרֵין אֲחוֹהִי בְּשׁוּקָא
**Onkelos in English**
Cham the father of Canaan saw the nakedness of his father, and told [it] to his two brothers in the street.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"The father of Canaan ... the nakedness of his father".** Both Hebrew construct phrases, *avi khena'an* and *ervat aviv*, become analytic genitives with *di*: *avuhi di-khna'an* and *ervata da-avuhi*.
- **"His two brothers".** The Hebrew *li-shnei ehav* has the number "two", and Onkelos keeps it: *li-trein ahohi*.
- **"In the street".** For the Hebrew *ba-hutz*, "outside", Onkelos writes *be-shuka*, "in the street" or "in the marketplace". The concrete word may suggest that Cham spread the matter in public, though the Aramaic may simply be using a common equivalent for "outside".
**Words to note:** עֶרְיְתָא *ervata* — the nakedness (עֶרְוַת) · וְחַוֵּי *ve-havei* — and told (וַיַּגֵּד) · לִתְרֵין *li-trein* — to two (לִשְׁנֵי) · בְּשׁוּקָא *be-shuka* — in the street (בַּחוּץ)
---
### Bereshit 9:23
**Torah**
וַיִּקַּח֩ שֵׁ֨ם וָיֶ֜פֶת אֶת־הַשִּׂמְלָ֗ה וַיָּשִׂ֙ימוּ֙ עַל־שְׁכֶ֣ם שְׁנֵיהֶ֔ם וַיֵּֽלְכוּ֙ אֲחֹ֣רַנִּ֔ית וַיְכַסּ֕וּ אֵ֖ת עֶרְוַ֣ת אֲבִיהֶ֑ם וּפְנֵיהֶם֙ אֲחֹ֣רַנִּ֔ית וְעֶרְוַ֥ת אֲבִיהֶ֖ם לֹ֥א רָאֽוּ׃
**Translation**
Sheim and Yafes took the cloak, placed it on their shoulders, and walked backwards, covering the nakedness of their father. They faced away from him, and did not see the nakedness of their father.
**Onkelos**
וּנְסֵיב שֵׁם וָיֶפֶת יָת כְּסוּתָא וְשַׁוִּיוּ עַל כְּתַף תַּרְוֵיהוֹן וַאֲזָלוּ מְחַזְרִין וַחֲפִיאוּ יָת עֶרְיְתָא דַּאֲבוּהוֹן וְאַפֵּיהוֹן מְחַזְרִין וְעֶרְיְתָא דַּאֲבוּהוֹן לָא חֲזוֹ
**Onkelos in English**
Sheim and Yafes took the cloak and placed [it] on the shoulder of the two of them, and walked turning back, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces [were] turned back, and the nakedness of their father they did not see.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Sheim and Yafes took".** The Hebrew opens with a singular verb, *va-yikkah*, before the two names, and Onkelos keeps the singular: *u-nesiv*. The following verbs are plural in both texts.
- **"On the shoulder of the two of them".** Onkelos follows the Hebrew *al shekhem sheneihem* word for word, *al ketaf tarveihon*, with a singular "shoulder".
- **"Turning back".** The Hebrew adverb *ahorannit*, "backwards", occurs twice. Onkelos renders it both times with the plural participle *mehazrin*, "turning back" (root חזר): the brothers "walked turning back", and "their faces [were] turned back". The second phrase has no verb in either language.
- **"The cloak ... and covered".** In the Hebrew the cloak is *ha-simlah* and the verb "covered" is *va-yekhassu*. Onkelos calls the cloak *kesuta*, a noun from the same root as the Hebrew verb, but renders the verb with *va-hafi'u*, from a different root (חפי).
- **Textual note.** For *va-hafi'u* the Yemenite text reads *ve-khassiu* (וְכַסִּיאוּ), "and they covered", from the same root as *kesuta*. In that text the noun and the verb share a root, as the Hebrew verb and the Aramaic noun do; the point about two different roots holds for the printed text only.
**Words to note:** וּנְסֵיב *u-nesiv* — took (וַיִּקַּח) · כְּסוּתָא *kesuta* — the cloak (הַשִּׂמְלָה) · כְּתַף *ketaf* — the shoulder (שְׁכֶם) · תַּרְוֵיהוֹן *tarveihon* — the two of them (שְׁנֵיהֶם) · מְחַזְרִין *mehazrin* — turning back (אֲחֹרַנִּית) · וַחֲפִיאוּ *va-hafi'u* — and covered (וַיְכַסּוּ)
---
### Unit 1 summary
Onkelos follows the Hebrew closely here, and most of his changes are matters of Aramaic idiom: the participle 'the ones going out' becomes a relative clause, construct chains such as 'father of Canaan' and 'nakedness of his father' become the analytic genitive with di, and familiar Aramaic words replace Hebrew ones (hamra for wine, mashkena for tent, ar'a for both eretz and adamah). A few renderings go further. The singular 'the whole world was scattered' gets a plural verb, perhaps thinking of the world's people; 'a man of the soil' becomes 'a man working the soil'; 'outside' becomes the concrete 'in the street'; and the adverb 'backwards' becomes the participle 'turning back', used twice. In the printed text the brothers 'cover' (hafi'u) their father with a verb from a different root from the 'cloak' (kesuta), whereas the Yemenite text uses one root for both.
---
## Unit 2 — Bereshit 9:24–29: Noach's curse and blessings, and his death
Noach wakes, learns what his youngest son did, curses Canaan and blesses Hashem as the God of Sheim and Yafes with enlargement. The aliyah's chunk closes with Noach's years and his death.
---
### Bereshit 9:24
**Torah**
וַיִּ֥יקֶץ נֹ֖חַ מִיֵּינ֑וֹ וַיֵּ֕דַע אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־עָ֥שָׂה ל֖וֹ בְּנ֥וֹ הַקָּטָֽן׃
**Translation**
Noach awoke from his wine [induced sleep] and he realized what had been done to him by his youngest son.
**Onkelos**
וְאִתְּעַר נֹחַ מֵחַמְרֵהּ וִידַע יָת דִּי עֲבַד לֵהּ בְּרֵהּ זְעֵירָא
**Onkelos in English**
Noach awoke from his wine, and he realized what his youngest son had done to him.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **A literal rendering.** *Ve-itte'ar*, "awoke", renders *va-yiketz*, and *me-hamreh*, "from his wine", uses the same word for wine as 9:21. The active clause of the Hebrew, "what his youngest son had done to him", is kept as an active clause with *di avad leh*.
- **"His youngest son".** *Bereh ze'eira* renders *beno ha-katan*. Like the Hebrew *katan*, *ze'eira* means "small" and is the ordinary word for the youngest.
**Words to note:** וְאִתְּעַר *ve-itte'ar* — awoke (וַיִּיקֶץ) · מֵחַמְרֵהּ *me-hamreh* — from his wine (מִיֵּינוֹ) · וִידַע *vi-da* — and he realized (וַיֵּדַע) · בְּרֵהּ *bereh* — his son (בְּנוֹ) · זְעֵירָא *ze'eira* — youngest (הַקָּטָן)
---
### Bereshit 9:25
**Torah**
וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אָר֣וּר כְּנָ֑עַן עֶ֥בֶד עֲבָדִ֖ים יִֽהְיֶ֥ה לְאֶחָֽיו׃
**Translation**
He said, Cursed is Canaan. A slave of slaves shall he be to his brothers.
**Onkelos**
וַאֲמַר לִיט כְּנַעַן עֲבַד פְּלַח עַבְדִין יְהֵי לַאֲחוֹהִי
**Onkelos in English**
He said, Cursed is Canaan. A slave serving slaves shall he be to his brothers.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Cursed".** *Lit*, a passive participle, renders the Hebrew passive participle *arur*.
- **"A slave serving slaves".** The Hebrew *eved avadim*, "a slave of slaves", is a construct phrase that may be read as a superlative, "the lowest of slaves". Onkelos keeps both nouns, *avad ... avdin*, and adds between them the participle *pelah*, "serving". This may indicate that he read the phrase literally, as a slave who serves other slaves.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text lacks *avdin*, "slaves", and reads *eved palah yehei* (עֶבֶד פָּלַח יְהֵי), "a serving slave shall he be". There the Hebrew doubling is rendered by a noun and participle together, perhaps as an intensive; the reading "a slave serving slaves" holds for the printed text only.
**Words to note:** לִיט *lit* — cursed (אָרוּר) · עֲבַד *avad* — a slave (עֶבֶד) · פְּלַח *pelah* — serving · עַבְדִין *avdin* — slaves (עֲבָדִים) · יְהֵי *yehei* — shall he be (יִהְיֶה)
---
### Bereshit 9:26
**Torah**
וַיֹּ֕אמֶר בָּר֥וּךְ ה׳ אֱלֹ֣קֵי שֵׁ֑ם וִיהִ֥י כְנַ֖עַן עֶ֥בֶד לָֽמוֹ׃
**Translation**
He then said, Blessed is Hashem, God of Sheim; may Canaan be his slave.
**Onkelos**
וַאֲמַר בְּרִיךְ ה׳ אֱלָהֵהּ דְּשֵׁם וִיהֵי כְנַעַן עַבְדָא לְהוֹן
**Onkelos in English**
He then said, Blessed is Hashem, God of Sheim; may Canaan be their slave.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"God of Sheim".** The Hebrew construct is again expressed as an analytic genitive, literally "his God, of Sheim", with the particle *di* before the name.
- **"Their slave".** The Hebrew *lamo* is ambiguous: it can mean "to him" or "to them". Onkelos writes the plural *le-hon*, "to them", which may indicate that he took it to refer to Sheim's descendants, or to Sheim and Yafes together.
**Words to note:** בְּרִיךְ *berikh* — blessed (בָּרוּךְ) · וִיהֵי *vi-hei* — may ... be (וִיהִי) · עַבְדָא *avda* — slave (עֶבֶד) · לְהוֹן *le-hon* — their (lit. to them) (לָמוֹ)
---
### Bereshit 9:27
**Torah**
יַ֤פְתְּ אֱלֹקִים֙ לְיֶ֔פֶת וְיִשְׁכֹּ֖ן בְּאׇֽהֳלֵי־שֵׁ֑ם וִיהִ֥י כְנַ֖עַן עֶ֥בֶד לָֽמוֹ׃
**Translation**
God will enlarge Yefes, but He will dwell in the tents of Sheim, and Canaan will be their slave.
**Onkelos**
יַפְתֵּי ה׳ לְיֶפֶת וְיִשְׁרֵי שְׁכִינְתֵּהּ בְּמַשְׁכְּנֵהּ דְּשֵׁם וִיהֵי כְנַעַן עַבְדָא לְהוֹן
**Onkelos in English**
Hashem will enlarge Yefes, and His Shekhinah will dwell in the tent of Sheim, and Canaan will be their slave.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Hashem will enlarge".** Where the Hebrew has *Elokim*, Onkelos has the Name, rendered Hashem.
- **Wordplay kept.** The Hebrew blessing plays on *yaft*, "will enlarge", and the name *Yefet*. The Aramaic *yaftei* has the same consonants פת, so the pun survives the translation.
- **"His Shekhinah will dwell".** The Hebrew *ve-yishkon*, "and he will dwell", leaves its subject open: it may be God or Yefet. Onkelos makes the subject *shekhinteh*, "His Shekhinah", the Divine Presence. This resolves the ambiguity in favour of God, and may also reflect a reluctance to say that God Himself dwells in a tent.
- **"In the tent of Sheim".** The Hebrew has the plural *be-oholei Shem*, "in the tents of Sheim". The printed Aramaic has the singular with a suffix, *be-mashkeneh di-Shem*, literally "in his tent, of Sheim".
- **"Their slave".** As in 9:26, *lamo* is rendered with the plural *le-hon*.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text vocalizes the verb *ve-yashrei* (וְיַשְׁרֵי), a causative form: "and He will cause His Shekhinah to dwell". In that reading Hashem is the subject and the Shekhinah the object; the rendering "His Shekhinah will dwell" holds for the printed vocalization only.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads *be-mashkenei Shem* (בְּמַשְׁכְּנֵי שֵׁם), "in the tents of Sheim", a plural construct that matches the Hebrew. The singular "his tent" belongs to the printed text only.
**Words to note:** יַפְתֵּי *yaftei* — will enlarge (יַפְתְּ) · וְיִשְׁרֵי *ve-yishrei* — will dwell (וְיִשְׁכֹּן) · שְׁכִינְתֵּהּ *shekhinteh* — His Shekhinah · בְּמַשְׁכְּנֵהּ *be-mashkeneh* — in his tent (בְּאׇהֳלֵי)
---
### Bereshit 9:28
**Torah**
וַֽיְחִי־נֹ֖חַ אַחַ֣ר הַמַּבּ֑וּל שְׁלֹ֤שׁ מֵאוֹת֙ שָׁנָ֔ה וַֽחֲמִשִּׁ֖ים שָׁנָֽה׃
**Translation**
After the Flood, Noach lived three hundred and fifty years.
**Onkelos**
וַחֲיָא נֹחַ בָּתַר טוֹפָנָא תְּלַת מְאָה וְחַמְשִׁין שְׁנִין
**Onkelos in English**
Noach lived after the Flood three hundred and fifty years.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **A literal rendering, with one simplification.** *Tofana* is Onkelos's word for *ha-mabbul*, "the Flood". The Hebrew gives the number as "three hundred year and fifty year", with *shanah* twice; Onkelos names the years only once, at the end: *telat me'ah ve-hamshin shenin*.
**Words to note:** וַחֲיָא *va-haya* — lived (וַיְחִי) · בָּתַר *batar* — after (אַחַר) · טוֹפָנָא *tofana* — the Flood (הַמַּבּוּל) · שְׁנִין *shenin* — years
---
### Bereshit 9:29
**Torah**
וַיִּֽהְיוּ֙ כׇּל־יְמֵי־נֹ֔חַ תְּשַׁ֤ע מֵאוֹת֙ שָׁנָ֔ה וַחֲמִשִּׁ֖ים שָׁנָ֑ה וַיָּמֹֽת׃ {פ}
*Note in the Masoretic edition:* (בספרי ספרד ואשכנז וַֽיְהִי֙)
**Translation**
All the days of Noach totaled nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.
**Onkelos**
וַהֲווֹ כָל יוֹמֵי נֹחַ תְּשַׁע מְאָה וְחַמְשִׁין שְׁנִין וּמִית
**Onkelos in English**
All the days of Noach totaled nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **A literal rendering, with the same simplification as 9:28.** The Hebrew again has *shanah* twice, after the hundreds and after the tens; Onkelos has *shenin* once, at the end.
**Words to note:** יוֹמֵי *yomei* — the days (יְמֵי) · וּמִית *u-mit* — and he died (וַיָּמֹת)
---
### Unit 2 summary
The curse and blessings are where Onkelos departs most from the Hebrew. In the printed text the idiom 'a slave of slaves' becomes 'a slave serving slaves', though the Yemenite text lacks 'of slaves'. The ambiguous lamo is twice rendered with the plural 'to them'. In the blessing of Yafes, Onkelos puts Hashem for Elokim, keeps the pun of yaftei and Yefet, and resolves the open subject of 'he will dwell' by making the Shekhinah the one who dwells, which may reflect a reluctance to say that God Himself dwells in a tent; the printed text also has a singular 'tent' where the Hebrew and the Yemenite text have the plural. The closing verses on Noach's life are literal, except that the Hebrew's repeated 'year' is given only once in each total.
---
## Unit 3 — Bereshit 10:1–7: The sons of Noach: Yafes and Cham
The genealogy of the nations begins: the line of Yafes, whose descendants spread out among the islands of the nations, and the first generations of the line of Cham.
---
### Bereshit 10:1
**Torah**
וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ תּוֹלְדֹ֣ת בְּנֵי־נֹ֔חַ שֵׁ֖ם חָ֣ם וָיָ֑פֶת וַיִּוָּלְד֥וּ לָהֶ֛ם בָּנִ֖ים אַחַ֥ר הַמַּבּֽוּל׃
**Translation**
These are the histories of Noach's sons, Sheim, Cham and Yafes. Children were born to them after the Flood.
**Onkelos**
וְאִלֵּין תּוּלְדַת בְּנֵי נֹחַ שֵׁם חָם וָיָפֶת וְאִתְיְלִידוּ לְהוֹן בְּנִין בָּתַר טוֹפָנָא
**Onkelos in English**
These are the histories of Noach's sons, Sheim, Cham and Yafes. Children were born to them after the Flood.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Children were born to them".** A literal rendering. The Hebrew passive וַיִּוָּלְדוּ is matched by the Aramaic passive-reflexive וְאִתְיְלִידוּ (ityelidu), and וְאֵלֶּה by וְאִלֵּין (illein), "these".
- **"After the Flood".** For הַמַּבּוּל Onkelos uses טוֹפָנָא (tofana), and for אַחַר, "after", בָּתַר (batar).
**Words to note:** וְאִלֵּין *ve-illein* — these (וְאֵלֶּה) · תּוּלְדַת *tuledat* — histories (תּוֹלְדֹת) · וְאִתְיְלִידוּ *ve-ityelidu* — were born (וַיִּוָּלְדוּ) · בָּתַר *batar* — after (אַחַר) · טוֹפָנָא *tofana* — the Flood (הַמַּבּוּל)
---
### Bereshit 10:2
**Torah**
בְּנֵ֣י יֶ֔פֶת גֹּ֣מֶר וּמָג֔וֹג וּמָדַ֖י וְיָוָ֣ן וְתֻבָ֑ל וּמֶ֖שֶׁךְ וְתִירָֽס׃
**Translation**
The sons of Yafes were: Gomer, Magog, Modai, Yavan, Tuval, Meshech, and Tiras.
**Onkelos**
בְּנֵי יֶפֶת גּוֹמֶר וּמָגוֹג וּמָדַי וְיָוָן וְתוּבָל וּמֶשֶׁךְ וְתִירָס
**Onkelos in English**
The sons of Yafes were: Gomer, Magog, Modai, Yavan, Tuval, Meshech, and Tiras.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Gomer, Magog, Modai, Yavan, Tuval, Meshech, and Tiras".** A literal rendering. All seven names are carried over, each with its conjunction as in the Hebrew; the only changes are fuller spellings, such as גּוֹמֶר for גֹּמֶר.
**Words to note:** בְּנֵי *benei* — the sons of (בְּנֵי)
---
### Bereshit 10:3
**Torah**
וּבְנֵ֖י גֹּ֑מֶר אַשְׁכְּנַ֥ז וְרִיפַ֖ת וְתֹגַרְמָֽה׃
**Translation**
The sons of Gomer were: Ashkenaz, Riphas and Togarmah.
**Onkelos**
וּבְנֵי גּוֹמֶר אַשְׁכְּנַז וְרִיפַת וְתוֹגַרְמָה
**Onkelos in English**
The sons of Gomer were: Ashkenaz, Riphas and Togarmah.
**What Onkelos tells us**
**"Ashkenaz, Riphas and Togarmah".** A literal rendering; the names are kept, with the fuller spelling וְתוֹגַרְמָה for וְתֹגַרְמָה.
---
### Bereshit 10:4
**Torah**
וּבְנֵ֥י יָוָ֖ן אֱלִישָׁ֣ה וְתַרְשִׁ֑ישׁ כִּתִּ֖ים וְדֹדָנִֽים׃
**Translation**
The sons of Yavan were: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim.
**Onkelos**
וּבְנֵי יָוָן אֱלִישָׁה וְתַרְשִׁישׁ כִּתִּים וְדֹדָנִים
**Onkelos in English**
The sons of Yavan were: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim.
**What Onkelos tells us**
**"Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim".** A literal rendering. The Hebrew has no "and" before כִּתִּים, and Onkelos follows it exactly: וְתַרְשִׁישׁ כִּתִּים וְדֹדָנִים.
---
### Bereshit 10:5
**Torah**
מֵ֠אֵ֠לֶּה נִפְרְד֞וּ אִיֵּ֤י הַגּוֹיִם֙ בְּאַרְצֹתָ֔ם אִ֖ישׁ לִלְשֹׁנ֑וֹ לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֖ם בְּגוֹיֵהֶֽם׃
**Translation**
From these the nations were separated into islands, [set apart] in their own lands, each to its language, according to their families in their nations.
**Onkelos**
מֵאִלֵּין אִתַּפְרָשׁוּ נַגְוַת עַמְמַיָּא בְּאַרְעֲהוֹן גְּבַר לְלִישָׁנֵהּ לְזַרְעֲיָתְהוֹן בְּעַמְמֵיהוֹן
**Onkelos in English**
From these the nations were separated into islands, in their land, each to its language, according to their families in their nations.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Were separated".** The Hebrew נִפְרְדוּ is from the root פרד; Onkelos uses a different root, פרש, in אִתַּפְרָשׁוּ (ittafrashu). Both are passive-reflexive forms.
- **"Islands" and "nations".** For אִיֵּי Onkelos has נַגְוַת (nagvat), the Aramaic word for islands or coastlands, in the same construct phrase as the Hebrew. Both Hebrew words for "nations", הַגּוֹיִם and בְּגוֹיֵהֶם, are rendered from one Aramaic noun: עַמְמַיָּא (amemaya) and בְּעַמְמֵיהוֹן (be-amemehon).
- **"In their land".** The Hebrew בְּאַרְצֹתָם is plural, "in their lands". The printed בְּאַרְעֲהוֹן appears to be the singular form, "in their land", perhaps treating each nation's territory collectively.
- **"Each to its language".** A literal rendering: גְּבַר (gevar), "man", stands for אִישׁ in the sense "each", and לְלִישָׁנֵהּ for לִלְשֹׁנוֹ.
- **"According to their families".** For לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם Onkelos has לְזַרְעֲיָתְהוֹן (le-zar'ayathon), a word related to the root זרע, "seed"; it may present the families as lines of descent.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads בְּאַרְעָתְהוֹן (be-ar'athon), the plural "in their lands", matching the Hebrew. The singular discussed in the notes belongs to the printed text only.
**Words to note:** אִתַּפְרָשׁוּ *ittafrashu* — were separated (נִפְרְדוּ) · נַגְוַת *nagvat* — islands (of) (אִיֵּי) · עַמְמַיָּא *amemaya* — the nations (הַגּוֹיִם) · בְּאַרְעֲהוֹן *be-arahon* — in their land (בְּאַרְצֹתָם) · גְּבַר *gevar* — each (literally "man") (אִישׁ) · לְזַרְעֲיָתְהוֹן *le-zar'ayathon* — according to their families (לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם)
---
### Bereshit 10:6
**Torah**
וּבְנֵ֖י חָ֑ם כּ֥וּשׁ וּמִצְרַ֖יִם וּפ֥וּט וּכְנָֽעַן׃
**Translation**
The sons of Cham were: Cush, Mitzraim, Put and Canaan.
**Onkelos**
וּבְנֵי חָם כּוּשׁ וּמִצְרַיִם וּפוּט וּכְנָעַן
**Onkelos in English**
The sons of Cham were: Cush, Mitzraim, Put and Canaan.
**What Onkelos tells us**
**"Cush, Mitzraim, Put and Canaan".** A literal rendering; the four names are carried over unchanged.
---
### Bereshit 10:7
**Torah**
וּבְנֵ֣י כ֔וּשׁ סְבָא֙ וַֽחֲוִילָ֔ה וְסַבְתָּ֥ה וְרַעְמָ֖ה וְסַבְתְּכָ֑א וּבְנֵ֥י רַעְמָ֖ה שְׁבָ֥א וּדְדָֽן׃
**Translation**
The sons of Cush were: Seva, Chavilah, Savtah, Raamah, and Savtecha. The sons of Raamah were: Sheva and Dedan.
**Onkelos**
וּבְנֵי כוּשׁ סְבָא וַחֲוִילָה וְסַבְתָּה וְרַעְמָה וְסַבְתְּכָא וּבְנֵי רַעְמָה שְׁבָא וּדְדָן
**Onkelos in English**
The sons of Cush were: Seva, Chavilah, Savtah, Raamah, and Savtecha. The sons of Raamah were: Sheva and Dedan.
**What Onkelos tells us**
**"Seva ... Sheva".** A literal rendering. Onkelos keeps the two similar names apart exactly as the Hebrew does: סְבָא with ס for סְבָא, and שְׁבָא with ש for שְׁבָא.
---
### Unit 3 summary
Through this list of names Onkelos stays almost word for word with the Hebrew. The names are carried over unchanged, with only fuller spellings, and even the missing "and" before Kittim in 10:4 is kept. The vocabulary changes are in the narrative verses: tofana for mabbul in 10:1, and in 10:5 a set of standard Aramaic equivalents, nagvat for "islands", amemaya for goyim, the root פרש for the Hebrew פרד, and zar'ayathon, a word related to "seed", for "families". The printed text also appears to read "in their land" in the singular where the Hebrew has the plural; the Yemenite text has the plural.
---
## Unit 4 — Bereshit 10:8–14: Nimrod's kingdom and the families of Mitzraim
Cush fathers Nimrod, whose might becomes proverbial and whose kingdom begins in Bavel and the land of Shinar; Asshur goes out and builds Nineveh and its neighbouring cities; and Mitzraim fathers the peoples from whom the Plishtim descend.
---
### Bereshit 10:8
**Torah**
וְכ֖וּשׁ יָלַ֣ד אֶת־נִמְרֹ֑ד ה֣וּא הֵחֵ֔ל לִֽהְי֥וֹת גִּבֹּ֖ר בָּאָֽרֶץ׃
**Translation**
Cush produced [a son] Nimrod. He began to be powerful on earth.
**Onkelos**
וְכוּשׁ אוֹלִיד יָת נִמְרֹד הוּא שָׁרֵי לְמֵהֲוֵי גִבַּר תַּקִּיף בְּאַרְעָא
**Onkelos in English**
Cush produced Nimrod. He began to be a mighty man on earth.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Produced".** The Hebrew יָלַד (yalad, simple stem) is rendered by אוֹלִיד (olid), the causative (af'el) stem, 'caused to be born'. This is the regular way the Aramaic expresses a father's begetting, and it recurs in 10:13.
- **"He began".** The Hebrew הֵחֵל (hehel) is matched by שָׁרֵי (sharei), the common Aramaic verb for beginning; לְמֵהֲוֵי (le-mehevei), 'to be', renders לִהְיוֹת exactly.
- **"A mighty man".** Where the Hebrew has the single word גִּבֹּר (gibbor), the printed Onkelos has two: גִבַּר תַּקִּיף (gibbar takkif), 'a mighty man'. Aramaic gibbar on its own can mean simply 'man', so the added takkif, 'strong, mighty', may have been felt necessary to keep the sense of strength. It also makes the phrase identical with the one used twice in the next verse.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads only גִּבָּר (gibbar), without תַּקִּיף. On that reading Onkelos renders gibbor here by a single word, and the identity of the phrase with 10:9 holds for the printed text only.
**Words to note:** אוֹלִיד *olid* — produced (caused to be born) (יָלַד) · שָׁרֵי *sharei* — began (הֵחֵל) · לְמֵהֲוֵי *le-mehevei* — to be (לִהְיוֹת) · גִבַּר *gibbar* — man (גִּבֹּר) · תַּקִּיף *takkif* — mighty · בְּאַרְעָא *be-ara* — on earth (בָּאָרֶץ)
---
### Bereshit 10:9
**Torah**
הֽוּא־הָיָ֥ה גִבֹּֽר־צַ֖יִד לִפְנֵ֣י ה׳ עַל־כֵּן֙ יֵֽאָמַ֔ר כְּנִמְרֹ֛ד גִּבּ֥וֹר צַ֖יִד לִפְנֵ֥י ה׳׃
**Translation**
He was a mighty hunter before Hashem. It is therefore said, Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before Hashem.
**Onkelos**
הוּא הֲוָה גִבַּר תַּקִּיף קֳדָם ה׳ עַל כֵּן יִתְאֲמַר כְּנִמְרֹד גִּבַּר תַּקִּיף קֳדָם ה׳
**Onkelos in English**
He was a mighty man before Hashem. It is therefore said, Like Nimrod, a mighty man before Hashem.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"A mighty man" for "a mighty hunter".** The Hebrew twice calls Nimrod גִבֹּר צַיִד (gibbor tzayid), 'a mighty hunter'. Onkelos twice writes גִבַּר תַּקִּיף (gibbar takkif), 'a mighty man', and has no word for tzayid, 'hunter'. The image of hunting is thus dropped altogether; perhaps Onkelos took the phrase as an idiom for sheer power rather than a description of Nimrod's occupation, though the Aramaic itself does not say why.
- **"Before Hashem".** Both times לִפְנֵי (lifnei) is rendered קֳדָם (kodam), 'before', the word Onkelos regularly uses for being in the presence of Hashem in place of the Hebrew 'face' idiom.
- **"It is said".** The Hebrew passive יֵאָמַר (ye'amer) is matched by the Aramaic passive יִתְאֲמַר (yitamar). The proverb itself, 'Like Nimrod...', is carried over word for word in the Aramaic's own terms.
**Words to note:** הֲוָה *hava* — was (הָיָה) · גִבַּר *gibbar* — man (גִבֹּר) · תַּקִּיף *takkif* — mighty · קֳדָם *kodam* — before (לִפְנֵי) · יִתְאֲמַר *yitamar* — it is said (יֵאָמַר)
---
### Bereshit 10:10
**Torah**
וַתְּהִ֨י רֵאשִׁ֤ית מַמְלַכְתּוֹ֙ בָּבֶ֔ל וְאֶ֖רֶךְ וְאַכַּ֣ד וְכַלְנֵ֑ה בְּאֶ֖רֶץ שִׁנְעָֽר׃
**Translation**
The beginning of his kingdom was Babylon, Erech, Akad and Kalneh in the land of Shinar.
**Onkelos**
וַהֲוָה רֵישׁ מַלְכוּתֵהּ בָּבֶל וְאֶרֶךְ וְאַכַּד וְכַלְנֵה בְּאַרְעָא דְּבָבֶל
**Onkelos in English**
The beginning of his kingdom was Babylon, Erech, Akad and Kalneh in the land of Babylon.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"The beginning".** The Hebrew רֵאשִׁית (reishit) is rendered רֵישׁ (reish), literally 'head', used here in the sense of 'beginning' or 'first part'. מַלְכוּתֵהּ (malkhuteh), 'his kingdom', renders מַמְלַכְתּוֹ.
- **"The land of Babylon" for "the land of Shinar".** The cities are listed as in the Hebrew, but the region שִׁנְעָר (Shinar) becomes בְּאַרְעָא דְּבָבֶל (be-ara de-Vavel), 'in the land of Babylon'. Onkelos replaces the old name with the one familiar to his readers, and Bavel is now named twice in the verse, once as a city and once as a land.
- **"Was".** The Hebrew verb וַתְּהִי is feminine, agreeing with reishit. The printed Aramaic וַהֲוָה (va-hava) is masculine, agreeing with the masculine noun reish.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads וַהֲוָת (va-havat), feminine, like the Hebrew verb; perhaps it agrees with the feminine malkhuteh, 'his kingdom', or simply follows the Hebrew. The point about masculine agreement holds for the printed text only.
**Words to note:** וַהֲוָה *va-hava* — was (וַתְּהִי) · רֵישׁ *reish* — beginning (literally head) (רֵאשִׁית) · מַלְכוּתֵהּ *malkhuteh* — his kingdom (מַמְלַכְתּוֹ) · דְּבָבֶל *de-Vavel* — of Babylon (שִׁנְעָר)
---
### Bereshit 10:11
**Torah**
מִן־הָאָ֥רֶץ הַהִ֖וא יָצָ֣א אַשּׁ֑וּר וַיִּ֙בֶן֙ אֶת־נִ֣ינְוֵ֔ה וְאֶת־רְחֹבֹ֥ת עִ֖יר וְאֶת־כָּֽלַח׃
**Translation**
Asshur departed that land, and he built Nineveh, Rechovos Iyr and Kalach.
**Onkelos**
מִן אַרְעָא (ס''א עֵיצָה) הַהִיא נְפַק אֲתוּרָאָה וּבְנָא יָת נִינְוֵה וְיָת רְחֹבֹת (נ''א רְחוֹבֵי) קַרְתָּא וְיָת כָּלַח
**Onkelos in English**
The Assyrian departed that land, and he built Nineveh, Rechovos the City and Kalach.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"The Assyrian".** For the name אַשּׁוּר (Asshur) Onkelos writes the gentilic אֲתוּרָאָה (Atura'ah), 'the Assyrian', from the Aramaic name of the land, Atur. The man is thus named by the people descended from him, much as the peoples in 10:13-14 are given gentilic forms.
- **"Departed".** The Hebrew יָצָא (yatza), 'went out', is rendered by its regular Aramaic equivalent נְפַק (nefak); וּבְנָא (u-vena), 'and he built', renders וַיִּבֶן.
- **"Rechovos the City".** Onkelos keeps רְחֹבֹת (Rechovos) as a name but translates the second element, עִיר (ir), by the ordinary Aramaic word קַרְתָּא (karta), 'the city'. This may indicate that he read 'Iyr' as a common noun describing Rechovos rather than as part of a proper name.
- **Textual note.** The printed text carries two marginal readings, both absent from the Yemenite text. After אַרְעָא (ara), 'land', it notes another version reading eitzah, 'counsel', which would give 'from that counsel the Assyrian went out'. After רְחֹבֹת it notes another version reading rechovei, 'the streets of', which would make the phrase 'the streets of the city' rather than a name. The Yemenite reads קַרְתָּא in the main text.
**Words to note:** נְפַק *nefak* — departed (went out) (יָצָא) · אֲתוּרָאָה *Atura'ah* — the Assyrian (אַשּׁוּר) · וּבְנָא *u-vena* — and he built (וַיִּבֶן) · קַרְתָּא *karta* — the city (עִיר)
---
### Bereshit 10:12
**Torah**
וְֽאֶת־רֶ֔סֶן בֵּ֥ין נִֽינְוֵ֖ה וּבֵ֣ין כָּ֑לַח הִ֖וא הָעִ֥יר הַגְּדֹלָֽה׃
**Translation**
[He also built] Resen between Nineveh and Kalach. This was the great city.
**Onkelos**
וְיָת רֶסֶן בֵּין נִינְוֵה וּבֵין כָּלַח הִיא קַרְתָּא רַבְּתָא
**Onkelos in English**
[He also built] Resen between Nineveh and Kalach. This was the great city.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"The great city".** A literal rendering. הָעִיר הַגְּדֹלָה becomes קַרְתָּא רַבְּתָא (karta rabbeta), using karta, 'city', again as in 10:11, and the feminine rabbeta, 'great', to agree with it.
**Words to note:** קַרְתָּא *karta* — the city (הָעִיר) · רַבְּתָא *rabbeta* — great (הַגְּדֹלָה)
---
### Bereshit 10:13
**Torah**
וּמִצְרַ֡יִם יָלַ֞ד אֶת־לוּדִ֧ים וְאֶת־עֲנָמִ֛ים וְאֶת־לְהָבִ֖ים וְאֶת־נַפְתֻּחִֽים׃
**Translation**
Mitzraim produced [the following nations]: Ludim, Anamim, Lehavim and the Naftuchim.
**Onkelos**
וּמִצרָאֵי (בכל הס':וּמִצְרַיִם) אוֹלִיד יָת לוּדָאֵי וְיָת עֲנָמָאֵי וְיָת לְהָבָאֵי וְיָת נַפְתּוּחָאֵי
**Onkelos in English**
Mitzraim produced Ludim, Anamim, Lehavim and the Naftuchim.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Produced".** As in 10:8, יָלַד (yalad) is rendered by the causative אוֹלִיד (olid).
- **Names of peoples.** Each Hebrew plural in -im becomes an Aramaic gentilic plural in -a'ei: לוּדִים is לוּדָאֵי (Luda'ei), and so עֲנָמָאֵי, לְהָבָאֵי and נַפְתּוּחָאֵי. The names are thus presented clearly as peoples. The pattern continues through all four names of 10:14.
- **"Mitzraim".** The printed text reads the gentilic וּמִצרָאֵי (u-Mitzra'ei), 'the Egyptians', in place of the Hebrew וּמִצְרַיִם, but adds in parentheses that all the books read וּמִצְרַיִם (u-Mitzrayim), the Hebrew name itself. The translation follows that reading.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads וּמִצְרַיִם (u-Mitzrayim) in the main text, agreeing with the parenthetical note in the printed text against its own gentilic form.
**Words to note:** וּמִצרָאֵי *u-Mitzra'ei* — Mitzraim (the Egyptians) (וּמִצְרַיִם) · אוֹלִיד *olid* — produced (יָלַד) · לוּדָאֵי *Luda'ei* — Ludim (לוּדִים)
---
### Bereshit 10:14
**Torah**
וְֽאֶת־פַּתְרֻסִ֞ים וְאֶת־כַּסְלֻחִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָצְא֥וּ מִשָּׁ֛ם פְּלִשְׁתִּ֖ים וְאֶת־כַּפְתֹּרִֽים׃ {ס}
**Translation**
[Also] the Pasrusim, and the Kasluchim; from whom came the Plishtim and the Kaphtorim.
**Onkelos**
וְיָת פַּתְרוּסָאֵי וְיָת כַּסְלוּחָאֵי דִּי נְפָקוּ מִתַּמָּן פְּלִשְׁתָּאֵי וְיָת קַפּוּטְקָאֵי
**Onkelos in English**
[Also] the Pasrusim, and the Kasluchim; from whom came the Plishtim and the Kapputka'ei.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"From whom came".** A literal rendering: אֲשֶׁר יָצְאוּ מִשָּׁם is matched by דִּי נְפָקוּ מִתַּמָּן (di nefaku mi-tamman), with nefak again for yatza as in 10:11.
- **Gentilic forms.** As in 10:13, the Hebrew -im plurals become Aramaic -a'ei forms: פַּתְרוּסָאֵי, כַּסְלוּחָאֵי and פְּלִשְׁתָּאֵי (Pelishta'ei) for the Plishtim.
- **"The Kapputka'ei".** For כַּפְתֹּרִים (Kaftorim) Onkelos does not adapt the Hebrew name but substitutes another one, קַפּוּטְקָאֵי (Kapputka'ei), a name that appears to denote the people of Cappadocia. As with 'the land of Babylon' for Shinar in 10:10, Onkelos seems to identify an ancient name with one known in his own day.
**Words to note:** דִּי *di* — whom (אֲשֶׁר) · נְפָקוּ *nefaku* — came (went out) (יָצְאוּ) · מִתַּמָּן *mi-tamman* — from there (מִשָּׁם) · פְּלִשְׁתָּאֵי *Pelishta'ei* — Plishtim (פְּלִשְׁתִּים) · קַפּוּטְקָאֵי *Kapputka'ei* — Kapputka'ei (Cappadocians) (כַּפְתֹּרִים)
---
### Unit 4 summary
Onkelos follows the genealogy closely, but three habits stand out. First, he replaces the Hebrew's descriptive phrase for Nimrod with a stock one: both gibbor in 10:8 (in the printed text) and gibbor tzayid, 'mighty hunter', in 10:9 become gibbar takkif, 'mighty man', so that the hunting image disappears entirely. Second, he updates geography for his readers: the land of Shinar is called 'the land of Babylon', the Kaphtorim become the Kapputka'ei, and the 'Iyr' of Rechovos Iyr is translated as an ordinary word, 'the city'. Third, he turns the names of peoples into Aramaic gentilics in -a'ei (Ludim to Luda'ei and so on through Kaphtorim), and Asshur into 'the Assyrian'. Otherwise the verbs are carried over with their usual Aramaic equivalents: the causative olid for yalad, shrei for hehel, nefak for yatza, and kodam for lifnei before Hashem.
---
## Unit 5 — Bereshit 10:15–20: The sons of Canaan and the borders of their land
The Torah lists Canaan's first-born Sidon, Cheis and the Canaanite peoples, then traces the borders of Canaanite territory and closes the list of Cham's descendants.
---
### Bereshit 10:15
**Torah**
וּכְנַ֗עַן יָלַ֛ד אֶת־צִידֹ֥ן בְּכֹר֖וֹ וְאֶת־חֵֽת׃
**Translation**
Canaan produced his first-born, Sidon, and Cheis.
**Onkelos**
וּכְנַעַן אוֹלִיד יָת צִידוֹן בָּכְרֵהּ וְיָת חֵת
**Onkelos in English**
Canaan produced Sidon, his first-born, and Cheis.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Produced".** For the Hebrew simple (qal) יָלַד, Onkelos uses the causative (af'el) אוֹלִיד, 'caused to be born', the form he uses for a father begetting throughout this chunk (10:24, 10:26). Otherwise a literal rendering: the object marker אֶת becomes יָת and the names are kept unchanged.
**Words to note:** אוֹלִיד *olid* — produced (יָלַד) · בָּכְרֵהּ *bokhreh* — his first-born (בְּכֹרוֹ)
---
### Bereshit 10:16
**Torah**
וְאֶת־הַיְבוּסִי֙ וְאֶת־הָ֣אֱמֹרִ֔י וְאֵ֖ת הַגִּרְגָּשִֽׁי׃
**Translation**
[And] the Yevusite, the Amorite, the Girgashite,
**Onkelos**
וְיָת יְבוּסָאֵי וְיָת אֱמוֹרָאֵי וְיָת גִּרְגָּשָׁאֵי
**Onkelos in English**
And the Yevusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"The Yevusites".** The Hebrew names each people with a singular gentilic and the article, הַיְבוּסִי, הָאֱמֹרִי, הַגִּרְגָּשִׁי. Onkelos gives each as a plural in -a'ei: יְבוּסָאֵי, אֱמוֹרָאֵי, גִּרְגָּשָׁאֵי. The Aramaic thus speaks of the peoples as groups; the same treatment runs through the whole list in 10:16–19.
**Words to note:** יְבוּסָאֵי *yevusa'ei* — the Yevusites (הַיְבוּסִי) · אֱמוֹרָאֵי *emora'ei* — the Amorites (הָאֱמֹרִי) · גִּרְגָּשָׁאֵי *girgasha'ei* — the Girgashites (הַגִּרְגָּשִׁי)
---
### Bereshit 10:17
**Torah**
וְאֶת־הַֽחִוִּ֥י וְאֶת־הַֽעַרְקִ֖י וְאֶת־הַסִּינִֽי׃
**Translation**
The Chivite, the Arkite, the Sinite,
**Onkelos**
וְיָת חִוָּאֵי וְיָת עַרְקָאֵי וְיָת אַנְתּוֹסָאֵי
**Onkelos in English**
The Chivites, the Arkites, the Antosites,
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"The Chivites, the Arkites".** As in 10:16, the singular gentilics הַחִוִּי and הַעַרְקִי become plurals, חִוָּאֵי and עַרְקָאֵי.
- **"The Antosites".** The third name is not carried over. For the Hebrew הַסִּינִי, 'the Sinite', Onkelos writes אַנְתּוֹסָאֵי, a different name altogether. This may reflect an identification of the biblical people with a people or place known under that name in the translator's time; it is the only name in this list that he replaces.
**Words to note:** חִוָּאֵי *hivva'ei* — the Chivites (הַחִוִּי) · אַנְתּוֹסָאֵי *antosa'ei* — the Antosites (הַסִּינִי)
---
### Bereshit 10:18
**Torah**
וְאֶת־הָֽאַרְוָדִ֥י וְאֶת־הַצְּמָרִ֖י וְאֶת־הַֽחֲמָתִ֑י וְאַחַ֣ר נָפֹ֔צוּ מִשְׁפְּח֖וֹת הַֽכְּנַעֲנִֽי׃
**Translation**
The Arvadite, the Tzemarite, and the Chamasite. Later, the families of the Canaanites [further] developed.
**Onkelos**
וְיָת אַרְוָדָאֵי וְיָת צְמָרָאֵי וְיָת חֲמָתָאֵי וּבָתַר כֵּן אִתְבַּדָּרוּ זַרְעֲיַת כְּנַעֲנָאֵי
**Onkelos in English**
The Arvadites, the Tzemarites, and the Chamasites. And after that, the families of the Canaanites were scattered.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"The Arvadites ... the Canaanites".** The gentilics again become plurals, ending with כְּנַעֲנָאֵי for the Hebrew singular הַכְּנַעֲנִי.
- **"And after that".** The Hebrew וְאַחַר, 'and afterward', is rendered וּבָתַר כֵּן, literally 'and after thus', the idiomatic Aramaic expression for 'afterward'.
- **"Were scattered".** The Hebrew נָפֹצוּ is matched by אִתְבַּדָּרוּ, a reflexive-passive (itpa'al) of בדר, 'scatter, disperse'. The verb keeps the Hebrew's picture of dispersal.
- **"Families".** Hebrew מִשְׁפְּחוֹת is rendered זַרְעֲיַת, a word related to zera, 'seed'; it recurs in 10:20.
**Words to note:** וּבָתַר *u-vatar* — and after (וְאַחַר) · אִתְבַּדָּרוּ *itbaddaru* — were scattered (נָפֹצוּ) · זַרְעֲיַת *zar'ayat* — families of (מִשְׁפְּחוֹת) · כְּנַעֲנָאֵי *kena'ana'ei* — the Canaanites (הַכְּנַעֲנִי)
---
### Bereshit 10:19
**Torah**
וַיְהִ֞י גְּב֤וּל הַֽכְּנַעֲנִי֙ מִצִּידֹ֔ן בֹּאֲכָ֥ה גְרָ֖רָה עַד־עַזָּ֑ה בֹּאֲכָ֞ה סְדֹ֧מָה וַעֲמֹרָ֛ה וְאַדְמָ֥ה וּצְבֹיִ֖ם עַד־לָֽשַׁע׃
**Translation**
The borders of the Canaanites were from Sidon toward Gerar until Gaza, toward Sedom, Amorah, Admah, and Tzevoyim, until Lasha.
**Onkelos**
וַהֲוָה תְּחוּם כְּנַעֲנָאֵי מִצִידוֹן מָטֵי לִגְרָר עַד עַזָּה מָטֵי לִסְדוֹם וַעֲמוֹרָה וְאַדְמָה וּצְבוֹיִם עַד לָשַׁע
**Onkelos in English**
The border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, reaching to Gerar, until Gaza; reaching to Sedom, Amorah, Admah, and Tzevoyim, until Lasha.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Reaching to".** The Hebrew בֹּאֲכָה, literally 'as you come', addresses the reader in the second person. Onkelos replaces it both times with the impersonal participle מָטֵי, 'reaching', which describes the line of the border rather than a traveller's route.
- **"To Gerar ... to Sedom".** The Hebrew marks direction with the ending -ah (גְרָרָה, סְדֹמָה); Onkelos expresses it with the preposition le-: לִגְרָר, לִסְדוֹם.
- **"The border".** תְּחוּם renders the singular גְּבוּל. As elsewhere in the list, the singular הַכְּנַעֲנִי becomes the plural כְּנַעֲנָאֵי in the printed text.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads the singular כְּנַעֲנָאָה in place of the printed plural כְּנַעֲנָאֵי, matching the Hebrew singular הַכְּנַעֲנִי. The translation 'the Canaanites' and the remark on the plural hold for the printed text only.
**Words to note:** תְּחוּם *tehum* — border (גְּבוּל) · מָטֵי *matei* — reaching (בֹּאֲכָה)
---
### Bereshit 10:20
**Torah**
אֵ֣לֶּה בְנֵי־חָ֔ם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֖ם לִלְשֹֽׁנֹתָ֑ם בְּאַרְצֹתָ֖ם בְּגוֹיֵהֶֽם׃ {ס}
**Translation**
These are the sons of Cham according to their families, and their languages, in their lands and in their nations.
**Onkelos**
אִלֵּין בְּנֵי חָם לְזַרְעֲיָתְהוֹן לְלִישָׁנְהוֹן בְּאַרְעָתְהוֹן בְּעַמְמֵיהוֹן
**Onkelos in English**
These are the sons of Cham according to their families, according to their language, in their lands, in their nations.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **A nearly literal rendering.** Each of the four Hebrew phrases is matched in order with the same prepositions. לְזַרְעֲיָתְהוֹן uses the word for 'families' already seen in 10:18, and בְּעַמְמֵיהוֹן, a word for 'peoples', stands for the Hebrew בְּגוֹיֵהֶם. One small difference: for the Hebrew plural לִלְשֹׁנֹתָם the Aramaic לְלִישָׁנְהוֹן (le-lishanhon) appears to be singular in form, 'their language'.
**Words to note:** לְזַרְעֲיָתְהוֹן *le-zar'ayathon* — according to their families (לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם) · לְלִישָׁנְהוֹן *le-lishanhon* — according to their language (לִלְשֹׁנֹתָם) · בְּאַרְעָתְהוֹן *be-ar'athon* — in their lands (בְּאַרְצֹתָם) · בְּעַמְמֵיהוֹן *be-amemehon* — in their nations (בְּגוֹיֵהֶם)
---
### Unit 5 summary
Onkelos stays close to the Hebrew throughout this list, with a few consistent adjustments. Every Hebrew gentilic, which the Hebrew gives in the singular with the article (ha-Yevusi, ha-Kena'ani), appears in the printed Aramaic as a plural in -a'ei, so that the Aramaic speaks of peoples rather than of a collective 'the Yevusite'. One name is replaced outright: the Sinite becomes the Antosites, perhaps an identification with a people known by that name in the translator's day. The causative olid stands for the simple Hebrew yalad, the Hebrew 'as you come' to a place becomes the impersonal 'reaching' (matei), the directional ending of Gerarah and Sedomah is expressed with the preposition le-, and the Hebrew mishpachot is rendered twice by zar'ayat, 'families'. The Yemenite text reads a singular 'Canaanite' in 10:19, closer to the Hebrew there.
---
## Unit 6 — Bereshit 10:21–26: The line of Sheim, from Aram to Yaktan
The genealogy turns to Sheim, 'father of all the Children of Eiver', listing his sons, the sons of Aram, and the line through Arpachshad, Shelach and Eiver to Peleg, in whose days the earth was divided, and his brother Yaktan.
---
### Bereshit 10:21
**Torah**
וּלְשֵׁ֥ם יֻלַּ֖ד גַּם־ה֑וּא אֲבִי֙ כׇּל־בְּנֵי־עֵ֔בֶר אֲחִ֖י יֶ֥פֶת הַגָּדֽוֹל׃
**Translation**
Sons were also born to Sheim, father of the Children of the Other Side. He was the brother of Yefes, the elder.
**Onkelos**
וּלְשֵׁם אִתְיְלִיד אַף הוּא אֲבוּהוֹן דְּכָל בְּנֵי עֵבֶר אָחוּהִי דְּיֶפֶת רַבָּא
**Onkelos in English**
And to Sheim, he also, [offspring] was born, the father of all the Children of Eiver, the brother of Yefes, the elder.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Was born".** The Hebrew passive יֻלַּד is rendered by the reflexive-passive אִתְיְלִיד. Like the Hebrew, the Aramaic verb is singular and names no subject.
- **"The father of all ... the brother of Yefes".** Where the Hebrew uses construct forms, אֲבִי and אֲחִי, Onkelos uses the common Aramaic construction of a noun with a pronoun suffix followed by de-: אֲבוּהוֹן דְּכָל, literally 'their father, of all', and אָחוּהִי דְּיֶפֶת, literally 'his brother, of Yefes'. The meaning is unchanged.
- **"The elder".** רַבָּא stands for הַגָּדוֹל and comes last, as in the Hebrew. The Aramaic therefore leaves open, as the Hebrew does, whether 'the elder' describes Sheim or Yefes.
**Words to note:** אִתְיְלִיד *ityelid* — was born (יֻלַּד) · אַף *af* — also (גַּם) · אֲבוּהוֹן *avuhon* — the father of (lit. their father) (אֲבִי) · אָחוּהִי *achuhi* — the brother of (lit. his brother) (אֲחִי) · רַבָּא *rabba* — the elder (הַגָּדוֹל)
---
### Bereshit 10:22
**Torah**
בְּנֵ֥י שֵׁ֖ם עֵילָ֣ם וְאַשּׁ֑וּר וְאַרְפַּכְשַׁ֖ד וְל֥וּד וַֽאֲרָֽם׃
**Translation**
The sons of Sheim were: Elam, and Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram.
**Onkelos**
בְּנֵי שֵׁם עֵילָם וְאַשּׁוּר וְאַרְפַּכְשַׁד וְלוּד וַאֲרָם
**Onkelos in English**
The sons of Sheim were: Elam, and Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram.
**What Onkelos tells us**
**A literal rendering.** The Aramaic reproduces the Hebrew word for word; the names are unchanged.
---
### Bereshit 10:23
**Torah**
וּבְנֵ֖י אֲרָ֑ם ע֥וּץ וְח֖וּל וְגֶ֥תֶר וָמַֽשׁ׃
**Translation**
The sons of Aram were: Uz, Chul, Geser and Mash.
**Onkelos**
וּבְנֵי אֲרָם עוּץ וְחוּל וְגֶתֶר וָמַשׁ
**Onkelos in English**
The sons of Aram were: Uz, Chul, Geser and Mash.
**What Onkelos tells us**
**A literal rendering.** The Aramaic is identical to the Hebrew in wording; only the cantillation is absent.
---
### Bereshit 10:24
**Torah**
וְאַרְפַּכְשַׁ֖ד יָלַ֣ד אֶת־שָׁ֑לַח וְשֶׁ֖לַח יָלַ֥ד אֶת־עֵֽבֶר׃
**Translation**
Arpachshad produced Shelach, and Shelach produced Eiver.
**Onkelos**
וְאַרְפַּכְשַׁד אוֹלִיד יָת שָׁלַח וְשֶׁלַח אוֹלִיד יָת עֵבֶר
**Onkelos in English**
Arpachshad produced Shelach, and Shelach produced Eiver.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **A literal rendering.** As in 10:15, the Hebrew יָלַד is rendered by the causative אוֹלִיד both times, and אֶת by יָת.
**Words to note:** אוֹלִיד *olid* — produced (יָלַד)
---
### Bereshit 10:25
**Torah**
וּלְעֵ֥בֶר יֻלַּ֖ד שְׁנֵ֣י בָנִ֑ים שֵׁ֣ם הָֽאֶחָ֞ד פֶּ֗לֶג כִּ֤י בְיָמָיו֙ נִפְלְגָ֣ה הָאָ֔רֶץ וְשֵׁ֥ם אָחִ֖יו יׇקְטָֽן׃
**Translation**
Two sons were born to Eiver, the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth['s inhabitants] were dispersed, and his brothers name was Yaktan.
**Onkelos**
וּלְעֵבֶר אִתְיְלִידוּ תְּרֵין בְּנִין שׁוּם חַד פֶּלֶג אֲרֵי בְּיוֹמוֹהִי אִתְפְּלִיגַת אַרְעָא וְשׁוּם אֲחוּהִי יָקְטָן
**Onkelos in English**
Two sons were born to Eiver, the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother's name was Yaktan.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Were born".** The Hebrew uses a singular verb, יֻלַּד, with the plural subject 'two sons'. Onkelos writes the plural אִתְיְלִידוּ, bringing verb and subject into agreement, a grammatical smoothing.
- **"Peleg ... was divided".** The Hebrew explains the name פֶּלֶג with the verb נִפְלְגָה, from the same root פלג. Onkelos keeps the name and renders the verb with אִתְפְּלִיגַת, also from פלג, so the wordplay survives in the Aramaic.
- **"The name of one".** שׁוּם renders שֵׁם, and חַד renders הָאֶחָד without the article, which Aramaic does not use.
**Words to note:** אִתְיְלִידוּ *ityelidu* — were born (יֻלַּד) · שׁוּם *shum* — the name of (שֵׁם) · חַד *had* — one (הָאֶחָד) · אִתְפְּלִיגַת *itpeligat* — was divided (נִפְלְגָה) · אַרְעָא *ar'a* — the earth (הָאָרֶץ)
---
### Bereshit 10:26
**Torah**
וְיׇקְטָ֣ן יָלַ֔ד אֶת־אַלְמוֹדָ֖ד וְאֶת־שָׁ֑לֶף וְאֶת־חֲצַרְמָ֖וֶת וְאֶת־יָֽרַח׃
**Translation**
Yaktan produced Almodad, Shelef, Chatzarmaves, and Yerach,
**Onkelos**
וְיָקְטָן אוֹלִיד יָת אַלְמוֹדָד וְיָת שָׁלֶף וְיָת חֲצַרְמָוֶת וְיָת יָרַח
**Onkelos in English**
Yaktan produced Almodad, Shelef, Chatzarmaves, and Yerach,
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **A literal rendering.** Again the causative אוֹלִיד renders יָלַד; the four names are unchanged.
**Words to note:** אוֹלִיד *olid* — produced (יָלַד)
---
### Unit 6 summary
Most of this unit is a list of names, and Onkelos reproduces it as it stands; verses 10:22 and 10:23 are identical in wording to the Hebrew. Where he does adjust, the changes are grammatical: the passive births are expressed with the itpe'el ityelid, the Hebrew construct chains 'father of' and 'brother of' are recast with the Aramaic suffix-plus-de- construction (avuhon de-khol, achuhi de-Yefet), and in 10:25 the singular Hebrew verb with the plural subject 'two sons' becomes a plural verb, ityelidu. The wordplay on Peleg is kept, since the Aramaic verb itpeligat comes from the same root פלג as the name.
---
## Unit 7 — Bereshit 10:27–32: The sons of Yaktan, and the close of the table of nations
The list of Yaktan's sons ends and their territory is described; the genealogy of Sheim is summed up, and then the whole list of Noach's descendants, from whom the nations spread out after the Flood.
---
### Bereshit 10:27
**Torah**
וְאֶת־הֲדוֹרָ֥ם וְאֶת־אוּזָ֖ל וְאֶת־דִּקְלָֽה׃
**Translation**
[also] Hadoram, Uval, and Diklah,
**Onkelos**
וְיָת הֲדוֹרָם וְיָת אוּזָל וְיָת דִּקְלָה
**Onkelos in English**
[also] Hadoram, Uval, and Diklah,
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **A literal rendering.** Each name is preceded by *yat* (וְיָת), the Aramaic object marker, for Hebrew *ve-et*; the names themselves are kept unchanged.
**Words to note:** וְיָת *ve-yat* — [also] (object marker with 'and') (וְאֶת)
---
### Bereshit 10:28
**Torah**
וְאֶת־עוֹבָ֥ל וְאֶת־אֲבִֽימָאֵ֖ל וְאֶת־שְׁבָֽא׃
**Translation**
[also] Oval, Avimaeil, and Sheva,
**Onkelos**
וְיָת עוֹבָל וְיָת אֲבִימָאֵל וְיָת שְׁבָא
**Onkelos in English**
[also] Oval, Avimaeil, and Sheva,
**What Onkelos tells us**
**A literal rendering.** The three names are taken over as they stand, each introduced by *ve-yat*.
---
### Bereshit 10:29
**Torah**
וְאֶת־אוֹפִ֥ר וְאֶת־חֲוִילָ֖ה וְאֶת־יוֹבָ֑ב כׇּל־אֵ֖לֶּה בְּנֵ֥י יׇקְטָֽן׃
**Translation**
[also] Ophir, Chavilah, and Yovav. All these were sons of Yaktan.
**Onkelos**
וְיָת אוֹפִר וְיָת חֲוִילָה וְיָת יוֹבָב כָּל אִלֵּין בְּנֵי יָקְטָן
**Onkelos in English**
[also] Ophir, Chavilah, and Yovav. All these were sons of Yaktan.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"All these were sons of Yaktan".** A literal rendering; Hebrew *elleh* becomes the Aramaic demonstrative *illein* (אִלֵּין).
**Words to note:** אִלֵּין *illein* — these (אֵלֶּה)
---
### Bereshit 10:30
**Torah**
וַיְהִ֥י מוֹשָׁבָ֖ם מִמֵּשָׁ֑א בֹּאֲכָ֥ה סְפָ֖רָה הַ֥ר הַקֶּֽדֶם׃
**Translation**
Their dwelling place was from Meishah toward Sephor, the eastern mountain.
**Onkelos**
וַהֲוָה מוֹתְבָנֵהוֹן מִמֵּשָׁא מָטֵי לִסְפַר טּוּר מָדִינְחָא
**Onkelos in English**
Their dwelling place was from Meishah, reaching to Sephor, the eastern mountain.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Their dwelling place".** Hebrew *moshavam* (מוֹשָׁבָם) is rendered *motevanehon* (מוֹתְבָנֵהוֹן), the corresponding Aramaic noun from the verb 'to dwell'. A literal rendering.
- **"Reaching to Sephor".** The Hebrew בֹּאֲכָה סְפָרָה (*bo'akhah sefarah*) is a compressed idiom, literally 'as you come toward Sephor', with the direction marked by the ending ה- on the name. Onkelos replaces it with *matei lisfar* (מָטֵי לִסְפַר), 'reaching to Sephor', using a participle of arrival and the preposition ל in place of the directional ending. This perhaps reflects a wish to state the boundary plainly rather than reproduce the idiom.
- **"The eastern mountain".** *Har ha-kedem* becomes *tur madinha* (טּוּר מָדִינְחָא), with the usual Aramaic *tur* for 'mountain' and *madinha*, 'east', for Hebrew *kedem*.
- **Textual note.** For the printed מוֹתְבָנֵהוֹן the Yemenite text reads the shorter form מוֹתַבְהוֹן (*motavhon*), from the same root and with the same meaning, 'their dwelling'.
**Words to note:** מוֹתְבָנֵהוֹן *motevanehon* — their dwelling place (מוֹשָׁבָם) · מָטֵי *matei* — reaching (בֹּאֲכָה) · טּוּר *tur* — mountain (הַר) · מָדִינְחָא *madinha* — east, eastern (הַקֶּדֶם)
---
### Bereshit 10:31
**Torah**
אֵ֣לֶּה בְנֵי־שֵׁ֔ם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֖ם לִלְשֹׁנֹתָ֑ם בְּאַרְצֹתָ֖ם לְגוֹיֵהֶֽם׃
**Translation**
These are the sons of Sheim, according to their families and their languages, in their lands and in their nations.
**Onkelos**
אִלֵּין בְּנֵי שֵׁם לְזַרְעֲיָתְהוֹן לְלִישָׁנְהוֹן לְאַרְעָתְהוֹן בְּעַמְמֵיהוֹן
**Onkelos in English**
These are the sons of Sheim, according to their families [and] according to their language, according to their lands, in their nations.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"According to their families".** Hebrew *le-mishpehotam* is rendered *le-zar'ayathon* (לְזַרְעֲיָתְהוֹן), a word for 'families' or lineages related to *zera*, 'seed', and so to the idea of descent.
- **"According to their language".** For Hebrew plural *li-leshonotam* the Aramaic לְלִישָׁנְהוֹן (*le-lishanhon*) appears to be singular in form, 'their language'.
- **"According to their lands, in their nations".** The Hebrew reads *be-artzotam le-goyehem*, 'in their lands, according to their nations'. The printed Onkelos exchanges the two prepositions: לְאַרְעָתְהוֹן בְּעַמְמֵיהוֹן, 'according to their lands, in their nations'. The sense is hardly affected, but the printed text does not follow the Hebrew word for word here (see the textual note). *Goyim* is rendered with a form of *amemin*, 'peoples' or 'nations'.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads בְּאַרְעָתְהוֹן לְעַמְמֵיהוֹן, with the prepositions as in the Hebrew, 'in their lands, according to their nations'. The exchange of prepositions noted above holds for the printed text only.
**Words to note:** לְזַרְעֲיָתְהוֹן *le-zar'ayathon* — according to their families (לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם) · לְלִישָׁנְהוֹן *le-lishanhon* — according to their language (לִלְשֹׁנֹתָם) · לְאַרְעָתְהוֹן *le-ar'athon* — according to their lands (בְּאַרְצֹתָם) · בְּעַמְמֵיהוֹן *be-amemehon* — in their nations (לְגוֹיֵהֶם)
---
### Bereshit 10:32
**Torah**
אֵ֣לֶּה מִשְׁפְּחֹ֧ת בְּנֵי־נֹ֛חַ לְתוֹלְדֹתָ֖ם בְּגוֹיֵהֶ֑ם וּמֵאֵ֜לֶּה נִפְרְד֧וּ הַגּוֹיִ֛ם בָּאָ֖רֶץ אַחַ֥ר הַמַּבּֽוּל׃ {פ}
**Translation**
These are the families of the sons of Noach, according to their descendants and in their nations. From these the nations were separated on the earth after the Flood.
**Onkelos**
אִלֵּין זַרְעֲיַת בְּנֵי נֹחַ לְתוּלְדָתְהוֹן בְּעַמְמֵיהוֹן וּמֵאִלֵּין אִתַּפְרָשׁוּ עַמְמַיָּא בְּאַרְעָא בָּתַר טוֹפָנָא
**Onkelos in English**
These are the families of the sons of Noach, according to their descendants, [and] in their nations. From these the nations were separated on the earth after the Flood.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"The families".** Hebrew *mishpehot* is again rendered with *zar'ayat* (זַרְעֲיַת), as in 10:31, and *goyehem* with *amemehon*, so the two summaries match in the Aramaic as in the Hebrew.
- **"Were separated".** Hebrew *nifredu* (נִפְרְדוּ), from פרד, is rendered *ittafrashu* (אִתַּפְרָשׁוּ), a reflexive-passive form from the Aramaic root פרש, 'to separate'. The Hebrew uses *goyim* twice in this verse; Onkelos uses the same word for both, *amemehon* (בְּעַמְמֵיהוֹן) and *amemaya* (עַמְמַיָּא).
- **"After the Flood".** *Ahar ha-mabbul* becomes *batar tofana* (בָּתַר טוֹפָנָא), with the regular Aramaic word for the Flood, *tofana*.
**Words to note:** זַרְעֲיַת *zar'ayat* — the families of (מִשְׁפְּחֹת) · לְתוּלְדָתְהוֹן *le-tuldathon* — according to their descendants (לְתוֹלְדֹתָם) · אִתַּפְרָשׁוּ *ittafrashu* — were separated (נִפְרְדוּ) · עַמְמַיָּא *amemaya* — the nations (הַגּוֹיִם) · טוֹפָנָא *tofana* — the Flood (הַמַּבּוּל)
---
### Unit 7 summary
Onkelos renders the last names of the list word for word, with Aramaic yat for the Hebrew object marker. The differences come in the closing verses: the Hebrew's terse 'as you come toward Sephor' becomes 'reaching to', the mountain is a tur and the east madinha; mishpehot 'families' becomes zar'ayat, a word for lineages related to 'seed'; the goyim of both summaries become amemaya 'peoples'; and Hebrew nifredu (פרד) becomes ittafrashu (פרש). In 10:31 the printed text exchanges the prepositions of 'in their lands, to their nations', which the Yemenite text keeps as in the Hebrew.
---
## Conclusion of the aliyah
### The movement of the aliyah
The aliyah moves from one family to the whole world. It begins with a narrow domestic scene, in which Onkelos follows the Hebrew closely and changes chiefly matters of idiom, and rises to the curse and blessings of 9:25-27, where his departures from the Hebrew are greatest. With Noach's death the text turns to the table of nations, and Onkelos's work becomes quieter: long runs of names are carried over unchanged, with some verses identical in wording to the Hebrew, while a small set of habits recurs from verse to verse. The genealogy ends, as it began in 9:19, with the people of the world spreading out from Noach's sons, and the two summaries of 10:31-32 match in the Aramaic as they do in the Hebrew.
### What Onkelos tells us in this aliyah
1. **"The whole world was scattered" (9:19).** The printed text uses a plural verb, *itbaddaru*, which may indicate that "the whole world" is understood as its people.
2. **"A man working the soil" (9:20).** *Ish ha-adamah* becomes *gevar palah be-ar'a*, spelling out Noach's connection to the land as an occupation.
3. **"In the street" (9:22).** *Be-shuka* for *ba-hutz* may suggest that Cham spread the matter in public, though it may simply be a common equivalent for "outside".
4. **"Turning back" (9:23).** The adverb "backwards" becomes the participle *mehazrin*, used for both the walking and the turned faces.
5. **"A slave serving slaves" (9:25).** The added *pelah* may indicate a literal reading of *eved avadim*; the Yemenite text lacks "of slaves".
6. **"Their slave" (9:26-27).** *Lamo* is twice rendered *le-hon*, "to them".
7. **"His Shekhinah will dwell" (9:27).** The open subject of *ve-yishkon* is resolved in favour of God, which may also reflect a reluctance to say that God Himself dwells in a tent.
8. **"A mighty man" (10:9).** *Gibbar takkif* twice replaces *gibbor tzayid*, and no word for "hunter" remains.
9. **"The land of Babylon" (10:10).** The old name Shinar is replaced by the one familiar to the reader.
10. **"The Assyrian" (10:11).** The man Asshur is named by the gentilic *Atura'ah*, and the "Iyr" of Rechovos Iyr is translated as *karta*, "the city".
11. **"The Kapputka'ei" and "the Antosites" (10:14, 10:17).** Two names are not adapted but replaced, perhaps identifying ancient peoples with ones known in the translator's day.
12. **"The earth was divided" (10:25).** *Itpeligat* shares the root of the name Peleg, so the wordplay survives.
### Recurring features
- **The causative *olid* for *yalad*.** Every active *yalad* in the aliyah (10:8, 10:13, 10:15, 10:24 twice, 10:26) is rendered *olid*, "caused to be born", while the passive births (10:1, 10:21, 10:25) use *ityelid* forms.
- **The analytic genitive with *di*.** Hebrew construct chains such as "father of Canaan", "nakedness of his father", "God of Sheim" and "brother of Yefes" are recast as a noun with a pronoun suffix followed by *di* or *de-*.
- **Gentilic plurals in -a'ei.** The peoples of Mitzraim and Canaan are named with Aramaic gentilic plurals, so that the text speaks of peoples as groups.
- **Fixed equivalents in the genealogy.** *Tofana* renders *ha-mabbul* in all three of its occurrences (9:28, 10:1, 10:32); *zar'ayat*, a word related to "seed", renders *mishpachot* in each of its five occurrences (10:5, 10:18, 10:20, 10:31, 10:32); the *goyim* become *amemaya*; and *nifredu* (root פרד) becomes *ittafrashu* (root פרש) in 10:5 and 10:32.
- **"Reaching" for "as you come".** The second-person *bo'akhah* becomes the impersonal *matei* in all three of its occurrences (10:19 twice, 10:30), stating the boundary plainly.
- **Names carried over.** Through the lists of chapter 10 the names are kept as they stand, with only fuller spellings; even the missing "and" before Kittim (10:4) is kept.
- **The printed text and the Yemenite text.** Many of the departures from the Hebrew noted here belong to the printed text only, and the Yemenite text often stands closer to the Hebrew; the textual notes mark where they occur.
### Aliyah takeaway
In this aliyah Onkelos shows two faces. In the narrative of Noach's drunkenness and the curse and blessings that follow, he interprets: he chooses a sense for an ambiguous word, names the subject the Hebrew leaves open, and speaks of the Shekhinah where the Hebrew speaks of dwelling. In the table of nations he is a careful transmitter, keeping the names, matching the Hebrew phrase by phrase, and applying a small, consistent set of Aramaic equivalents, while updating a few place and people names for his readers. Reading the two halves together shows how much of a Targum is plain translation, and how pointed its few interpretive choices become against that background.
---
## Aramaic word list for the aliyah
| Aramaic | Transliteration | Meaning | Hebrew in the verse |
|---|---|---|---|
| נְפָקוּ | *nefaku* | went out | הַיֹּצְאִים |
| אֲבוּהִי | *avuhi* | the father | אֲבִי |
| אִתְבַּדָּרוּ | *itbaddaru* | were dispersed | נָפְצָה |
| אַרְעָא | *ar'a* | world | הָאָרֶץ |
| וְשָׁרִי | *ve-shari* | began | וַיָּחֶל |
| גְּבַר | *gevar* | a man | אִישׁ |
| פָּלַח | *palah* | working | — |
| חַמְרָא | *hamra* | the wine | הַיַּיִן |
| וּרְוִי | *u-revi* | and was intoxicated | וַיִּשְׁכָּר |
| וְאִתְגְּלִי | *ve-itgeli* | and he uncovered himself | וַיִּתְגַּל |
| עֶרְיְתָא | *ervata* | the nakedness | עֶרְוַת |
| לִתְרֵין | *li-trein* | to two | לִשְׁנֵי |
| בְּשׁוּקָא | *be-shuka* | in the street | בַּחוּץ |
| וּנְסֵיב | *u-nesiv* | took | וַיִּקַּח |
| כְּסוּתָא | *kesuta* | the cloak | הַשִּׂמְלָה |
| כְּתַף | *ketaf* | the shoulder | שְׁכֶם |
| תַּרְוֵיהוֹן | *tarveihon* | the two of them | שְׁנֵיהֶם |
| מְחַזְרִין | *mehazrin* | turning back | אֲחֹרַנִּית |
| וַחֲפִיאוּ | *va-hafi'u* | and covered | וַיְכַסּוּ |
| מֵחַמְרֵהּ | *me-hamreh* | from his wine | מִיֵּינוֹ |
| זְעֵירָא | *ze'eira* | youngest | הַקָּטָן |
| לִיט | *lit* | cursed | אָרוּר |
| עֲבַד | *avad* | a slave | עֶבֶד |
| עַבְדִין | *avdin* | slaves | עֲבָדִים |
| לְהוֹן | *le-hon* | their (lit. to them) | לָמוֹ |
| יַפְתֵּי | *yaftei* | will enlarge | יַפְתְּ |
| שְׁכִינְתֵּהּ | *shekhinteh* | His Shekhinah | — |
| בְּמַשְׁכְּנֵהּ | *be-mashkeneh* | in his tent | בְּאׇהֳלֵי |
| שְׁנִין | *shenin* | years | — |
| וְאִלֵּין | *ve-illein* | these | וְאֵלֶּה |
| וְאִתְיְלִידוּ | *ve-ityelidu* | were born | וַיִּוָּלְדוּ |
| אִתַּפְרָשׁוּ | *ittafrashu* | were separated | נִפְרְדוּ |
| נַגְוַת | *nagvat* | islands (of) | אִיֵּי |
| עַמְמַיָּא | *amemaya* | the nations | הַגּוֹיִם |
| בְּאַרְעֲהוֹן | *be-arahon* | in their land | בְּאַרְצֹתָם |
| לְזַרְעֲיָתְהוֹן | *le-zar'ayathon* | according to their families | לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם |
| אוֹלִיד | *olid* | produced (caused to be born) | יָלַד |
| שָׁרֵי | *sharei* | began | הֵחֵל |
| לְמֵהֲוֵי | *le-mehevei* | to be | לִהְיוֹת |
| תַּקִּיף | *takkif* | mighty | — |
| קֳדָם | *kodam* | before | לִפְנֵי |
| יִתְאֲמַר | *yitamar* | it is said | יֵאָמַר |
| וַהֲוָה | *va-hava* | was | וַתְּהִי |
| רֵישׁ | *reish* | beginning (literally head) | רֵאשִׁית |
| מַלְכוּתֵהּ | *malkhuteh* | his kingdom | מַמְלַכְתּוֹ |
---
## Source note
**Aliyah boundary.** Bereshit 9:18 – 10:32, following the aliyah divisions in Sefaria's index of Bereshit (the next aliyah begins at Bereshit 11:1).
**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.