Parashat Noach — Seventh Aliyah

Torah with Onkelos · Bereshit 11:1 – 11:32 · פרשת נח, שביעי

The tower of Bavel and the generations from Sheim to Avram, read through Targum Onkelos

Contents

• Orientation
• How this page is laid out
• Unit 1 — Bereshit 11:1–9: The tower of Bavel
• Unit 2 — Bereshit 11:10–11: The generations of Sheim begin
• Unit 3 — Bereshit 11:12–13: Arpachshad fathers Shelach
• Unit 4 — Bereshit 11:14–15: Shelach fathers Eiver
• Unit 5 — Bereshit 11:16–17: Eiver fathers Peleg
• Unit 6 — Bereshit 11:18–19: Peleg fathers Re’u
• Unit 7 — Bereshit 11:20–21: Re’u fathers Serug
• Unit 8 — Bereshit 11:22–23: Serug fathers Nachor
• Unit 9 — Bereshit 11:24–25: The years of Nachor
• Unit 10 — Bereshit 11:26–32: Terach’s family and the journey to Charan
• Conclusion of the aliyah
• Aramaic word list for the aliyah
• Source note

Orientation

What happens in this aliyah. The last aliyah of Noach has two parts. In the first (11:1-9), humanity, speaking one language, settles in a valley and sets out to build a city and a tower whose top will reach the heavens, so as to make a name and not be scattered; Hashem confounds their language and scatters them over the earth, and the city is called Bavel. In the second (11:10-32), a genealogy runs in ten generations from Sheim to Terach, each link recording a father’s age at the birth of his son and the years he lived afterwards. It ends with Terach’s family: Haran dies in Ur Kasdim, Avram and Nachor marry, Sarai is barren, and Terach sets out with Avram, Sarai and Lot toward Canaan but settles and dies in Charan.

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.

• How Hashem acts. Where the Hebrew says that Hashem ‘descended’, Onkelos says He ‘was revealed’ (וְאִתְגְּלֵי, 11:5; 11:7), and His coming ‘to see’ the city becomes coming ‘to exact retribution for the deeds’ (לְאִתְפְּרָעָא עַל עוֹבָדֵי) of the builders.
• Familiar names for places. Shinar is called ‘the land of Bavel’ (בְּאַרְעָא דְבָבֶל, 11:2), anticipating the naming of the city in 11:9.
• Words that bind the story together. The root בדר renders the Hebrew פוץ, ‘scatter’, all three times it occurs (11:4, 11:8, 11:9), and the root מנע links ‘nothing will be withheld from them’ (11:6) with the builders ‘holding back’ from building (11:8).
• What happens to the wordplay. The Hebrew sound-plays fare differently in Aramaic: ‘let us brick bricks’ and the pair hemar and homer lose their echo (11:3), while the link between Bavel and ‘jumble’ survives in the Aramaic verb balbel (11:9).
• The tower’s top. The verbless Hebrew ‘its top in the heavens’ becomes a tower ‘reaching toward the heavens’ (מָטֵי עַד צֵית שְׁמַיָּא, 11:4).
• The idiom of the genealogy. The numbers are given with the larger figure first, ‘years’ is named once and in the plural (שְׁנִין), and ‘after his begetting’ becomes the clause בָּתַר דְּאוֹלִיד, ‘after he had’.
• One Hebrew verb, two Aramaic verbs. ‘Took’ (vayikah) becomes וּנְסִיב when Avram and Nachor take wives (11:29) and וּדְבַר, ‘led’, when Terach takes his family on the journey (11:31).

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 11:1–9: The tower of Bavel

Humanity, speaking one language, settles in a valley and sets out to build a city and a tower; Hashem confounds their language and scatters them, and the city is named Bavel.

Bereshit 11:1

Torah

Translation

The whole earth had one language, and conforming words.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

The whole earth had one language, and one speech.

What Onkelos tells us

• “One language”. The Hebrew safah is literally ‘lip’; Onkelos uses his usual word for language, לִישָׁן, ‘tongue’, as he does again for safah in 11:6, 11:7 and 11:9.
• “And one speech”. The Hebrew has a plural, devarim ahadim, literally ‘words that are one’. Onkelos turns it into a singular noun, וּמַמְלָל חָד, ‘one speech’, using the same numeral had as in the first half. The parallel between the two halves of the verse thus becomes exact; the plural sense of ‘words’ is lost.

Words to note: לִישָׁן lishan — language (שָׂפָה) · וּמַמְלָל u-mamlal — and speech (וּדְבָרִים) · חָד had — one (אֶחָת)

Bereshit 11:2

Torah

Translation

When they journeyed from the east, they found a valley in the land of Shinar and they settled there.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

When they journeyed at first, they found a valley in the land of Bavel and they settled there.

What Onkelos tells us

• “At first”. The Hebrew מִקֶּדֶם can mean ‘from the east’ or ‘from before, earlier’. Onkelos renders בְּקַדְמֵיתָא, ‘at the beginning, at first’, the temporal sense, so the verse tells when they journeyed rather than from where. This reading of the ambiguous word is an interpretive choice.
• “The land of Bavel”. The Hebrew names the region Shinar; Onkelos gives it its familiar name, בְּאַרְעָא דְבָבֶל, ‘the land of Bavel’. The substitution anticipates the naming of the city in 11:9.
• Vocabulary. וְאַשְׁכָּחוּ, ‘they found’, is the regular Aramaic for the Hebrew matza; וִיתִיבוּ, ‘they settled’, is from יתב, the Aramaic counterpart of ישב.

Words to note: בְּמִטַּלְהוֹן be-mitalhon — when they journeyed (בְּנׇסְעָם) · בְּקַדְמֵיתָא be-kadmeita — at first (מִקֶּדֶם) · וְאַשְׁכָּחוּ ve-ashkahu — they found (וַיִּמְצְאוּ) · בִקְעֲתָא vik’ata — a valley (בִקְעָה) · דְבָבֶל de-Vavel — of Bavel (שִׁנְעָר)

Bereshit 11:3

Torah

Translation

They said one to another, Come, let us mold bricks and bake them thoroughly. They then had bricks to use as stone, and the clay for mortar.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

They said one to another, Come, let us cast bricks and burn them in a burning fire (another reading: in fire). They then had bricks to use as stone, and the clay for mortar.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Let us cast bricks”. The Hebrew נִלְבְּנָה לְבֵנִים is a cognate pair, ‘let us brick bricks’. Onkelos writes נִרְמֵי לִבְנִין, ‘let us cast (literally throw) bricks’, with a verb from a different root (רמי), so the sound-play of the first pair is not kept.
• “Burn them in a burning fire”. The second Hebrew pair, וְנִשְׂרְפָה לִשְׂרֵפָה, ‘let us burn for burning’, is kept as a cognate pair in the printed text with a different root: וְנוֹקְדִינוּן בְּנוּרָא יוֹקַדְתָּא, ‘and let us burn them in a burning fire’, both verb and adjective from יקד. Onkelos adds the word ‘fire’ and an object suffix, ‘them’, which the Hebrew leaves implicit. The printed text then notes in parentheses an alternative reading with ‘in fire’ alone, without the adjective.
• “One to another”. The Hebrew idiom ‘a man to his fellow’ is matched word for word: גְּבַר לְחַבְרֵהּ. ‘Come’ is the plural הָבוּ, since a group is addressed.
• “Clay … mortar”. The Hebrew plays on וְהַחֵמָר and לַחֹמֶר, two words of similar sound. Onkelos keeps the first as וְחֵימָרָא but renders the second לְשִׁיעַ, ‘plaster, mortar’, so the play on sound is lost. Bricks and stone are לְבִנְתָּא and לְאַבְנָא.
• Textual note. The Yemenite text reads וְנִשְׂרוֹפִנּוּן בְּנוּרָא, ‘and let us burn them in fire’, with a verb from שרף, the root of the Hebrew, and without ‘burning’. The point above that Onkelos keeps the cognate pair with the root יקד holds for the printed text only.

Words to note: נִרְמֵי nirmei — let us cast (נִלְבְּנָה) · לִבְנִין livnin — bricks (לְבֵנִים) · וְנוֹקְדִינוּן ve-nokdinun — and let us burn them (וְנִשְׂרְפָה) · יוֹקַדְתָּא yokadta — burning (לִשְׂרֵפָה) · וְחֵימָרָא ve-heimara — and the clay (וְהַחֵמָר) · לְשִׁיעַ le-shi’a — for mortar (לַחֹמֶר)

Bereshit 11:4

Torah

Translation

Then they said, Come, we will build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach the heavens. Thus we will make ourselves a name, so that we will not be scattered all over the face of the earth.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Then they said, Come, we will build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches toward the heavens. Thus we will make ourselves a name, so that we will not be scattered all over the face of the earth.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Whose top reaches toward the heavens”. The Hebrew has no verb: וְרֹאשׁוֹ בַשָּׁמַיִם, ‘and its top in the heavens’. Onkelos supplies one, וְרֵישֵׁהּ מָטֵי עַד צֵית שְׁמַיָּא, ‘and its top reaching toward the heavens’. The tower no longer stands ‘in’ heaven but reaches in its direction; this may be a softening of the builders’ boast, or simply a way of making the hyperbolic Hebrew read naturally.
• “So that we will not be scattered”. The Hebrew פֶּן is rendered דִּילְמָא, ‘lest’, and the verb נָפוּץ by נִתְבַּדַּר, from בדר. The same Aramaic root renders the Hebrew פוץ again in 11:8 and 11:9, so the builders’ fear and its fulfilment are tied together in the Aramaic as in the Hebrew.
• Vocabulary. ‘City’ is קַרְתָּא, ‘tower’ וּמַגְדְּלָא, ‘name’ שׁוּם, and the plural ‘Come’ הָבוּ, as in 11:3.

Words to note: קַרְתָּא karta — a city (עִיר) · וּמַגְדְּלָא u-magdela — and a tower (וּמִגְדָּל) · מָטֵי matei — reaches · צֵית tzeit — toward · דִּילְמָא dilma — so that … not (פֶּן) · נִתְבַּדַּר nitbadar — we will be scattered (נָפוּץ)

Bereshit 11:5

Torah

Translation

Hashem descended to see the city and the tower that the sons of man built.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Hashem was revealed to exact retribution for the deeds of the city and the tower that the sons of man built.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Hashem was revealed”. For וַיֵּרֶד, ‘He descended’, Onkelos writes וְאִתְגְּלֵי, ‘was revealed’. Physical movement is not ascribed to God; this is consistent with his practice of rephrasing such language, perhaps to avoid suggesting that God changes place.
• “To exact retribution for the deeds”. The Hebrew לִרְאֹת, ‘to see’, becomes לְאִתְפְּרָעָא עַל עוֹבָדֵי, ‘to exact retribution for the deeds of’. The change removes the implication that God needed to look in order to know, and it states openly what the Hebrew leaves to the reader: that the purpose of the visit was judgment. This is an interpretation, not a translation of the word.
• “The sons of man”. בְּנֵי אֱנָשָׁא renders the Hebrew literally.
• Textual note. The Yemenite text has the singular עוֹבָד, ‘the work of’, for the printed plural ‘the deeds of’. The sense is similar, but the singular could be read as the construction work itself rather than the builders’ conduct.

Words to note: וְאִתְגְּלֵי ve-itgelei — was revealed (וַיֵּרֶד) · לְאִתְפְּרָעָא le-itpera’a — to exact retribution (לִרְאֹת) · עוֹבָדֵי ovadei — the deeds of · אֱנָשָׁא enasha — man (הָאָדָם)

Bereshit 11:6

Torah

Translation

Hashem said, Behold, they are one people, all having one language, and this is their first undertaking. Now will nothing be unattainable for them, [to do] whatever they have a mind to do?

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Hashem said, Behold, they are one people, all having one language, and this is what they have begun to do. Now will nothing be withheld from them, [to do] whatever they have thought to do?

What Onkelos tells us

• “What they have begun to do”. The Hebrew הַחִלָּם is a noun with a suffix, ‘their beginning’. Onkelos uses a relative clause with a finite verb, וְדֵין דְּשָׁרִיוּ, ‘and this which they have begun’. The meaning is the same; the construction is smoothed.
• “Will nothing be withheld”. For יִבָּצֵר, ‘be unattainable’, Onkelos writes יִתִּמְנַע, ‘be withheld, be prevented’, from מנע. The same root appears in 11:8, where the builders ‘held back’ from building, so the Aramaic links the two verses in a way the Hebrew, with two different roots, does not.
• “They have thought”. The Hebrew יָזְמוּ, ‘they have a mind, they plan’, is rendered דִחַשִּׁיבוּ, from חשב, ‘think, plan’.
• “One language”. As in 11:1, safah is rendered lishan, and the Hebrew particle hen is הָא, ‘behold’.

Words to note: עַמָּא amma — people (עַם) · דְּשָׁרִיוּ de-shariu — which they have begun (הַחִלָּם) · יִתִּמְנַע yitimna — be withheld (יִבָּצֵר) · דִחַשִּׁיבוּ di-hashivu — which they have thought (יָזְמוּ) · וּכְעַן u-khe’an — now (וְעַתָּה)

Bereshit 11:7

Torah

Translation

Come, let us descend and jumble their language, that they will not understand one another’s language.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Come, let us be revealed and jumble their language there, that they will not understand one (another reading: man) another’s language.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Let us be revealed”. As in 11:5, the Hebrew נֵרְדָה, ‘let us descend’, becomes נִתְגְּלִי, ‘let us be revealed’.
• “Jumble”. The Hebrew וְנָבְלָה, from בלל, is rendered וּנְבַלְבֵּל, from the reduplicated root בלבל, ‘confuse, jumble’. The same verb renders balal in 11:9, where it carries the play on the name Bavel.
• “One another’s language”. The Hebrew idiom ‘a man … the lip of his fellow’ becomes אֱנַשׁ לִישָׁן חַבְרֵהּ, ‘a person … the language of his fellow’. The printed text adds גְּבַר in parentheses, the word used for ‘man’ in the same idiom in 11:3, as an alternative to אֱנַשׁ. The word ‘there’, which Metsudah leaves untranslated, is rendered תַּמָּן.
• Textual note. The Yemenite text lacks the parenthesized גְּבַר and reads only אֲנָשׁ.

Words to note: נִתְגְּלִי nitgeli — let us be revealed (נֵרְדָה) · וּנְבַלְבֵּל u-nevalbel — and jumble (וְנָבְלָה) · לִישָׁנְהוֹן lishanhon — their language (שְׂפָתָם) · אֱנַשׁ enash — one (אִישׁ) · חַבְרֵהּ havreh — another’s (רֵעֵהוּ)

Bereshit 11:8

Torah

Translation

Hashem scattered them from there all over the face of the earth, and they stopped building the city.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Hashem scattered them from there all over the face of the earth, and they held back from building (another reading: and was held back from building) the city.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Scattered”. The Hebrew וַיָּפֶץ is rendered וּבַדַּר, from בדר, the root used for the builders’ fear in 11:4.
• “They held back from building”. For וַיַּחְדְּלוּ, ‘they stopped’, the printed text has וּמְנָעוּ לְמִבְנֵי, ‘they held back from building’, from מנע, the root of ‘be withheld’ in 11:6. In the Hebrew God says nothing will be beyond them and they then ‘cease’; in the Aramaic, nothing will be ‘withheld’ from them and they are in the end ‘held back’. The echo may be deliberate, but it may also simply reflect a common verb.
• The alternative reading. The printed text notes in parentheses וְאִתְמְנָע מִלְּמִבְנֵי, a reflexive-passive form, ‘[it] was held back from building’. Such a form suggests that the builders were stopped, rather than that they chose to stop.
• Textual note. The Yemenite text reads וְאִתְמְנַעוּ מִלְּמִבְנֵי, ‘and they were held back from building’, a plural reflexive-passive close to the printed alternative reading. On this reading the stopping is something done to the builders rather than their own choice.

Words to note: וּבַדַּר u-vadar — scattered (וַיָּפֶץ) · מִתַּמָּן mi-tamman — from there (מִשָּׁם) · וּמְנָעוּ u-mena’u — and they held back (וַיַּחְדְּלוּ) · לְמִבְנֵי le-mivnei — from building (לִבְנֹת)

Bereshit 11:9

Torah

Translation

Therefore He called its name, Bavel, for this was the place where Hashem jumbled the language of all the earth; and from there, Hashem scattered them all over the face of the earth.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Therefore He called its name, Bavel, for this was the place where Hashem jumbled the language of all the earth; and from there, Hashem scattered them all over the face of the earth.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Bavel … jumbled”. The Hebrew explains the name בָּבֶל by the verb בָּלַל, ‘jumbled’. Onkelos keeps the name and renders the verb בַּלְבֵּל, from בלבל, as in 11:7. The Aramaic verb shares the letters ב and ל with the name, so the wordplay survives translation, though less closely than in the Hebrew.
• “Scattered them”. הֱפִיצָם is rendered בַּדָּרִנּוּן, from בדר, as in 11:4 and 11:8. In this passage the Hebrew root פוץ occurs three times (11:4, 11:8, 11:9), and Onkelos renders it each time with בדר.
• Otherwise literal. ‘For’ is אֲרֵי and ‘there’ תַמָּן; ‘language’ is again לִישַׁן for safah.

Words to note: בָּבֶל Bavel — Bavel (בָּבֶל) · אֲרֵי arei — for (כִּי) · בַּלְבֵּל balbel — jumbled (בָּלַל) · בַּדָּרִנּוּן badarinnun — scattered them (הֱפִיצָם)

Unit 1 summary

Onkelos follows the narrative closely but makes several consistent changes. Language about God is rephrased: Hashem’s ‘descending’ becomes being ‘revealed’ (11:5, 11:7), and His coming ‘to see’ the city becomes coming ‘to exact retribution for the deeds’ of the builders, which may reflect a reluctance to speak of God moving or needing to look. Places are given their familiar names: Shinar is ‘the land of Bavel’. The tower’s top, ‘in the heavens’ in the Hebrew, is a tower ‘reaching toward the heavens’. Single Aramaic roots tie the story together: בדר serves for ‘be scattered’ and ‘scatter’ in 11:4, 11:8 and 11:9, and מנע links ‘nothing will be withheld from them’ (11:6) with the builders ‘holding back’ from building (11:8). The Hebrew’s sound-plays fare differently: the cognate pair ‘let us mold bricks’ is lost, the play of hemar and homer is lost, but the link between Bavel and the verb ‘jumble’ survives in the Aramaic balbel.

Unit 2 — Bereshit 11:10–11: The generations of Sheim begin

The genealogy from Sheim to Avram opens: Sheim fathers Arpachshad two years after the Flood and lives five hundred years more.

Bereshit 11:10

Torah

Translation

These are the histories of Sheim. Sheim was one hundred years old, and he had Arpachshad two years after the Flood.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

These are the histories of Sheim. Sheim was one hundred years old, and he had Arpachshad two years after the Flood.

What Onkelos tells us

• A literal rendering. The Flood is טּוֹפָנָא, Onkelos’ regular word for the Hebrew mabbul. The idiom changes slightly with the numbers: the singular שָׁנָה after ‘hundred’ becomes the plural שְׁנִין, and the dual שְׁנָתַיִם, ‘two years’, becomes תַּרְתֵּין שְׁנִין.

Words to note: תּוּלְדַת tuldat — the histories of (תּוֹלְדֹת) · בַּר bar — old (literally son of) (בֶּן) · וְאוֹלִיד ve-olid — and he had (וַיּוֹלֶד) · טּוֹפָנָא tofana — the Flood (הַמַּבּוּל)

Bereshit 11:11

Torah

Translation

Sheim lived after he had Arpachshad, five hundred years, and he had sons and daughters.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Sheim lived after he had Arpachshad, five hundred years, and he had sons and daughters.

What Onkelos tells us

• A literal rendering. The Hebrew infinitive with a suffix, הוֹלִידוֹ, ‘his begetting’, becomes a relative clause, בָּתַר דְּאוֹלִיד, ‘after he had’. As in 11:10, the singular shanah after the number becomes the plural שְׁנִין.

Words to note: בָּתַר batar — after (אַחֲרֵי) · דְּאוֹלִיד de-olid — he had (הוֹלִידוֹ) · בְּנִין benin — sons (בָּנִים) · וּבְנָן u-venan — and daughters (וּבָנוֹת)

Unit 2 summary

The genealogy is rendered literally. The changes are matters of Aramaic idiom: the plural shenin, ‘years’, stands after numbers where the Hebrew has the singular shanah; the dual shenatayim becomes the numeral tartein shenin, ‘two years’; and the Hebrew infinitive with a suffix, ‘after his begetting’, becomes a relative clause, ‘after he had’.

Unit 3 — Bereshit 11:12–13: Arpachshad fathers Shelach

Arpachshad has Shelach at thirty-five and lives four hundred and three years more, having further sons and daughters.

Bereshit 11:12

Torah

Translation

Arpachshad lived thirty-five years and had Shelach.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Arpachshad lived thirty and five years and had Shelach.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Arpachshad lived”. The Hebrew opens with the subject and the stative form חַי (hai), not the narrative וַיְחִי used elsewhere in the chain. Onkelos keeps the subject-first order and uses חֲיָא (haya), the same verb he uses for וַיְחִי in the following verses, so the formal distinction between the two Hebrew forms is not reproduced in the Aramaic.
• “Thirty and five years”. The Hebrew counts units first, חָמֵשׁ וּשְׁלֹשִׁים (“five and thirty”); Onkelos puts the tens first, תְּלָתִין וַחֲמֵשׁ (“thirty and five”). The Hebrew singular שָׁנָה becomes the plural שְׁנִין (shenin).
• “And had”. The Hebrew consecutive וַיּוֹלֶד is rendered with vav and the perfect of the causative (af’el) of the same root, וְאוֹלִיד (ve-olid); the object marker אֶת becomes יָת (yat). The name keeps the Hebrew vocalization of this verse, שָׁלַח, which in the Hebrew is the pausal form.

Words to note: חֲיָא haya — lived (חַי) · תְּלָתִין telatin — thirty (וּשְׁלֹשִׁים) · שְׁנִין shenin — years (שָׁנָה) · וְאוֹלִיד ve-olid — and had (וַיּוֹלֶד) · יָת yat — [object marker] (אֶת)

Bereshit 11:13

Torah

Translation

Arpachshad lived, after he had Shelach, four hundred and three years, and he had sons and daughters.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Arpachshad lived, after he had Shelach, four hundred and three years, and he had sons and daughters.

What Onkelos tells us

• “After he had”. The Hebrew uses a preposition with an infinitive and suffix, אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ (literally “after his begetting”). Onkelos turns it into a clause: בָּתַר דְּאוֹלִיד (batar de-olid), literally “after that he had”, with a finite verb and the relative particle ד-; the English “after he had” covers both words. This is ordinary Aramaic idiom rather than a change of sense.
• “Four hundred and three years”. The Hebrew gives the small number first and repeats the noun: שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה (“three years and four hundred year”). Onkelos reverses the order, puts the hundreds first and uses the noun once: אַרְבַּע מְאָה וּתְלָת שְׁנִין.
• “Sons and daughters”. בְּנִין וּבְנָן (benin u-venan) render בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת literally; the narrative verb וַיּוֹלֶד again becomes וְאוֹלִיד.

Words to note: בָּתַר batar — after (אַחֲרֵי) · דְּאוֹלִיד de-olid — he had (הוֹלִידוֹ) · מְאָה me’a — hundred (מֵאוֹת) · וּתְלָת u-telat — and three (שָׁלֹשׁ) · בְּנִין benin — sons (בָּנִים) · וּבְנָן u-venan — and daughters (וּבָנוֹת)

Unit 3 summary

These two verses set the pattern for the whole chain. Onkelos follows the Hebrew word for word, but in a few regular ways: the narrative verb forms become vav with the perfect, the infinitive phrase “after his begetting” becomes a clause with a finite verb, compound numbers are given with the larger element first, and the Hebrew’s mix of singular and plural “year” is levelled to a single plural noun. None of these changes affects the content; they suggest a translator rendering the sense in natural Aramaic while keeping the Hebrew’s sentence order.

Unit 4 — Bereshit 11:14–15: Shelach fathers Eiver

Shelach has Eiver at thirty and lives four hundred and three years more.

Bereshit 11:14

Torah

Translation

Shelach lived thirty years and had Eiver.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Shelach lived thirty years and had Eiver.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Shelach lived”. A literal rendering. As in 11:12, the Hebrew has the subject first with חַי, and Onkelos keeps that order with חֲיָא; the Hebrew singular שָׁנָה becomes the plural שְׁנִין.

Words to note: חֲיָא haya — lived (חַי) · תְּלָתִין telatin — thirty (שְׁלֹשִׁים) · שְׁנִין shenin — years (שָׁנָה)

Bereshit 11:15

Torah

Translation

After he had Eiver, Shelach lived four hundred and three years, and he had sons and daughters.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Shelach lived, after he had Eiver, four hundred and three years, and he had sons and daughters.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Shelach lived, after he had Eiver”. The pattern of 11:13 recurs: the Hebrew narrative וַיְחִי becomes וַחֲיָא (vav with the perfect), and אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ becomes the clause בָּתַר דְּאוֹלִיד. The Aramaic keeps the Hebrew word order, with the verb before the subject.
• “Four hundred and three years”. As in 11:13, the Hebrew “three years and four hundred year” is reordered with the hundreds first and a single plural שְׁנִין.

Words to note: וַחֲיָא va-haya — and lived (וַיְחִי) · בָּתַר batar — after (אַחֲרֵי) · דְּאוֹלִיד de-olid — he had (הוֹלִידוֹ)

Unit 4 summary

Onkelos repeats exactly the treatment of the previous pair: subject-first order kept where the Hebrew has it, the same verb for both Hebrew forms of “lived”, the clause “after he had” with a finite verb, and the reordered number with a single plural “years”.

Unit 5 — Bereshit 11:16–17: Eiver fathers Peleg

Eiver has Peleg at thirty-four and lives four hundred and thirty years more.

Bereshit 11:16

Torah

Translation

Eiver lived thirty-four years and had Peleg.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Eiver lived thirty and four years and had Peleg.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Thirty and four years”. The Hebrew אַרְבַּע וּשְׁלֹשִׁים (“four and thirty”) is reordered tens first, תְּלָתִין וְאַרְבַּע, as in 11:12; the Hebrew singular שָׁנָה becomes the plural שְׁנִין.
• The name Peleg. Onkelos copies the name as vocalized in this verse, פָּלֶג, matching the Hebrew pausal form, while in 11:17 he has פֶּלֶג, again matching the Hebrew there. This may suggest that the names were taken over from the Hebrew vowel by vowel rather than given a fixed Aramaic form.

Words to note: וַחֲיָא va-haya — and lived (וַיְחִי) · וְאַרְבַּע ve-arba — and four (אַרְבַּע)

Bereshit 11:17

Torah

Translation

After he had Peleg, Eiver lived four hundred and thirty years, and he had sons and daughters.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Eiver lived, after he had Peleg, four hundred and thirty years, and he had sons and daughters.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Four hundred and thirty years”. The Hebrew שְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה (“thirty year and four hundred year”) uses the singular noun twice. Onkelos gives אַרְבַּע מְאָה וּתְּלָתִין שְׁנִין: hundreds first, then tens, and one plural noun.
• “After he had Peleg”. As in 11:13, the infinitive phrase אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ becomes the clause בָּתַר דְּאוֹלִיד.

Words to note: אַרְבַּע arba — four (וְאַרְבַּע) · מְאָה me’a — hundred (מֵאוֹת) · שְׁנִין shenin — years (שָׁנָה)

Unit 5 summary

The numbers are again reordered, tens before units and hundreds before tens, with the Hebrew’s two singular nouns in 11:17 reduced to one plural. The name Peleg appears in two vocalizations that match the Hebrew of each verse, which may indicate that Onkelos followed the Hebrew vowels of names closely.

Unit 6 — Bereshit 11:18–19: Peleg fathers Re’u

Peleg has Re’u at thirty and lives two hundred and nine years more.

Bereshit 11:18

Torah

Translation

Peleg lived thirty years and had Re’u.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Peleg lived thirty years and had Re’u.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Peleg lived thirty years”. A literal rendering, with the narrative וַיְחִי as וַחֲיָא and the singular שָׁנָה as the plural שְׁנִין. The name פֶלֶג follows the Hebrew פֶלֶג exactly, including the absence of the dagesh in the first letter after the preceding vowel.

Words to note: וַחֲיָא va-haya — and lived (וַיְחִי) · וְאוֹלִיד ve-olid — and had (וַיּוֹלֶד)

Bereshit 11:19

Torah

Translation

After he had Re’u, Peleg lived two hundred and nine years, and had sons and daughters.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Peleg lived, after he had Re’u, two hundred and nine years, and had sons and daughters.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Two hundred and nine years”. The Hebrew תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים וּמָאתַיִם שָׁנָה (“nine years and two hundred year”) is reordered: מָאתָן וּתְשַׁע שְׁנִין. The Hebrew dual וּמָאתַיִם (“two hundred”) has its Aramaic counterpart in מָאתָן (matan).
• “After he had Re’u”. The infinitive phrase אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ again becomes בָּתַר דְּאוֹלִיד.

Words to note: מָאתָן matan — two hundred (וּמָאתַיִם) · וּתְשַׁע u-tesha — and nine (תֵּשַׁע) · דְּאוֹלִיד de-olid — he had (הוֹלִידוֹ)

Unit 6 summary

A literal pair apart from the regular adjustments. The Hebrew dual for “two hundred” has its Aramaic counterpart, and the number is again given with the hundreds first and a single plural noun.

Unit 7 — Bereshit 11:20–21: Re’u fathers Serug

Re’u has Serug at thirty-two and lives two hundred and seven years more.

Bereshit 11:20

Torah

Translation

Re’u lived thirty-two years and had Serug.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Re’u lived thirty and two years and had Serug.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Thirty and two years”. The Hebrew שְׁתַּיִם וּשְׁלֹשִׁים (“two and thirty”) is reordered tens first, תְּלָתִין וְתַרְתֵּין. The Aramaic וְתַרְתֵּין (ve-tartein) is the feminine form, agreeing with שְׁנִין, as the Hebrew שְׁתַּיִם agrees with שָׁנָה.

Words to note: וְתַרְתֵּין ve-tartein — and two (שְׁתַּיִם) · שְׁנִין shenin — years (שָׁנָה)

Bereshit 11:21

Torah

Translation

After he had Serug, Re’u lived two hundred and seven years, and had sons and daughters.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Re’u lived, after he had Serug, two hundred and seven years, and had sons and daughters.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Two hundred and seven years”. The Hebrew שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים וּמָאתַיִם שָׁנָה (“seven years and two hundred year”) becomes מָאתָן וּשְׁבַע שְׁנִין, hundreds first with a single plural noun, exactly as in 11:19.
• “After he had Serug”. As in the other verses of this pattern, אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ becomes בָּתַר דְּאוֹלִיד.

Words to note: מָאתָן matan — two hundred (וּמָאתַיִם) · וּשְׁבַע u-sheva — and seven (שֶׁבַע)

Unit 7 summary

The same pattern again: “two and thirty” becomes “thirty and two”, with the feminine numeral agreeing with “years” as in the Hebrew, and “seven years and two hundred year” becomes “two hundred and seven years”.

Unit 8 — Bereshit 11:22–23: Serug fathers Nachor

Serug has Nachor at thirty and lives two hundred years more.

Bereshit 11:22

Torah

Translation

Serug lived thirty years and had Nachor.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Serug lived thirty years and had Nachor.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Serug lived thirty years”. A literal rendering: וַיְחִי as וַחֲיָא, שְׁלֹשִׁים as תְּלָתִין, and the singular שָׁנָה as the plural שְׁנִין.

Words to note: תְּלָתִין telatin — thirty (שְׁלֹשִׁים) · יָת yat — [object marker] (אֶת)

Bereshit 11:23

Torah

Translation

After he had Nachor, Serug lived two hundred years, and had sons and daughters.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Serug lived, after he had Nachor, two hundred years, and had sons and daughters.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Two hundred years”. Here there is no compound number to reorder; the only change is the noun, the Hebrew singular שָׁנָה after מָאתַיִם becoming the plural שְׁנִין after מָאתָן.
• “And had sons and daughters”. The closing formula, וַיּוֹלֶד בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת rendered וְאוֹלִיד בְּנִין וּבְנָן, is translated identically in each of the eight verses of this pattern (11:11-11:25).

Words to note: דְּאוֹלִיד de-olid — he had (הוֹלִידוֹ) · מָאתָן matan — two hundred (מָאתַיִם) · וְאוֹלִיד ve-olid — and had (וַיּוֹלֶד)

Unit 8 summary

With no compound number in either verse, the only differences are the plural “years” and the regular clause “after he had” with a finite verb. The closing formula “and had sons and daughters” is rendered in the same words throughout the chain.

Unit 9 — Bereshit 11:24–25: The years of Nachor

The genealogy from Sheim continues with Nachor, who fathers Terach at twenty-nine and lives on for another hundred and nineteen years.

Bereshit 11:24

Torah

Translation

Nachor lived twenty-nine years and had Terach.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Nachor lived twenty and nine years and had Terach.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Twenty and nine years”. The Hebrew counts upward, tesha ve-esrim shanah, ‘nine and twenty year’; Onkelos puts the tens first, esrin u-tesha shenin, and uses the plural shenin where the Hebrew has the singular shanah after the number. Both are matters of Aramaic usage; the figure is unchanged.
• “And had”. The causative verb ve-olid matches the Hebrew vayoled, ‘he begot’. Otherwise a literal rendering.

Words to note: וַחֲיָא va-haya — lived (וַיְחִי) · עֶשְׂרִין esrin — twenty (וְעֶשְׂרִים) · וּתְשַׁע u-tesha — and nine (תֵּשַׁע) · שְׁנִין shenin — years (שָׁנָה) · וְאוֹלִיד ve-olid — and had (וַיּוֹלֶד)

Bereshit 11:25

Torah

Translation

After he had Terach, Nachor lived one hundred and nineteen years, and had sons and daughters.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

After he had Terach, Nachor lived one hundred and nineteen years, and had sons and daughters.

What Onkelos tells us

• “After he had”. The Hebrew uses an infinitive with a pronoun suffix, aharei holido, literally ‘after his begetting’. Onkelos turns it into a finite clause, batar de-olid, ‘after [the time] that he had’, using the same verb as at the end of the verse. A routine smoothing into Aramaic idiom.
• “One hundred and nineteen years”. The Hebrew reads ‘nineteen year and a hundred year’, naming ‘year’ twice. Onkelos reverses the order, mea u-tesha asar shenin, ‘a hundred and nineteen years’, and says ‘years’ only once, in the plural.
• “Sons and daughters”. Benin u-venan is the regular Aramaic pair for the Hebrew banim u-vanot.

Words to note: בָּתַר batar — after (אַחֲרֵי) · דְּאוֹלִיד de-olid — that he had (הוֹלִידוֹ) · מְאָה me’a — one hundred (וּמְאַת) · עֲשַׂר asar — -teen (ten) (עֶשְׂרֵה) · בְּנִין benin — sons (בָּנִים) · וּבְנָן u-venan — and daughters (וּבָנוֹת)

Unit 9 summary

Onkelos renders these two formulaic verses almost word for word, using the same Aramaic verbs (haya, ‘lived’, and olid, ‘had’) for the recurring Hebrew verbs. His changes are confined to the numbers: he puts the larger figure first where the Hebrew begins with the smaller, and he says ‘years’ only once, always in the plural shenin. In 11:25 he also turns the Hebrew infinitive construction ‘after his having’ into a finite clause, a routine smoothing into Aramaic idiom.

Unit 10 — Bereshit 11:26–32: Terach’s family and the journey to Charan

Terach’s three sons are named; Haran dies in Ur Kasdim, Avram and Nachor marry, Sarai is barren, and Terach sets out with his family toward Canaan but settles and dies in Charan.

Bereshit 11:26

Torah

Translation

Terach lived seventy years and had Avram, Nachor and Haran.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Terach lived seventy years and had Avram, Nachor and Haran.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Had Avram, Nachor and Haran”. A literal rendering: each name is marked by the object particle yat, as each is marked by et in the Hebrew. As before, the Hebrew singular shanah after the number becomes the plural shenin.

Words to note: שִׁבְעִין shiv’in — seventy (שִׁבְעִים) · יָת yat — [object marker] (אֶת)

Bereshit 11:27

Torah

Translation

These are the histories of Terach. Terach produced Avram, Nachor, and Haran. Haran produced Lot.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

These are the histories of Terach. Terach produced Avram, Nachor, and Haran. Haran produced Lot.

What Onkelos tells us

• “These are the histories”. A literal rendering. The Hebrew formula ve-elleh toledot is matched by ve-illein tuldat, the cognate Aramaic noun, and the verb holid is rendered both times by olid, the same verb Onkelos used for vayoled throughout the genealogy from 11:10.

Words to note: וְאִלֵּין ve-illein — these are (וְאֵלֶּה) · תּוּלְדַת tuldat — the histories of (תּוֹלְדֹת) · אוֹלִיד olid — produced (הוֹלִיד)

Bereshit 11:28

Torah

Translation

Haran died during the lifetime of his father Terach, in the land of his birth in Ur Kasdim.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Haran died during the lifetime of his father Terach, in the land of his birth, in Ur Kasdim.

What Onkelos tells us

• “During the lifetime of”. The Hebrew idiom al penei, literally ‘upon the face of’, is rendered by its exact Aramaic equivalent, al apei. Onkelos keeps the image rather than resolving it, so the Aramaic is as open as the Hebrew to the senses ‘in the presence of’ or ‘during the lifetime of’.
• “In the land of his birth, in Ur Kasdim”. The two Hebrew construct phrases, be-eretz moladto and be-Ur Kasdim, become phrases joined with de-: be-ar’a de-yalladuteh, ‘in the land of his birth’, and be-Ura de-Khasda’ei, ‘in Ur of the Kasdim’. The place name takes the Aramaic emphatic ending (Ura), and Kasdim is given the Aramaic gentilic plural Kasda’ei. These are grammatical adjustments; the meaning is unchanged.
• “His father”. Avuhi is the regular Aramaic for aviv, ‘his father’.
• Textual note. The Yemenite text reads here ba-ara yalladuteh be-Ur de-khasda’ei: a direct construct ‘in the land of his birth’, closer to the Hebrew, and the place name Ur without the emphatic ending. The point above about Ura holds for the printed text only.

Words to note: וּמִית u-mit — died (וַיָּמׇת) · אַפֵּי apei — during the lifetime of (literally ‘the face of’) (פְּנֵי) · אֲבוּהִי avuhi — his father (אָבִיו) · דְּיַלָּדוּתֵהּ de-yalladuteh — of his birth (מוֹלַדְתּוֹ) · בְּאוּרָא be-Ura — in Ur (בְּאוּר) · דְכַסְדָּאֵי de-Khasda’ei — [of the] Kasdim (כַּשְׂדִּים)

Bereshit 11:29

Torah

Translation

Avram and Nachor married. The name of Avram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nachor’s wife was Milkah, the daughter of Haran [who was] the father of Milkah and Yiskah.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Avram and Nachor took for themselves wives. The name of Avram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nachor’s wife was Milkah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milkah and the father of Yiskah.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Took for themselves wives”. The Hebrew vayikah, ‘took’, is rendered by u-nesiv, the Aramaic verb used for taking a wife. In 11:31 the same Hebrew verb, vayikah, is rendered by a different verb, u-devar. Onkelos thus divides one Hebrew verb into two Aramaic ones according to context, which suggests he read ‘took’ here specifically as marriage. Like the Hebrew, the Aramaic verb is singular with a double subject.
• “The father of Milkah and the father of Yiskah”. The Hebrew construct avi is rendered by avuha with de- (avuha de-Milkah, va-avuha de-Yiskah), and, as in the Hebrew, ‘father’ is repeated for each daughter.
• “The name of”. Shum and ittat are the regular Aramaic equivalents of shem and eshet. Otherwise a literal rendering.

Words to note: וּנְסִיב u-nesiv — took (וַיִּקַּח) · לְהוֹן lehon — for themselves (לָהֶם) · נְשִׁין neshin — wives (נָשִׁים) · שׁוּם shum — the name of (שֵׁם) · אִתַּת ittat — the wife of (אֵשֶׁת) · אֲבוּהָא avuha — the father (אֲבִי)

Bereshit 11:30

Torah

Translation

Sarai was barren, she had no child.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Sarai was barren, she had no child.

What Onkelos tells us

• “She had no child”. A literal rendering. The Hebrew ein lah valad, ‘there is not to her a child’, keeps its structure in Aramaic, with leit for ein. In the printed text the word for ‘barren’, akarah, is spelled and vocalized exactly as in the Hebrew.
• Textual note. For printed akarah, which is identical to the Hebrew word, the Yemenite text has the Aramaic form akra, spelled with a final alef. The meaning is the same; the observation that the word matches the Hebrew holds for the printed text only.

Words to note: וַהֲוַת va-havat — was (וַתְּהִי) · עֲקָרָה akarah — barren (עֲקָרָה) · לֵית leit — there is not (had no) (אֵין) · וְלָד velad — child (וָלָד)

Bereshit 11:31

Torah

Translation

Terach took his son, Avram, and Lot, the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai, his daughter-in-law, the wife of his son, Avram. With them they departed from Ur Kasdim, to go to the land of Canaan. [When] they came to Charan [however], they settled there.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Terach led his son, Avram, and Lot, the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai, his daughter-in-law, the wife of his son, Avram. With them they departed from Ur Kasdim, to go to the land of Canaan. They came to Charan, and they settled there.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Terach led”. For the Hebrew vayikah, ‘took’, Onkelos writes u-devar, ‘and he led’, from דבר, ‘to lead, conduct’. Two verses earlier the same Hebrew verb became u-nesiv, ‘took [in marriage]’. Here, where people are taken along on a journey, Onkelos chooses a verb of leading, perhaps to indicate that Terach brought them with him rather than ‘took’ them in another sense.
• “His grandson”. Bar Haran bar bereh, ‘the son of Haran, the son of his son’, follows the Hebrew ben-Haran ben-beno word for word.
• “From Ur Kasdim”. As in 11:28, the construct Ur Kasdim becomes me-Ura de-Khasda’ei, with the emphatic ending on the place name and de- for the construct.
• “To the land of Canaan”. The Hebrew artzah Kena’an expresses direction with the ending -ah on ‘land’. Aramaic has no such ending, and Onkelos uses the preposition le- with a de- phrase, le-ar’a di-Khna’an.
• “They departed… they came… they settled”. U-nefaku, va-atu and vitivu are the regular equivalents of vayetz’u, vayavo’u and vayeshvu; tamman renders sham, ‘there’. Charan (Haran, the city) and Haran (the man) remain distinct in the Aramaic as in the Hebrew.
• Textual note. The Yemenite text reads me-Ur, without the emphatic ending, here as in 11:28. The remark about the form Ura holds for the printed text only.

Words to note: וּדְבַר u-devar — led (וַיִּקַּח) · בְּרֵהּ bereh — his son (בְּנוֹ) · כַּלָּתֵהּ kallateh — his daughter-in-law (כַּלָּתוֹ) · וּנְפָקוּ u-nefaku — they departed (וַיֵּצְאוּ) · לְמֵיזַל le-meizal — to go (לָלֶכֶת) · וִיתִיבוּ vitivu — they settled (וַיֵּשְׁבוּ)

Bereshit 11:32

Torah

Translation

The lifetime of Terach was two hundred and five years. Terach died in Charan.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

The lifetime of Terach was two hundred and five years. Terach died in Charan.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Two hundred and five years”. The Hebrew reads ‘five years and two hundred year’, naming ‘year’ twice, once in the plural and once in the singular. Onkelos gives the larger figure first and names ‘years’ once, matan va-hamesh shenin (the printed text vocalizes the number here מָאָתן). As in all the compound numbers of the genealogy, the Hebrew begins with the smaller figure and Onkelos with the larger.
• “The lifetime of Terach”. Yomei Terah, ‘the days of Terach’, renders the Hebrew yemei Terah literally, with a plural verb (va-havo) as in the Hebrew. The closing words are literal.

Words to note: וַהֲווֹ va-havo — was (literally ‘were’) (וַיִּהְיוּ) · וַחֲמֵשׁ va-hamesh — and five (חָמֵשׁ)

Unit 10 summary

Most of this unit is a literal rendering, with Aramaic cognates or standard equivalents for the Hebrew (al apei for al penei, leit for ein, bar for ben). The one notable lexical choice is that the single Hebrew verb ‘took’ (vayikah) in 11:29 and 11:31 becomes two different Aramaic verbs: u-nesiv for taking wives and u-devar for leading the family on the journey, which perhaps reflects a sensitivity to the two senses of the Hebrew verb. Otherwise the differences are grammatical: construct chains become phrases with de- (‘the land of his birth’, ‘Ur of the Kasdim’, ‘the land of Canaan’), the directional ending of artzah becomes the preposition le-, and the numbers are again given larger figure first.

Conclusion of the aliyah

The movement of the aliyah

The aliyah moves from a single humanity gathered in one valley to a single family setting out on a road. In the tower story Onkelos follows the narrative closely, but he rephrases the language of Hashem’s movement and seeing, gives Shinar its familiar name, and uses single Aramaic roots that tie the builders’ fear of being scattered to its fulfilment. The genealogy that follows is rendered almost word for word; the differences are matters of Aramaic idiom in the numbers, the noun ‘years’ and the infinitive ‘after his begetting’. In the closing account of Terach’s family the rendering is again literal, with one notable lexical choice: the single Hebrew verb ‘took’ is divided between taking wives and leading a family on a journey.

What Onkelos tells us in this aliyah

1. “At first” (11:2). For מִקֶּדֶם, which can mean ‘from the east’ or ‘earlier’, Onkelos writes בְּקַדְמֵיתָא, ‘at first’, so the verse tells when they journeyed rather than from where.
2. “The land of Bavel” (11:2). Shinar is given its familiar name, which anticipates the naming of the city in 11:9.
3. “Let us cast bricks” (11:3). The cognate pair ‘let us brick bricks’ is not kept; in the printed text the second pair, ‘burn them in a burning fire’, is kept as a cognate pair with a different root (יקד), though the Yemenite text reads otherwise.
4. “Reaching toward the heavens” (11:4). Onkelos supplies a verb the Hebrew lacks; the note on the verse says this may soften the builders’ boast or may simply make the hyperbole read naturally.
5. “Hashem was revealed” (11:5). וְאִתְגְּלֵי replaces ‘descended’, which the note links to Onkelos’ practice of not ascribing physical movement to God.
6. “To exact retribution for the deeds” (11:5). ‘To see’ becomes a statement of the purpose of the visit, judgment; the note calls this an interpretation, not a translation of the word.
7. “Will nothing be withheld” (11:6). יִתִּמְנַע shares its root with וּמְנָעוּ, ‘they held back’, in 11:8, linking two verses that in the Hebrew use different roots; the note allows that the echo may simply reflect a common verb.
8. “Held back from building” (11:8). The printed alternative reading and the Yemenite text have a reflexive-passive form, which suggests that the builders were stopped rather than that they chose to stop.
9. “Bavel … jumbled” (11:9). בַּלְבֵּל shares the letters ב and ל with the name, so the wordplay survives, though less closely than in the Hebrew.
10. The name Peleg (11:16-17). The name appears in two vocalizations, each matching the Hebrew of its verse, which may indicate that names were taken over from the Hebrew vowel by vowel.
11. “Took” and “led” (11:29, 11:31). The division of vayikah into two Aramaic verbs suggests that Onkelos read ‘took’ in 11:29 specifically as marriage.
12. “During the lifetime of” (11:28). Al penei is rendered by its exact equivalent, al apei, so the Aramaic remains as open as the Hebrew to the senses ‘in the presence of’ and ‘during the lifetime of’.

Recurring features

• Safah becomes lishan. Each of the five occurrences of the Hebrew safah, ‘lip, language’, in the tower story (11:1, 11:6, twice in 11:7, 11:9) is rendered by לִישָׁן, ‘tongue, language’, or a form of it.
• Reverent rephrasing of Hashem’s actions. ‘Descend’ becomes ‘be revealed’ in both 11:5 and 11:7, and ‘to see’ becomes ‘to exact retribution’.
• Numbers reordered. In the compound numbers of the genealogy the Hebrew begins with the smaller figure and Onkelos with the larger: tens before units, hundreds before tens and units.
• A single plural ‘years’. Where the Hebrew has the singular shanah after a number, or names ‘year’ twice, Onkelos uses the plural שְׁנִין once.
• ‘After he had’. In each of the eight verses with aharei holido (11:11, 11:13, 11:15, 11:17, 11:19, 11:21, 11:23, 11:25) Onkelos writes בָּתַר דְּאוֹלִיד, a finite clause in place of the Hebrew infinitive with a suffix.
• A fixed formula. The closing ‘and had sons and daughters’ is rendered with בְּנִין וּבְנָן in the same words in each of those eight verses.
• Construct chains with de-. Phrases such as ‘the land of Bavel’, ‘the land of his birth’, ‘Ur of the Kasdim’ and ‘the land of Canaan’ are expressed with the particle de-, and the directional ending of artzah becomes the preposition le-.

Aliyah takeaway

In this aliyah Onkelos is for the most part a close, literal translator, and his changes in the genealogy are matters of natural Aramaic idiom that leave the content untouched. Where he departs from the words, it is in the tower story and chiefly in what is said about Hashem: He is ‘revealed’ rather than descending, and He comes to exact retribution rather than to see. Alongside these rephrasings, the translation’s choice of single Aramaic roots for ‘scatter’ and for ‘withhold’ and ‘hold back’ keeps the story’s structure audible, even where some of the Hebrew wordplay could not be carried across.

Aramaic word list for the aliyah

Source note

Aliyah boundary. Bereshit 11:1 – 11:32, following the aliyah divisions in Sefaria’s index of Bereshit.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

← Sixth Aliyah

Back to Parashat Noach · Torah with Onkelos