The Aramaic Bible: Targums in their Historical Context

230 The Aramaic Bible: The Tar gums in their Historical Context
3. Deut. 25.6—This verse deals with the status of the son born to a
couple who underwent a Levirate marriage. The biblical injunction
states: nan vn« no bu Dip 1 ibn ~ie?« Tonn rrm which Onqelos translates
literally, 'Now the first son that she will bear shall be accounted in
name to the dead brother'. Here too the injunction is directed to the
courts whose officials knew how to act in accordance with the
Halakhic interpretation. 6 Thus, the Halakha was not reflected in
Onqelos's translation.
1. Exod. 12.46—The Hebrew ^sw TDK mm which refers to consumption
of the Paschal Lamb and that 'it be eaten in one house' is
rendered in Onqelos as: bswr 1 tnn rrrnm—'it should be consumed by
one group' in accordance with the Halakha. 7 This injunction is
directed to every individual at large. Consequently, it cannot be rendered
literally by the Targum if a Halakha exists which interprets it
differently. The possibility was that the masses might misunderstand
and act according to the literal translation, since they were not familiar
with the Halakhic understanding of it.
2. Exod. 23.19; 34.26; Deut. 12.21—In each of these three
verses where the Hebrew reads: IDK n^m -n: ^onn ^—'do not boil a
kid in its mother's milk', Onqelos translates it: nbm nett p^n $b—'do
not consume meat with milk'. This interpretive rendering is in accord
with the official Halakha. 8 Since this injunction is targeted at every
6. Cf. b. Yeb. 24a: n'pnft vn« no ^a nip'—'he shall be accounted on behalf of
his brother as far as inheritance is concerned'.
7. Cf. b. Pes. 86a-b where the following controversy exists on this subject:
nn« rrrarQ ~IDIN pane? '~i .rvmsn 'nan IQIK rmrr '~i—R. Juda said: 'in two
groups', R. Simon said: 'in one group', Onqelos siding with the opinion of
R. Simon. Cf. also Mek. «noDi Nroon XV, pp. 54-55 and t. Pes. 6.11.
8. Cf. b. Hul. 115b
"The School of R. Ishmael taught: "You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk" is
stated three times—one is an injunction against eating it, one an injunction against
benefiting from it, and one an injunction against boiling it.' R. Simon b. Yohai is
author of this view in Mek. KDCOT Kroon XX, p. 336. Although the entire Halakha
is not actually reflected in Onqelos, where only the injunction on eating is stated in all
three verses, it appeared to be sufficient in itself to guide the masses away from
understanding the verses literally, and they consequently understood the injunction