Parashat Vayera — Fourth Aliyah

Torah with Onkelos · Bereshit 19:21 – 21:4 · פרשת וירא, רביעי

The overturning of Sedom, Lot’s daughters, Avraham in Gerar and the birth of Yitzchok, read through Targum Onkelos

Contents

• Orientation
• How this page is laid out
• Unit 1 — Bereshit 19:21–29: Zoar spared, Sedom overturned
• Unit 2 — Bereshit 19:30–38: Lot’s daughters, and the origins of Moav and Ammon
• Unit 3 — Bereshit 20:1–9: Avraham in Gerar, and Avimelech’s dream
• Unit 4 — Bereshit 20:10–18: Avraham’s defense and Avimelech’s restitution
• Unit 5 — Bereshit 21:1–4: The birth and circumcision of Yitzchok
• Conclusion of the aliyah
• Aramaic word list for the aliyah
• Source note

Orientation

What happens in this aliyah. The aliyah opens as Lot is granted Zoar as a refuge and reaches it at sunrise, while Hashem rains sulfur and fire on Sedom and Amorah and overturns the cities of the plain. Lot’s wife looks back and becomes a pillar of salt; Avraham rises early to the place where he had stood and sees the smoke rising like the smoke of a furnace, and the narrator explains that Lot was saved because God remembered Avraham. Lot then settles in a cave with his two daughters, who on two successive nights give him wine and lie with him; their sons, Moav and Ben-Ami, become the ancestors of Moav and Ammon. Avraham moves south to Gerar, again calls Sarah his sister, and King Avimelech takes her. In a night dream Avimelech is warned, pleads his innocence and is told to return her; he confronts Avraham, hears his defense, gives gifts, returns Sarah and offers his land, and Avraham’s prayer brings healing to the household. The aliyah closes with Hashem remembering Sarah, the birth of Yitzchok, and his circumcision at eight days.

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.

• Elokim as Hashem. Every occurrence of Elokim in the aliyah appears in the printed Onkelos as the Name, and Avimelech’s address Adonai (20:4) is also rendered with the Name.
• “Before” in language about God. “From Hashem” becomes “from before Hashem” (19:24), Avraham stands “before Hashem” rather than before His face (19:27), and God’s speech to Avimelech comes as “a word from before Hashem” (20:3, 20:6).
• Interpretive expansions. A few verses are reshaped rather than translated: Avraham’s standing becomes prayer (19:27), God’s causing him to wander becomes the nations straying after idols while Hashem draws Avraham near (20:13), and the “eye covering” becomes compensation of honor for Sarah (20:16).
• Idioms kept and idioms explained. Onkelos keeps some Hebrew idioms word for word (“I have taken your face”, “the way of all the earth”, “son of eight days”) and renders others by their sense (“a man’s wife”, “before them”, “fitting in your eyes”).
• One Aramaic word for two Hebrew words. Watch for places where the Hebrew varies its vocabulary and the Aramaic does not: two verbs of looking, “earth” and “ground”, tzaddik and nikkayon, ve-gam and akh.
• Textual notes. Where the printed text and the Yemenite text differ in a way that affects a note, the difference is marked where it occurs.

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 19:21–29: Zoar spared, Sedom overturned

Lot is granted Zoar as a refuge and reaches it at sunrise; Hashem rains sulfur and fire on Sedom and Amorah and overturns the cities of the plain. Lot’s wife looks back and becomes a pillar of salt, Avraham looks out from the place where he had stood, and the narrator explains that Lot was saved because God remembered Avraham.

Bereshit 19:21

Torah

Translation

He said to him, See I have also given you consideration regarding this. I will not overturn the city that you mentioned.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

He said to him, See I have taken your face [i.e. given you consideration] also regarding this matter, so as not to overturn the city about which you requested.

What Onkelos tells us

• “I have taken your face”. The Hebrew idiom נָשָׂאתִי פָנֶיךָ, literally “I have lifted your face”, means granting a request. Onkelos keeps the idiom rather than explaining it, with נְסֵיבִית (“I have taken”) and אַפָּךְ (“your face”).
• “Regarding this matter”. Hebrew לַדָּבָר becomes לְפִתְגָּמָא, the usual Aramaic noun for “word, matter”; it recurs in 19:22 for Hebrew דָּבָר.
• “So as not to overturn”. The Hebrew לְבִלְתִּי הׇפְכִּי has a first-person suffix: “my not overturning”. The printed Onkelos writes a plain infinitive with a purpose clause, בְּדִיל דְּלָא לְמֵהְפַּךְ, “so as not to overturn”, without the suffix.
• “About which you requested”. The Hebrew says simply “that you spoke” (דִּבַּרְתָּ). Onkelos has דִּבְעִיתָא עֲלַהּ, “that you requested concerning it”, turning speech into petition. This may indicate that he read Lot’s words about the city as a plea rather than a mere mention.
• Textual note. Where the printed text has the bare infinitive לְמֵהְפַּךְ, the Yemenite text reads לְמִהְפְּכִי, with a first-person suffix (“my overturning”), matching the Hebrew הׇפְכִּי. The observation that Onkelos drops the suffix holds for the printed text only.

Words to note: נְסֵיבִית nesevit — I have taken (נָשָׂאתִי) · אַפָּךְ apakh — your face (פָנֶיךָ) · לְפִתְגָּמָא le-fitgama — regarding [the] matter (לַדָּבָר) · לְמֵהְפַּךְ le-mehpakh — to overturn (הׇפְכִּי) · דִּבְעִיתָא div’ita — about which you requested (דִּבַּרְתָּ)

Bereshit 19:22

Torah

Translation

Hurry, escape there, for I can do nothing until you get there. The city was therefore called Zoar.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Hurry to escape there, for I can do nothing until you get there. Therefore he called the name of the city Zoar.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Hurry to escape there”. The Hebrew has two imperatives side by side, מַהֵר הִמָּלֵט, “hurry, escape”. The printed Onkelos keeps אוֹחִי as an imperative but makes the second verb an infinitive, לְאִשְׁתֵּזֵב, “to escape” - a grammatical smoothing of the asyndeton.
• “Until you get there”. Hebrew בֹּאֲךָ, an infinitive with a pronoun suffix (“your coming”), is matched by מֵיתָךְ, built the same way. The rest of the clause is literal: אִכּוּל לְמֶעְבַּד פִּתְגָּמָא for אוּכַל לַעֲשׂוֹת דָּבָר.
• “The name of the city”. Where the Hebrew uses a construct, שֵׁם הָעִיר, Onkelos links the nouns with the particle ד: שְׁמָא דְּקַרְתָּא. The name צוֹעַר is kept unchanged.
• Textual note. The Yemenite text reads אִשְׁתֵּיזַב לְתַמָּן, an imperative (“escape”) as in the Hebrew, where the printed text has the infinitive לְאִשְׁתֵּזֵב. The point about the infinitive holds for the printed text only. The Yemenite text also has שְׁמַהּ (“its name”) for שְׁמָא.

Words to note: אוֹחִי ohi — hurry (מַהֵר) · לְאִשְׁתֵּזֵב le-ishtezev — to escape (הִמָּלֵט) · מֵיתָךְ meitakh — you get (lit. your coming) (בֹּאֲךָ) · דְּקַרְתָּא de-karta — of the city (הָעִיר)

Bereshit 19:23

Torah

Translation

The sun had risen upon the earth, when Lot came to Zoar.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

The sun had risen upon the earth, when Lot came to Zoar.

What Onkelos tells us

• A literal rendering. נְפַק (“went out”) matches Hebrew הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ יָצָא exactly in sense.
• A homograph: al. The verse contains עַל twice in the printed text: first the preposition “upon” (עַל אַרְעָא, “upon the earth”), then the verb “entered, came” (וְלוֹט עַל, rendering Hebrew בָּא). The two words are spelled and vocalized alike but come from different roots.
• Textual note. For the verb the Yemenite text reads עָאל, a form distinct from the preposition, so the homograph exists in the printed text only.

Words to note: שִׁמְשָׁא shimsha — the sun (הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ) · נְפַק nefak — had risen (lit. went out) (יָצָא) · עַל al — came (entered) (בָּא)

Bereshit 19:24

Torah

Translation

Hashem caused to rain upon Sedom and Amorah—sulfur and fire—from Hashem, from heaven.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Hashem caused to rain upon Sedom and Amorah sulfur and fire from before Hashem, from heaven.

What Onkelos tells us

• “From before Hashem”. The Hebrew מֵאֵת ה׳ (“from Hashem”) becomes מִן קֳדָם ה׳, “from before Hashem”. Interposing קֳדָם between the preposition and the Name softens the picture of the punishment issuing directly from God, perhaps out of reverence.
• Otherwise literal. The causative אַמְטַר matches the causative הִמְטִיר, and both Divine Names are kept as ה׳.

Words to note: אַמְטַר amtar — caused to rain (הִמְטִיר) · גָּפְרֵיתָא gafreita — sulfur (גׇּפְרִית) · וְאֶשָּׁתָא ve-eshata — and fire (וָאֵשׁ) · קֳדָם kodam — before · שְׁמַיָּא shemaya — heaven (הַשָּׁמָיִם)

Bereshit 19:25

Torah

Translation

He overturned these cities, and the entire plain, and all those who lived in the cities and all that grew upon the ground.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

He overturned these cities, and the entire plain, and all those who lived in the cities and the growth of the ground.

What Onkelos tells us

• “The growth of the ground”. Hebrew וְצֶמַח הָאֲדָמָה becomes וְצִמְחָא דְּאַרְעָא. Onkelos uses דְּאַרְעָא, the word he also uses for הָאָרֶץ in 19:23 and for אֶרֶץ and הָאָרֶץ in 19:28, so the Hebrew distinction between “ground” and “earth” is not visible in the Aramaic.
• “The entire plain”. הַכִּכָּר is rendered מֵישְׁרָא, “plain”, as again in 19:28 and 19:29. Otherwise a literal rendering, with וַהֲפַךְ keeping the root of וַיַּהֲפֹךְ.

Words to note: וַהֲפַךְ va-hafakh — he overturned (וַיַּהֲפֹךְ) · קִרְוַיָּא kirvaya — the cities (הֶעָרִים) · מֵישְׁרָא meishra — plain (הַכִּכָּר) · יָתְבֵי yatvei — those who lived in (יֹשְׁבֵי) · וְצִמְחָא ve-tzimha — and the growth (וְצֶמַח)

Bereshit 19:26

Torah

Translation

His [Lot’s] wife looked behind him; and she became a pillar of salt.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

His wife looked from behind him; and she became a pillar of salt.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Looked”. Hebrew וַתַּבֵּט is rendered וְאִסְתְּכִיאַת. Onkelos uses the same verb in 19:28 (וְאִסְתְּכִי) for a different Hebrew verb, וַיַּשְׁקֵף, so the two acts of looking - Lot’s wife’s and Avraham’s - share one verb in the Aramaic.
• “From behind him”. מִבַּתְרוֹהִי keeps the preposition “from” of מֵאַחֲרָיו.
• “A pillar of salt”. Hebrew נְצִיב מֶלַח becomes קָמָא דְּמִלְחָא, with the particle ד for the Hebrew construct. Otherwise a literal rendering.

Words to note: וְאִסְתְּכִיאַת ve-istekhi’at — looked (וַתַּבֵּט) · אִתְּתֵהּ itteteh — his wife (אִשְׁתּוֹ) · מִבַּתְרוֹהִי mi-batrohi — from behind him (מֵאַחֲרָיו) · קָמָא kama — pillar (נְצִיב) · דְּמִלְחָא de-milha — of salt (מֶלַח)

Bereshit 19:27

Torah

Translation

Avraham got up early in morning [to return] to the place where he had stood before the Presence of Hashem.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Avraham got up early in morning to the place where he had served there in prayer before Hashem.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Where he had served there in prayer”. The Hebrew says Avraham had “stood” (עָמַד) there. Onkelos writes דִּשַׁמֵשׁ תַּמָּן בִּצְלוֹ, “where he had served there in prayer”. This identifies Avraham’s standing as an act of prayer - an interpretive addition, perhaps prompted by the context of his plea for Sedom.
• “Before Hashem”. Hebrew אֶת פְּנֵי ה׳, “the face of Hashem”, becomes קֳדָם ה׳, “before Hashem”. Onkelos does not speak of the “face” of God here, which may reflect his care in language about God.
• “Got up early”. וְאַקְדֵּים renders וַיַּשְׁכֵּם; בְּצַפְרָא is “in the morning”.

Words to note: וְאַקְדֵּים ve-akdeim — got up early (וַיַּשְׁכֵּם) · בְּצַפְרָא be-tzafra — in morning (בַּבֹּקֶר) · לְאַתְרָא le-atra — to the place (הַמָּקוֹם) · דִּשַׁמֵשׁ di-shamesh — where he had served (עָמַד) · בִּצְלוֹ bi-tzlo — in prayer · קֳדָם kodam — before

Bereshit 19:28

Torah

Translation

He [Avraham] stared at Sedom and Amorah, and the whole land of the plain, and he saw the heavy smoke rising from the earth like the smoke of a furnace.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

He looked upon the face of Sedom and Amorah, and upon all the face of the land of the plain, and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the earth rose like the smoke of a furnace.

What Onkelos tells us

• “He looked”. Hebrew וַיַּשְׁקֵף (“gazed down”) is rendered וְאִסְתְּכִי, the same verb Onkelos used for Lot’s wife in 19:26.
• “The face of”. Both occurrences of פְּנֵי are rendered אַפֵּי, keeping the Hebrew’s repetition.
• “The smoke of a furnace”. קִיטֹר becomes תְּנָנָא (twice, the second time כִּתְנָנָא), and הַכִּבְשָׁן becomes דְּאַתּוּנָא. A literal rendering, including וְהָא for וְהִנֵּה.

Words to note: וְאִסְתְּכִי ve-istekhi — he looked (וַיַּשְׁקֵף) · אַפֵּי apei — the face of (פְּנֵי) · סְלִיק selik — rose (עָלָה) · תְּנָנָא tenana — smoke (קִיטֹר) · דְּאַתּוּנָא de-attuna — of a furnace (הַכִּבְשָׁן)

Bereshit 19:29

Torah

Translation

When God destroyed the cities of the plain; God remembered Avraham, and He sent Lot out of the upheaval when He overturned the cities in which Lot had lived.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

It was, in Hashem’s destroying (another version: when [He] destroyed) the cities of the plain, Hashem remembered Avraham, and He sent Lot out of the midst of the upheaval when He overturned the cities in which Lot was living.

What Onkelos tells us

• Elokim becomes Hashem. The Hebrew names God as אֱלֹקִים twice; in both places the printed Onkelos has ה׳. The Aramaic thus does not reproduce the Hebrew’s alternation between the two Names in this passage (ה׳ in 19:24 and 19:27, Elokim here).
• “In Hashem’s destroying”. Hebrew בְּשַׁחֵת, an infinitive with ב, is matched by בְּחַבָּלוּת, a verbal noun with ב. The printed text adds in parentheses a marked alternative reading (“another version”) with a finite verb, “when [He] destroyed”.
• The upheaval and the overturning. The Hebrew links הַהֲפֵכָה and בַּהֲפֹךְ by the root הפך, which also appears in 19:21 and 19:25. Onkelos keeps it throughout: הֲפֶכְתָּא and הֲפַךְ here, לְמֵהְפַּךְ in 19:21 and וַהֲפַךְ in 19:25.
• “Was living”. Hebrew יָשַׁב is rendered with a participle and an auxiliary, הֲוָה יָתֵב, “was living”, describing Lot’s residence as an ongoing state.
• Textual note. The Yemenite text has only בְּחַבָּלוּת and lacks the parenthetical alternative reading “when [He] destroyed” that the printed text adds.

Words to note: בְּחַבָּלוּת be-habbalut — destroying (בְּשַׁחֵת) · וּדְכִיר u-dekhir — remembered (וַיִּזְכֹּר) · מִגּוֹ miggo — out of the midst of (מִתּוֹךְ) · הֲפֶכְתָּא hafekhta — the upheaval (הַהֲפֵכָה) · יָתֵב yatev — living (יָשַׁב)

Unit 1 summary

Onkelos follows the Hebrew closely through the catastrophe, keeping even the idiom of ‘taking the face’ and the root הפך, which runs through the passage in both languages. His departures cluster around language about God and about Avraham’s piety: ‘from Hashem’ becomes ‘from before Hashem’, Avraham ‘stood before the face of Hashem’ becomes ‘served there in prayer before Hashem’, and both occurrences of Elokim in 19:29 appear as ה׳. Elsewhere he smooths grammar (an infinitive after ‘hurry’ in the printed text, a periphrastic past for ‘had lived’), uses one verb for two different Hebrew verbs of looking, and one noun, אַרְעָא, for both ‘earth’ and ‘ground’. Lot’s ‘speaking’ about Zoar becomes his ‘requesting’, which may reflect a reading of his words as a plea.

Unit 2 — Bereshit 19:30–38: Lot’s daughters, and the origins of Moav and Ammon

Lot leaves Zoar for a cave in the mountain with his two daughters. On two successive nights the daughters give their father wine and lie with him, and the sons they bear, Moav and Ben-Ami, become the ancestors of Moav and Ammon.

Bereshit 19:30

Torah

Translation

Lot went up from Zoar and lived in the mountain; and his two daughters went with him, for he was afraid to live in Zoar. He lived in a cave, he and his two daughters.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Lot went up from Zoar and lived in the mountain; and his two daughters [were] with him, for he was afraid to live in Zoar. He lived in a cave, he and his two daughters.

What Onkelos tells us

• A literal rendering. The vocabulary is the standard Aramaic equivalent throughout: selek for ‘went up’, tura for ‘mountain’, vi-tev and the infinitive le-mittav (both from יתב) for the two Hebrew forms of ‘live’, and m’arta for ‘cave’.
• “He was afraid”. The Hebrew yare is a verbal adjective; Onkelos uses the participle dahil, likewise a description of Lot’s state rather than a single act.

Words to note: וּסְלֵק u-selek — went up (וַיַּעַל) · בְּטוּרָא be-tura — in the mountain (בָּהָר) · דָּחִיל dahil — afraid (יָרֵא) · לְמִתַּב le-mittav — to live (לָשֶׁבֶת) · בִּמְעַרְתָּא bi-m’arta — in a cave (בַּמְּעָרָה)

Bereshit 19:31

Torah

Translation

The older girl said to the younger, Our father is old, and there is no man [left] on earth who will come into us in the normal manner.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

The older girl said to the younger, Our father is old, and there is no man on earth who will come into us in the normal manner.

What Onkelos tells us

• “The older girl”. The Hebrew ha-bekhirah means ‘the firstborn’. Onkelos writes rabbeta, literally ‘the great one’, the ordinary Aramaic word for the elder of two. The younger, ha-tze’irah, becomes z’erta, from the Aramaic cognate of the same root (Hebrew צ corresponding to Aramaic ז).
• “Who will come into us”. The Hebrew lavo, ‘to come’, is rendered le-mei’al, from the Aramaic root for ‘enter’. The same Aramaic root stands for the Hebrew ‘come’ again in 19:33 and 19:34.
• “In the normal manner”. Onkelos keeps the Hebrew idiom word for word: ke-orah kol ar’a, ‘according to the way of all the earth’, with orah for derekh. The second ar’a repeats the word used earlier in the verse, as the Hebrew repeats eretz.
• “Old”. Siv is the Aramaic adjective for zaken.

Words to note: רַבְּתָא rabbeta — the older girl (הַבְּכִירָה) · לִזְעֶרְתָּא li-z’erta — to the younger (הַצְּעִירָה) · סִיב siv — old (זָקֵן) · לְמֵיעַל le-mei’al — to come into (לָבוֹא) · כְּאוֹרַח ke-orah — in the manner (lit. ‘according to the way’) (כְּדֶרֶךְ)

Bereshit 19:32

Torah

Translation

Come let us urge our father to drink wine, and sleep with him; that we may give life to seed [children] from our father.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Come let us urge our father to drink wine, and sleep with him; that we may establish children from our father.

What Onkelos tells us

• “That we may establish children”. The Hebrew reads u-nehayyeh mi-avinu zara’, ‘that we may give life to seed from our father’. Onkelos changes both words: the verb becomes u-nekayyem (from קום, ‘establish, maintain’) and the noun ‘seed’ becomes benin, ‘children’. The Hebrew metaphor of seed is thus replaced by a concrete noun, and the aim is phrased as establishing descendants rather than giving life; this may reflect a preference for plain language over figurative speech. The same pair recurs in 19:34.
• “Come”. The Hebrew lekhah is rendered by the Aramaic exhortative ita; hamra is the usual Aramaic word for wine.

Words to note: אִיתָא ita — come (לְכָה) · נַשְׁקֵי nashkei — let us urge … to drink (נַשְׁקֶה) · חַמְרָא hamra — wine (יַיִן) · וּנְקַיֵּם u-nekayyem — that we may establish (וּנְחַיֶּה) · בְּנִין benin — children (זָרַע)

Bereshit 19:33

Torah

Translation

They urged wine upon their father that night; and the older girl went in and slept with her father. He was not aware that she lay down or got up.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

They urged wine upon their father that night; and the older girl went in and [was] lying with her father. He was not aware that she lay down or got up.

What Onkelos tells us

• “With her father”. The Hebrew va-tishkav et aviha uses et, which can be read either as ‘with’ or as the sign of a direct object. Onkelos renders it with the preposition ‘im, ‘with’, removing the second possibility.
• “Lying”. The printed text has u-shekhiva, a feminine participle, where the Hebrew has the narrative past va-tishkav. Since the parallel verse 19:35 has the past u-shekhivat, the printed form here may be a scribal variant rather than a deliberate change (see the textual note).
• “Went in”. Ve-allat, from עלל, renders va-tavo, matching le-mei’al in 19:31.
• “That she lay down or got up”. Onkelos renders the two Hebrew infinitives with verbal nouns, be-mishkevah u-ve-kimah, ‘in her lying down and in her rising’. The sense is unchanged.
• Textual note. For the printed participle וּשְׁכִיבָא the Yemenite text reads וּשְׁכֵיבַת, a past-tense verb, ‘and lay’, matching the Hebrew and 19:35. The remark on the participle holds for the printed text only. The Yemenite text also reads וּבִמְקִימַהּ for ‘and her rising’, a verbal noun with a mem prefix exactly parallel to בְּמִשְׁכְּבַהּ; the meaning is the same.

Words to note: וְאַשְׁקִיאָה ve-ashki’ah — they urged … to drink (וַתַּשְׁקֶיןָ) · וְעַלַּת ve-allat — went in (וַתָּבֹא) · וּשְׁכִיבָא u-shekhiva — [was] lying (וַתִּשְׁכַּב) · עִם ‘im — with · בְּמִשְׁכְּבַהּ be-mishkevah — that she lay down (בְּשִׁכְבָהּ) · וּבְקִימַהּ u-ve-kimah — or got up (וּבְקוּׄמָהּ)

Bereshit 19:34

Torah

Translation

The next day, the older girl said to the younger, Last night I slept with my father. Let us urge wine upon him tonight also, and you go in and sleep with him that we may give life to seed from our father.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

On the day after it, the older girl said to the younger, Behold, last evening I slept with my father. Let us urge wine upon him tonight also, and you go in and sleep with him that we may establish children from our father.

What Onkelos tells us

• “On the day after it”. The Hebrew mi-mohorat, ‘on the morrow’, is rendered by the Aramaic idiom be-yoma de-vatrohi, ‘on the day after it’. The opening va-hava matches the Hebrew va-yehi.
• “Last evening”. For the Hebrew emesh, ‘last night’, Onkelos writes ramsha, ‘evening’, a word from a closely related root.
• “With my father”. As in 19:33, the Hebrew et after the verb ‘lie’ is rendered ‘im, ‘with’.
• “That we may establish children”. The daughters’ aim is phrased as in 19:32: u-nekayyem … benin for u-nehayyeh … zara’.
• “You go in”. Ve-uli renders u-vo’i, again with the Aramaic root עלל for the Hebrew ‘come’.
• Textual note. For רַמְשָׁא the Yemenite text reads רַמְשִׁי, another form of the same word for ‘evening’; the meaning is unchanged.

Words to note: דְבַתְרוֹהִי de-vatrohi — after it (מִמׇּחֳרָת) · הָא ha — behold (הֵן) · רַמְשָׁא ramsha — last evening (אֶמֶשׁ) · נַשְׁקִנֵּהּ nashkinneh — let us urge wine upon him (נַשְׁקֶנּוּ) · וְעוּלִי ve-uli — you go in (וּבֹאִי)

Bereshit 19:35

Torah

Translation

That night also, they urged their father [to drink] wine. The younger went up and slept with him, and he was not aware that she lay down or got up.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

That night also, they urged their father [to drink] wine. The younger went up and slept with him, and he was not aware that she lay down or got up.

What Onkelos tells us

• A literal rendering, following the Hebrew word order. Ve-kamat, ‘went up’ (literally ‘arose’), is from the same root as the Hebrew va-takom, and u-shekhivat is a past-tense verb matching va-tishkav.
• “That she lay down or got up”. The same verbal nouns as in 19:33, be-mishkevah u-ve-kimah, render the Hebrew infinitives.

Words to note: הַהוּא ha-hu — that (הַהוּא) · וְקָמַת ve-kamat — went up (וַתָּקׇם) · זְעֶרְתָּא z’erta — the younger (הַצְּעִירָה) · וּשְׁכִיבַת u-shekhivat — slept (וַתִּשְׁכַּב)

Bereshit 19:36

Torah

Translation

Lot’s two daughters became pregnant from their father.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Lot’s two daughters became pregnant from their father.

What Onkelos tells us

• A literal rendering. Ve-addi’an, from עדי, is the Aramaic verb for ‘conceive’, rendering va-tahareina.

Words to note: וְעַדִּיאַן ve-addi’an — became pregnant (וַתַּהֲרֶיןָ) · תַּרְתֵּין tartein — two (שְׁתֵּי)

Bereshit 19:37

Torah

Translation

The older girl gave birth to a son and she named him Moav. He is the ancestor of the Moabite nation even to this day.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

The older girl gave birth to a son and she named him Moav. He is the ancestor of the Moabite [nation] even to this day.

What Onkelos tells us

• “The ancestor of the Moabite [nation]”. The Hebrew avi Mo’av, ‘father of Moav’, uses the same name as the child. Onkelos keeps the child’s name Mo’av but writes avuhon de-Mo’ava, with a gentilic form, so that the ‘Moav’ who is fathered is clearly the people, not the person. Avuhon de-, literally ‘their father, of’, is the regular Aramaic construction for ‘the father of’.
• “Even to this day”. The Hebrew ad ha-yom, ‘until the day’, becomes ad yoma dein, ‘until this day’, with the demonstrative added.
• Textual note. For the printed דְמוֹאָבָא the Yemenite text reads דְּמוֹאֲבָאֵי, the plural gentilic, ‘of the Moabites’. The reference to the people is the same in both.

Words to note: וִילִידַת vilidat — gave birth (וַתֵּלֶד) · בַּר bar — a son (בֵּן) · אֲבוּהוֹן avuhon — the ancestor (lit. ‘their father’) (אֲבִי) · דְמוֹאָבָא de-Mo’ava — of the Moabite [nation] (מוֹאָב) · דֵין dein — this

Bereshit 19:38

Torah

Translation

The younger girl also gave birth to a son, and she named him Ben-Ami. He is the ancestor of the people of Ammon even to this day.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

The younger girl also gave birth to a son, and she named him Bar-Ami. He is the ancestor of the people of Ammon even to this day.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Bar-Ami”. Onkelos translates the first element of the name Ben-Ami into Aramaic, bar ammi, while leaving ammi unchanged. The same word bar renders ‘a son’ earlier in the verse, so the echo between ‘son’ and the name, present in the Hebrew (ben … Ben-Ami), is kept in the Aramaic. Contrast 19:37, where the name Mo’av is kept as it stands.
• “The people of Ammon”. Avuhon di-venei Ammon follows the Hebrew avi venei Ammon, with the same construction as in 19:37 and the added demonstrative in ad yoma dein.

Words to note: וּזְעֶרְתָּא u-z’erta — the younger girl (וְהַצְּעִירָה) · יְלִידַת yelidat — gave birth (יָלְדָה) · בַּר bar — Bar- (son of) (בֶּן) · דִּבְנֵי di-venei — of the people of (בְנֵי)

Unit 2 summary

Onkelos follows this narrative closely, keeping its order, its repetitions and its parallel scenes for the two nights. His changes are lexical and small: the daughters’ aim, ‘to give life to seed’, becomes ‘to establish children’ (u-nekayyem … benin), with a different verb and a concrete noun in place of the Hebrew metaphor; the Hebrew ‘et’ after the verb ‘lie’ is rendered by the preposition ‘im, ‘with’; and every form of the Hebrew ‘come/enter’ (bo) is matched by the Aramaic ‘alal. At the close he renders ‘father of Moav’ as the ancestor of the Moabite people, while in the name Ben-Ami he turns the Hebrew ‘ben’ into Aramaic ‘bar’, the same word he uses for ‘a son’ in the same verse, so that the link between the birth and the name survives in translation.

Unit 3 — Bereshit 20:1–9: Avraham in Gerar, and Avimelech’s dream

Avraham moves south and settles in Gerar, where he again calls Sarah his sister and King Avimelech takes her. In a night dream Avimelech is warned that he will die, pleads his innocence, is told to return Sarah, and confronts Avraham in the morning.

Bereshit 20:1

Torah

Translation

Avraham journeyed from there to the land of the Negev, and he lived between Kadeish and Shur. He lived for a while in Gerar.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Avraham journeyed from there to the land of the south, and he lived between Rekam and Hagra. And he resided in Gerar.

What Onkelos tells us

• “The land of the south”. The Hebrew names the region, ha-Negev; Onkelos gives its sense, daroma, “the south” (לְאַרְעָא דָּרוֹמָא).
• “Between Rekam and Hagra”. Kadesh and Shur are replaced by the Aramaic names Rekam (רְקָם) and Hagra (חַגְרָא). Onkelos here identifies the places by the names they presumably bore in his own language rather than transliterating the Hebrew.
• “He lived… he resided”. The Hebrew uses two different verbs: va-yeshev, “he lived”, and va-yagar, “he sojourned”. Onkelos uses the one root יתב for both, distinguishing them only by stem: vi-tev (וִיתֵב) and the reflexive ve-ittotav (וְאִתּוֹתַב), “he resided”. The Hebrew sense of a temporary stay is perhaps carried by the stem change alone.

Words to note: וּנְטַל u-netal — journeyed (וַיִּסַּע) · דָּרוֹמָא daroma — the south (הַנֶּגֶב) · רְקָם rekam — Rekam (קָדֵשׁ) · חַגְרָא hagra — Hagra (שׁוּר) · וְאִתּוֹתַב ve-ittotav — and he resided (וַיָּגׇר)

Bereshit 20:2

Torah

Translation

Avraham said regarding Sarah, his wife, She is my sister. Avimelech, king of Gerar sent [messengers] and took Sarah.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Avraham said regarding Sarah, his wife, She is my sister. Avimelech, the king of Gerar, sent and took Sarah.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Regarding Sarah”. The Hebrew el Sarah could be read “to Sarah”; Onkelos writes al (עַל), “concerning”, so that Avraham’s words are a statement about her, presumably to others, not an address to her.
• “The king of Gerar”. Onkelos uses the emphatic noun with the genitive particle, malka di-Grar (מַלְכָּא דִּגְרָר), the normal Aramaic way of expressing the Hebrew construct.
• “Sent and took”. The Hebrew “took” (va-yikkah) becomes u-devar (וּדְבַר), literally “led”. Onkelos uses the same verb for “you took” in 20:3 (דִּדְבַרְתָּא).
• Textual note. For printed ahati, “my sister” (אֲחָתִי), the Yemenite text reads אֲחָת, without the written first-person suffix. The same difference recurs in 20:5.

Words to note: אִתְּתֵהּ itteteh — his wife (אִשְׁתּוֹ) · אֲחָתִי ahati — my sister (אֲחֹתִי) · מַלְכָּא malka — the king (מֶלֶךְ) · וּדְבַר u-devar — and took (וַיִּקַּח)

Bereshit 20:3

Torah

Translation

God came to Avimelech in a dream at night, and said to him, Behold, you shall die because of the woman you took, for she is a married woman.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

And a word from before Hashem came to Avimelech in a dream at night, and said to him, Behold, you shall die because of the matter of the woman you took, for she is a man’s wife.

What Onkelos tells us

• “A word from before Hashem came”. The Hebrew says simply that Elokim came to Avimelech. Onkelos makes the subject meimar min kadam Hashem (מֵימַר מִן קָדָם ה׳), “a word from before Hashem”. This may indicate a reluctance to describe God Himself as coming to a person, especially a non-Israelite king in a dream. Onkelos also writes the Name Hashem where the Hebrew has Elokim.
• “Because of the matter of”. For the Hebrew al, “because of”, Onkelos writes al eisak (עַל עֵיסַק), “on the matter of”, spelling out that Avimelech’s guilt concerns what he did regarding the woman.
• “A man’s wife”. The Hebrew idiom be’ulat ba’al, “possessed by a husband”, becomes the plain ittat gevar (אִתַּת גְּבָר), “a man’s wife”.

Words to note: מֵימַר meimar — word · בְּחֶלְמָא be-helma — in a dream (בַּחֲלוֹם) · מִית mit — shall die (מֵת) · עֵיסַק eisak — the matter of · דִּדְבַרְתָּא di-devarta — you took (לָקַחְתָּ) · אִתַּת ittat — wife of (בְּעֻלַת)

Bereshit 20:4

Torah

Translation

Avimelech had not come near to her. He said, My Master, will You also kill an innocent nation?

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Avimelech had not come near to her. He said, Hashem, will You also kill an innocent people?

What Onkelos tells us

• “Hashem”. Avimelech’s address Adonai is rendered with the Divine Name ה׳. Onkelos thus reads the word as addressed to God rather than as the ordinary “my master”.
• “An innocent people”. The Hebrew goy, “nation”, becomes am (הָעָם), “people”, and tzaddik becomes zakkai (זַכַּאי), “innocent”, the legal sense of the word, which fits Avimelech’s plea of not being guilty.
• Textual note. The printed vocalization הָעָם looks like a noun with the article, but Aramaic has no such prefix; the Yemenite הֲעַם marks the ה clearly as the question prefix, as in the Hebrew.

Words to note: קְרֵב kerev — come near (קָרַב) · הָעָם ha-am — a people (with the question prefix) (הֲגוֹי) · זַכַּאי zakkai — innocent (צַדִּיק) · תִּקְטוֹל tiktol — kill (תַּהֲרֹג)

Bereshit 20:5

Torah

Translation

Did he not say to me, She is my sister? And she also said, He is my brother. With an innocent heart and clean hands I did this.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Did he not say to me, She is my sister? And she also said, He is my brother. With the truthfulness of my heart and with the innocence of my hands I did this.

What Onkelos tells us

• “The truthfulness of my heart”. The Hebrew tom levavi, “the wholeness (innocence) of my heart”, becomes be-kashitut libbi (בְּקַשִּׁיטוּת לִבִּי), “with the truthfulness of my heart”: sincerity rather than simplicity.
• “The innocence of my hands”. The Hebrew nikkayon kappai, “the cleanness of my palms”, becomes u-ve-zaka’ut yadai (וּבְזַכָּאוּת יָדַי). The noun zaka’ut comes from the same root as zakkai in 20:4, so where the Hebrew uses two roots (tzaddik, nikkayon), Onkelos ties Avimelech’s plea together with one. The Hebrew kaf, “palm”, is rendered with the general word for hand.
• Textual note. As in 20:2, the Yemenite text reads אֲחָת for printed ahati, “my sister”.

Words to note: אֲחָתִי ahati — my sister (אֲחֹתִי) · בְּקַשִּׁיטוּת be-kashitut — with the truthfulness (בְּתׇם) · וּבְזַכָּאוּת u-ve-zaka’ut — and with the innocence (וּבְנִקְיֹן) · יָדַי yadai — my hands (כַּפַּי) · עֲבָדִית avadit — I did (עָשִׂיתִי)

Bereshit 20:6

Torah

Translation

God said to him in a dream, I also know that you did this with an innocent heart. I also prevented you from sinning against Me. That is why I did not give you the chance to touch her.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

And a word from before Hashem said to him in a dream, It is also revealed before Me that you did this with the truthfulness of your heart. And I also prevented you from sinning before Me. That is why I did not let you come near to her.

What Onkelos tells us

• “A word from before Hashem said”. As in 20:3, ha-Elokim who speaks becomes “a word from before Hashem” (מֵימַר מִן קֳדָם ה׳).
• “It is also revealed before Me”. God’s “I also know” (gam anokhi yadati) becomes af kodamai geli (אַף קֳדָמַי גְּלִי), “also before Me it is revealed”. The rephrasing avoids making God the subject of a verb of coming to know, perhaps because that could suggest something previously unknown to Him.
• “Sinning before Me”. The Hebrew “sinning against Me” (me-hato li) becomes mi-le-mehtei kodamai (מִלְּמֶחְטֵי קֳדָמָי), “from sinning before Me”, the same reverential preposition used for God throughout.
• “I did not let you come near to her”. Two Hebrew verbs change. Netatikha, “I gave you”, becomes shevaktakh (שְׁבָקְתָּךְ), “I let you”; and lingo’a, “to touch”, becomes le-mikrav (לְמִקְרַב), “to come near”. The latter echoes 20:4, where the Hebrew itself says Avimelech had not “come near” to her and Onkelos uses the same root (קְרֵב).
• “Truthfulness of your heart”. Be-tom levavekha is rendered be-kashitut libbakh (בְּקַשִּׁיטוּת לִבָּךְ), matching Avimelech’s own words in 20:5.
• Textual note. The Yemenite text lacks meimar min kodam and reads simply “and Hashem said to him” (וַאֲמַר לֵיהּ ה׳). The note on “a word from before Hashem” holds for the printed text only.

Words to note: גְּלִי geli — revealed (יָדַעְתִּי) · וּמְנָעִית u-mena’it — and I prevented (וָאֶחְשֹׂךְ) · מִלְּמֶחְטֵי mi-le-mehtei — from sinning (מֵחֲטוֹ) · קֳדָמָי kodamai — before Me (לִי) · שְׁבָקְתָּךְ shevaktakh — I let you (נְתַתִּיךָ) · לְמִקְרַב le-mikrav — to come near (לִנְגֹּעַ)

Bereshit 20:7

Torah

Translation

Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet. He will pray for you and you will live. If you do not return her, you should know that you will surely die—you and all that is yours.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet. He will pray for you and you will live. If you do not return [her], you should know that you will surely die—you and all that is yours.

What Onkelos tells us

• A literal rendering. Onkelos keeps the Hebrew emphatic construction mot tamut as meimat temut (מֵימַת תְּמוּת), “you will surely die”, and keeps navi as neviya (נְבִיָּא), “prophet”.
• “He will pray for you”. The Hebrew ve-yitpallel is rendered with the Aramaic verb of prayer, vi-tzallei (וִיצַלֵּי), and ba’adkha, “on your behalf”, with alakh (עֲלָךְ), literally “over you”.

Words to note: וּכְעַן u-khe’an — now (וְעַתָּה) · אֲתֵיב atev — return (הָשֵׁב) · נְבִיָּא neviya — a prophet (נָבִיא) · וִיצַלֵּי vi-tzallei — he will pray (וְיִתְפַּלֵּל) · לֵיתָךְ leitakh — you do not (אֵינְךָ)

Bereshit 20:8

Torah

Translation

Avimelech got up early in the morning, and called all his servants. He spoke all these words in their ears, and the men were very frightened.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Avimelech got up early in the morning, and called all his servants. He spoke all these words before them, and the men were very frightened.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Before them”. The Hebrew idiom “in their ears” (be-ozneihem) becomes kodameihon (קֳדָמֵיהוֹן), “before them”. Onkelos renders the idiom by its sense, perhaps also preferring not to describe speech as entering the ears.
• Otherwise a literal rendering. “Words” is pitgamaya (פִּתְגָּמַיָּא), and “very” is lahada (לַחֲדָא).

Words to note: וְאַקְדֵּים ve-akdeim — got up early (וַיַּשְׁכֵּם) · בְּצַפְרָא be-tzafra — in the morning (בַּבֹּקֶר) · פִּתְגָּמַיָּא pitgamaya — words (הַדְּבָרִים) · קֳדָמֵיהוֹן kodameihon — before them (בְּאׇזְנֵיהֶם) · וּדְחִילוּ u-dehilu — were frightened (וַיִּירְאוּ)

Bereshit 20:9

Torah

Translation

Avimelech called Avraham and said to him, What have you done to us? What wrong did I do to you that you brought on me and upon my kingdom such a great sin? Deeds that ought not to be done, you have done to me.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Avimelech called Avraham and said to him, What have you done to us? What wrong did I do (another version: what sin did I commit) to you, that you brought on me and upon my kingdom a great sin? Deeds that are not fit to be done, you have done to me.

What Onkelos tells us

• “What wrong did I do”. The Hebrew uses the root חטא for both Avimelech’s question (hatati) and the “great sin” (hata’ah). The printed Onkelos uses the root חוב for both: havit (חָבִית) and hova (חוֹבָא). It also records another version, hateit, from the same root as the Hebrew.
• “Deeds that are not fit to be done”. The Hebrew asher lo ye’asu, “that shall not be done”, becomes di la khashrin le-it’avada (דִּי לָא כָשְׁרִין לְאִתְעֲבָדָא), “that are not fit to be done”. The added khashrin turns the bare future into an explicit statement of what is proper.
• Wordplay kept. The Hebrew uses the root עשה four times (asita, ma’asim, ye’asu, asita); Onkelos uses the one root עבד for all four: avadta, ovadin, le-it’avada, avadta.
• Textual note. The Yemenite text reads only חֲטֵית, from the root חטא, without the printed havit; for that text the note on the root חוב applies to hova alone.

Words to note: חָבִית havit — did I do wrong (חָטָאתִי) · אַיְתֵיתָא aiteita — you brought (הֵבֵאתָ) · מַלְכוּתִי malkhuti — my kingdom (מַמְלַכְתִּי) · חוֹבָא hova — sin (חֲטָאָה) · עוֹבָדִין ovadin — deeds (מַעֲשִׂים) · כָשְׁרִין khashrin — fit

Unit 3 summary

Onkelos follows the narrative closely but reshapes its language at several recurring points. God’s approach to Avimelech becomes a ‘word from before Hashem’ that comes and speaks (20:3, 20:6), the divine ‘I also know’ becomes ‘it is revealed before Me’, and sinning ‘against Me’ becomes sinning ‘before Me’. The place names Negev, Kadesh and Shur are given their Aramaic equivalents (the south, Rekam, Hagra). Hebrew idioms are rendered by sense: ‘possessed by a husband’ becomes ‘a man’s wife’, ‘in their ears’ becomes ‘before them’, and ‘deeds that shall not be done’ becomes ‘deeds that are not fit to be done’. The moral vocabulary is drawn together: one Aramaic root, zakh-, serves for both the Hebrew tzaddik and nikkayon, and kashitut renders tom in both 20:5 and 20:6. Avimelech’s ‘touch her’ (20:6) becomes ‘come near to her’, matching the ‘come near’ of 20:4. Avimelech’s fourfold play on the root of ‘doing’ in 20:9 is kept with a single Aramaic root.

Unit 4 — Bereshit 20:10–18: Avraham’s defense and Avimelech’s restitution

Avimelech asks Avraham why he concealed his marriage; Avraham explains his fear and his arrangement with Sarah. Avimelech gives gifts, returns Sarah and offers his land, Avraham prays, and the household of Avimelech is healed.

Bereshit 20:10

Torah

Translation

Avimelech [then] said to Avraham, What did you see that you did such a thing?

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Avimelech said to Avraham, What did you see that you did such a thing?

What Onkelos tells us

• A literal rendering. Onkelos uses his regular equivalents: חָזֵיתָ (hazeita) for רָאִיתָ, ‘you saw’, and פִתְגָּמָא (fitgama), ‘thing, matter’, for הַדָּבָר.

Words to note: חָזֵיתָ hazeita — you saw (רָאִיתָ) · פִתְגָּמָא fitgama — thing (הַדָּבָר)

Bereshit 20:11

Torah

Translation

Avraham said, Because I said [thought] there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me [in order] to take my wife.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Avraham said, Because I said, only there is no fear of Hashem in this place, and they will kill me on account of my wife.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Fear of Hashem”. The Hebrew reads ‘fear of Elokim’; Onkelos writes דַּחַלְתָּא דַּה׳, ‘fear of Hashem’. In this passage every Elokim is rendered with the Name (see also 20:13 and 20:17).
• “Only”. The Hebrew רַק is kept as לְחוֹד (lehod), ‘only’.
• “On account of my wife”. For עַל דְּבַר, literally ‘on the matter of’, Onkelos writes עַל עֵיסַק (al eisak), ‘on account of’, taking דְּבַר in its sense of ‘matter, affair’ rather than ‘word’. He does the same in 20:18.

Words to note: לְחוֹד lehod — only (רַק) · דַּחַלְתָּא dahalta — fear (יִרְאַת) · עֵיסַק eisak — account, matter (דְּבַר) · וְיִקְטְלֻנַּנִי ve-yiktelunnani — and they will kill me (וַהֲרָגוּנִי)

Bereshit 20:12

Torah

Translation

In any case, she is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

But in truth she is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.

What Onkelos tells us

• “But in truth”. The Hebrew וְגַם אׇמְנָה, ‘and also, indeed’, becomes וּבְרַם בְּקוּשְׁטָא, ‘but in truth’; בְּקוּשְׁטָא (be-kushta) renders אׇמְנָה.
• One Aramaic word for two Hebrew words. Onkelos uses בְּרַם (beram) both for וְגַם at the start of the verse and for אַךְ, ‘but’, in the middle. The Hebrew’s two different particles become a single repeated word.
• “My father”. אָבִי is rendered אַבָּא (abba), the Aramaic form regularly used for ‘my father’; contrast אִמִּי, ‘my mother’, with the suffix.
• Textual note. For printed אִמִּי the Yemenite text reads אִמָּא, the same form as אַבָּא, so that ‘my father’ and ‘my mother’ match there.

Words to note: בְּקוּשְׁטָא be-kushta — in truth (אׇמְנָה) · בְּרַם beram — but (אַךְ) · אַבָּא abba — my father (אָבִי) · לְאִנְתּוּ le-intu — as wife (לְאִשָּׁה)

Bereshit 20:13

Torah

Translation

When God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, this is the kindness you shall do for me. At every place we come to, say of me, He is my brother.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

When the nations strayed after the works of their hands, Hashem brought me near to His fear from my father’s house, and I said to her, This is the kindness you shall do for me. At every place we go to, say of me, He is my brother.

What Onkelos tells us

• “When the nations strayed after the works of their hands”. The Hebrew says ‘when Elokim caused me to wander’ (הִתְעוּ, a plural verb). Onkelos expands the clause entirely: טָעוּ עַמְמַיָּא בָּתַר עוֹבָדֵי יְדֵיהוֹן, ‘the nations strayed after the works of their hands’, that is, after idols. The verb טָעוּ (ta’u) is the Aramaic cognate of the Hebrew verb הִתְעוּ, but it becomes intransitive and its subject is the nations, not God. This perhaps reflects a reading of the plural verb with ‘gods’ or an unwillingness to make God the cause of Avraham’s wandering; either way it is an inference.
• “Hashem brought me near to His fear”. In place of ‘caused me to wander’, Onkelos says יָתִי קָרִיב ה׳ לְדַחַלְתֵּהּ, ‘Hashem brought me near to His fear’, reversing the direction of the Hebrew image: not wandering away, but being drawn close. The noun לְדַחַלְתֵּהּ is from the same root as דַּחַלְתָּא in 20:11, so Avraham’s fear that there is no ‘fear of Hashem’ in Gerar is set against his own being brought to ‘His fear’. Elokim is again rendered Hashem.
• “At every place we go to”. For נָבוֹא, ‘we come’, Onkelos has נְהַךְ (nehakh), ‘we go’. The other words are literal: טֵיבוּתִיךְ (teivutikh) for חַסְדֵּךְ, עֲלַי, ‘about me’, for לִי.
• Textual note. The printed text reads דֵּין and gives the alternative דָּא in brackets; both mean ‘this’, דָּא being the feminine form, perhaps agreeing with טֵיבוּתִיךְ. The Yemenite text has only דָּא.

Words to note: טָעוּ ta’u — strayed (הִתְעוּ) · עַמְמַיָּא ammayya — the nations · עוֹבָדֵי ovadei — works of · קָרִיב kariv — brought near · לְדַחַלְתֵּהּ le-dahalteh — to His fear · טֵיבוּתִיךְ teivutikh — your kindness (חַסְדֵּךְ)

Bereshit 20:14

Torah

Translation

Avimelech took sheep, cattle, male and female slaves, and he gave them to Avraham. He [also] returned his wife Sarah to him.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Avimelech took sheep, cattle, male and female slaves, and he gave [them] to Avraham. He returned his wife Sarah to him.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Took”. For וַיִּקַּח Onkelos writes וּדְבַר (u-devar), from the root דבר, ‘to lead, take’, used for taking living beings. The same root returns in 20:16, where Avimelech speaks of having taken Sarah.
• Otherwise literal. וְתוֹרִין (ve-torin), ‘cattle’, renders וּבָקָר, and וְאַמְהָן (ve-amhan), ‘female slaves’, renders וּשְׁפָחֹת.

Words to note: וּדְבַר u-devar — took (וַיִּקַּח) · וְתוֹרִין ve-torin — cattle (וּבָקָר) · וְאַמְהָן ve-amhan — and female slaves (וּשְׁפָחֹת) · וַאֲתֵיב va-ateiv — returned (וַיָּשֶׁב)

Bereshit 20:15

Torah

Translation

Avimelech said, Behold, my land is before you. Live wherever you see fit.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Avimelech said, Behold, my land is before you. Live wherever is fitting in your eyes.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Wherever is fitting”. The Hebrew בַּטּוֹב, ‘in the good’, becomes בִּדְתַקִּין (bi-dtakkin), ‘in what is fitting, proper’. Onkelos keeps ‘in your eyes’ (בְּעֵינָיךְ) but replaces ‘good’ with a word for what is suitable, perhaps to make the idiom plain.
• “Before you”. לְפָנֶיךָ is rendered קֳדָמָךְ (kodamakh), the usual equivalent.

Words to note: הָא ha — behold (הִנֵּה) · קֳדָמָךְ kodamakh — before you (לְפָנֶיךָ) · בִּדְתַקִּין bi-dtakkin — wherever is fitting (בַּטּוֹב) · תִּיב tiv — live (שֵׁב)

Bereshit 20:16

Torah

Translation

To Sarah, he said, Behold I have given to your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It will be for you a [compensational] eye covering for all who are with you, that you may face every one.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

To Sarah, he said, Behold I have given to your brother a thousand sela’im of silver. Behold it is for you a covering of honor of the eyes, in exchange for my having sent and taken you and seen you and all who are with you; and concerning all that you said, you have been vindicated.

What Onkelos tells us

• “A thousand sela’im of silver”. The Hebrew says only ‘a thousand of silver’; Onkelos supplies the unit, סַלְעִין (sal’in), the sela coin.
• “A covering of honor of the eyes”. For כְּסוּת עֵינַיִם, ‘a covering of eyes’, Onkelos writes כְּסוּת דִּיקָר עַיְנִין, adding דִּיקָר, ‘of honor’. The gift is thus presented as something that restores Sarah’s honor.
• An added clause. Onkelos inserts חֳלַף דִּשְׁלָחִית וּדְּבַרְתִּיךְ וַחֲזֵית יָתִיךְ, ‘in exchange for my having sent and taken you and seen you’. The Hebrew ‘all who are with you’ then becomes a second object of ‘seen’ (וְיָת כָּל דְּעִמָּךְ). This expansion explains what the ‘eye covering’ covers: the money compensates for Sarah’s having been taken and looked upon. The verb וּדְּבַרְתִּיךְ is from the root דבר, as in 20:14.
• “Concerning all that you said, you have been vindicated”. The Hebrew ends tersely: וְאֵת כֹּל וְנֹכָחַת. Onkelos turns וְאֵת כֹּל into וְעַל כָּל מָה דַּאֲמָרַת, ‘concerning all that you said’, and renders וְנֹכָחַת with אִתּוֹכָחַת, from the same root. Like the Hebrew, the Aramaic verb could mean either ‘proven right’ or ‘reproved’; the translation here takes it as ‘vindicated’, in keeping with the honor language earlier in the verse.
• Textual note. The Yemenite text lacks עַיְנִין, reading only ‘a covering of honor’; the comment on ‘of the eyes’ holds for the printed text only.
• Textual note. The printed vowels דַּאֲמָרַת and אִתּוֹכָחַת could also be read as third person (‘she said … she was …’); the Yemenite text has דַּאֲמַרְתְּ and אִתּוֹכָחְתְּ, unambiguously second person feminine, as the translation takes it.

Words to note: יְהָבִית yehavit — I have given (נָתַתִּי) · סַלְעִין sal’in — sela’im · דִּיקָר dikar — of honor · חֳלַף holaf — in exchange for · וּדְּבַרְתִּיךְ u-devartikh — and taken you · אִתּוֹכָחַת ittokhahat — you have been vindicated (וְנֹכָחַת)

Bereshit 20:17

Torah

Translation

Avraham prayed to God, and God healed Avimelech, his wife, and his female slaves, and they gave birth.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Avraham prayed before Hashem, and Hashem healed Avimelech, his wife, and his female slaves, and they were relieved.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Before Hashem”. For אֶל הָאֱלֹקִים, ‘to Elokim’, Onkelos writes קֳדָם ה׳, ‘before Hashem’, the reverential ‘before’ for prayer addressed to God. Both occurrences of Elokim in the verse are rendered Hashem.
• “They were relieved”. The Hebrew וַיֵּלֵדוּ, ‘and they gave birth’, is rendered וְאִתְרְוָחוּ (ve-itrevahu), ‘and they were relieved, eased’. Onkelos may have understood the healing as the release of a blockage that affected the whole household, rather than only childbirth.
• “Healed”. וַיִּרְפָּא becomes וְאַסִּי (ve-assi), the usual Aramaic verb for healing.

Words to note: וְצַלִּי ve-tzalli — prayed (וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל) · קֳדָם kodam — before · וְאַסִּי ve-assi — healed (וַיִּרְפָּא) · וְאִתְרְוָחוּ ve-itrevahu — and they were relieved (וַיֵּלֵדוּ)

Bereshit 20:18

Torah

Translation

For Hashem had restrained every womb in the house of Avimelech according to the word of Sarah, Avraham’s wife.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

For Hashem had closed up, before every opening of offspring, in the house of Avimelech, on account of Sarah, Avraham’s wife.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Closed up”. The Hebrew doubles the verb, עָצֹר עָצַר (infinitive and finite verb); Onkelos keeps the doubling with מֵיחַד אֲחַד (meihad ahad) from the root אחד, ‘to close, hold shut’.
• “Before every opening of offspring”. For בְּעַד כׇּל רֶחֶם, ‘every womb’, Onkelos writes בְּאַפֵּי כָל פָּתַח וַלְדָא. בְּאַפֵּי (be-appei), ‘before, in the face of’, renders בְּעַד, and the single word רֶחֶם becomes a descriptive phrase, פָּתַח וַלְדָא, ‘opening of offspring’.
• “On account of Sarah”. As in 20:11, עַל דְּבַר is rendered עַל עֵיסַק, ‘on account of’.

Words to note: מֵיחַד meihad — closing (עָצֹר) · אֲחַד ahad — closed (עָצַר) · בְּאַפֵּי be-appei — before (בְּעַד) · פָּתַח patah — opening · וַלְדָא valda — offspring · עֵיסַק eisak — account (דְּבַר)

Unit 4 summary

For most of this dialogue Onkelos is close to the Hebrew, but he intervenes at several points touching God and Sarah. Every Elokim in the passage (four times) appears as Hashem, and in 20:13 the statement that God caused Avraham to wander becomes a contrast between the nations who strayed after idols and Hashem who brought Avraham near to His fear, an expansion that perhaps reflects reluctance to ascribe wandering to God’s agency. In 20:16 the obscure ‘eye covering’ is expanded into compensation ‘of honor’ for Sarah’s having been taken and seen, and the closing words are tied to what she said. Smaller choices recur: al eisak, ‘on account of’, for al devar (20:11, 20:18); the root דבר for ‘taking’ Sarah and the gifts (20:14, 20:16); a single beram for two Hebrew particles (20:12); and an idiomatic rendering of the closing of the womb and of giving birth (20:17-18).

Unit 5 — Bereshit 21:1–4: The birth and circumcision of Yitzchok

Hashem fulfils His word to Sarah: she conceives and bears Avraham a son in his old age, Avraham names him Yitzchok, and circumcises him at eight days as he was commanded.

Bereshit 21:1

Torah

Translation

Hashem remembered Sarah as He had said, and Hashem did for Sarah as He had spoken.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Hashem remembered Sarah as He had said, and Hashem did for Sarah as He had spoken.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Remembered”. The Hebrew pakad (“took note of, visited”) is rendered dekhir, a verb meaning “remember”. In Aramaic the letters פקד mean “command” (see fakkid in 21:4), which may be why Onkelos does not use a cognate here.
• “Said” and “spoken”. The Hebrew varies its verbs, amar and then dibber; Onkelos keeps the variation with amar and malil.
• “As”. Both occurrences of ka’asher become kema di. Otherwise a literal rendering.

Words to note: דְּכִיר dekhir — remembered (פָּקַד) · כְּמָא kema — as (כַּאֲשֶׁר) · וַעֲבַד va-‘avad — and [He] did (וַיַּעַשׂ) · מַלִּיל malil — spoke, had spoken (דִּבֵּר)

Bereshit 21:2

Torah

Translation

She conceived and Sarah gave birth to Avraham’s son in his old age, at the designated time that God had declared.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

She conceived and Sarah gave birth to Avraham’s son in his old age, at the designated time that Hashem had declared it.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Hashem”. Where the Hebrew says Elokim, Onkelos writes the Name, ה׳. The same happens in 21:4.
• “Declared it”. The Hebrew object oto is kept as yateh; the time is zeman for mo’ed and the verb is again malil, as in 21:1.
• “In his old age”. Le-sivtohi renders li-zkunav. Otherwise a literal rendering.

Words to note: וְעַדִּיאַת ve-‘addi’at — she conceived (וַתַּהַר) · וִילִידַת vilidat — and [she] gave birth (וַתֵּלֶד) · בַּר bar — son (בֵּן) · לְסִיבְתוֹהִי le-sivtohi — in his old age (לִזְקֻנָיו) · לִזְמַן lizman — at the designated time (לַמּוֹעֵד) · יָתֵהּ yateh — it (אֹתוֹ)

Bereshit 21:3

Torah

Translation

Avraham named his son that was born to him, to which Sarah had borne to him, Yitzchok.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Avraham named his son that was born to him, to which Sarah had borne to him, Yitzchok.

What Onkelos tells us

• “That was born to him”. The Hebrew uses the article with a participle, ha-nolad, “the one born”. Onkelos turns this into a relative clause with a finite verb, de-ityelid, “that was born” — a grammatical smoothing.
• “Named his son”. Ukera … yat shum bereh, “called the name of his son”, follows the Hebrew idiom word for word. A literal rendering.

Words to note: שׁוּם shum — name (שֶׁם) · בְּרֵהּ bereh — his son (בְּנוֹ) · דְאִתְיְלִיד de-ityelid — that was born (הַנּוֹלַד) · דִּילִידַת di-lidat — that [she] had borne (יָלְדָה)

Bereshit 21:4

Torah

Translation

Avraham circumcised his son, Yitzchok, when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Avraham circumcised his son, Yitzchok, when he was eight days old, as Hashem had commanded him.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Circumcised”. The Hebrew va-yamol becomes u-gezar, literally “cut”.
• “Commanded”. Tzivvah is rendered fakkid, from פקד, the Aramaic verb for commanding — the letters of the Hebrew pakad in 21:1, which Onkelos there rendered differently.
• “Hashem”. As in 21:2, Elokim is rendered with the Name.
• “Eight days old”. Bar temanya yomin, “son of eight days”, keeps the Hebrew idiom ben shemonat yamim.

Words to note: וּגְזַר u-gezar — circumcised (וַיָּמׇל) · בַּר bar — son of (aged) (בֶּן) · תְּמַנְיָא temanya — eight (שְׁמֹנַת) · פַקִּיד fakkid — commanded (צִוָּה)

Unit 5 summary

Onkelos renders this short narrative almost word for word. The points of interest are lexical: the Hebrew pakad of 21:1 becomes dekhir, “remembered”, while in 21:4 the Aramaic verb from the same letters, fakkid, translates the Hebrew tzivvah, “commanded”; the Hebrew pair amar / dibber is kept apart as amar / malil; the root mul is rendered by gezar, “cut”; and both occurrences of Elokim in the unit (21:2, 21:4) are rendered with the Name, Hashem. The repeated ka’asher is matched each time by kema di, and the Hebrew article-plus-participle hanolad is smoothed into a relative clause.

Conclusion of the aliyah

The movement of the aliyah

The aliyah moves from destruction to birth. Its first unit is the overturning of the cities, told through the root of overturning, which Onkelos keeps throughout; Lot is saved for Avraham’s sake while Avraham looks on from his place of prayer. The second unit, set in a cave, preserves the parallel scenes of the two nights almost word for word and ends with the names of two peoples. The Gerar narrative is the longest and most reshaped: here Onkelos repeatedly adjusts how God is said to approach, know and act, and he expands Avraham’s account of his wandering and Avimelech’s words to Sarah. The final four verses, on the birth and circumcision of Yitzchok, are rendered almost word for word, with the Name in place of Elokim and with careful lexical choices for “remembered” and “commanded”.

What Onkelos tells us in this aliyah

1. “From before Hashem” (19:24). Interposing “before” between “from” and the Name softens the picture of the punishment issuing directly from God, perhaps out of reverence.
2. “Served there in prayer” (19:27). Avraham’s “standing” is identified as prayer, an interpretive addition perhaps prompted by his plea for Sedom, and “the face of Hashem” becomes “before Hashem”.
3. “Requested” (19:21). Lot’s “speaking” about Zoar becomes his “requesting”, which may indicate that his words were read as a plea.
4. “That we may establish children” (19:32). The daughters’ aim, “to give life to seed”, becomes u-nekayyem … benin, a concrete noun in place of the Hebrew metaphor; the same pair recurs in 19:34.
5. “Bar-Ami” (19:38). By translating ben as bar, the same word used for “a son” earlier in the verse, Onkelos keeps the echo between the birth and the name, whereas “Moav” in 19:37 is kept as it stands.
6. “Rekam and Hagra” (20:1). Kadesh and Shur are given Aramaic names rather than transliterated, and the Negev becomes “the south”.
7. “A word from before Hashem” (20:3). The Hebrew has God Himself come to Avimelech; Onkelos makes the subject a word from before Hashem, which may indicate reluctance to describe God as coming to a person in a dream.
8. “It is revealed before Me” (20:6). God’s “I also know” is rephrased so that God is not the subject of a verb of coming to know, perhaps because that could suggest something previously unknown to Him.
9. “Hashem brought me near to His fear” (20:13). “When God caused me to wander” becomes the nations straying after the works of their hands while Hashem draws Avraham near; the note treats the motive as an inference, perhaps reluctance to make God the cause of wandering.
10. “A covering of honor” (20:16). Onkelos adds “of honor” and a clause explaining what the gift covers: Sarah’s having been sent for, taken and seen.
11. “They were relieved” (20:17). “They gave birth” becomes “they were relieved”, which may reflect an understanding of the healing as the release of a blockage affecting the whole household.
12. “Remembered” and “commanded” (21:1, 21:4). Hebrew pakad becomes dekhir, while the Aramaic verb from the same letters, fakkid, translates tzivvah three verses later.

Recurring features

• The Name for Elokim. All ten occurrences of Elokim in the aliyah (19:29 twice, 20:3, 20:6, 20:11, 20:13, 20:17 twice, 21:2, 21:4) appear as the Name in the printed Onkelos, so the Hebrew’s alternation between the two Names is not visible in the Aramaic.
• “Before” for God. Kodam stands between God and the action or the person at several points: punishment “from before Hashem”, prayer “before Hashem”, a word “from before Hashem”, things “revealed before Me”, sinning “before Me”.
• “On account of”. Al eisak renders Hebrew al in 20:3 and al devar in 20:11 and 20:18, spelling out the matter at issue.
• Taking as leading. The root דבר, “lead, take”, renders the taking of Sarah and of the gifts (20:2, 20:3, 20:14, 20:16).
• One root kept, or one root imposed. Onkelos keeps the root of overturning through 19:21, 19:25 and 19:29, the root of “doing” four times in 20:9, and the Aramaic root for “enter” for each Hebrew “come” in the story of Lot’s daughters; elsewhere he uses one word where the Hebrew uses two, as with the verbs of looking in 19:26 and 19:28 and the root zakh- in 20:4-5.
• Grammatical smoothing. An infinitive after “hurry” (19:22, printed text), a participle with an auxiliary for “had lived” (19:29), and a relative clause for the participle ha-nolad (21:3) make the Aramaic plainer without changing the sense.

Aliyah takeaway

Across this aliyah Onkelos is for the most part a close translator, keeping the order, repetitions and even some idioms of the Hebrew. His departures fall into recognizable groups: the Name for Elokim, a “before” wherever God acts, speaks or is addressed, a word from before Hashem rather than God Himself coming to a foreign king, and a handful of expansions where the Hebrew is terse or could be read as ascribing wandering to God. Reading the Aramaic beside the Hebrew shows where those choices fall, and also how much of the Hebrew he leaves exactly as it is.

Aramaic word list for the aliyah

Source note

Aliyah boundary. Bereshit 19:21 – 21:4, following the aliyah divisions in Sefaria’s index of Bereshit (the next aliyah begins at Bereshit 21:5).

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.

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