Targum

A Targum (Aramaic: translation; interpretation) is an Aramaic paraphrase or translation of the Hebrew scriptures, produced because Aramaic became the common language of Palestinian Jews after the Babylonian exile. As Hebrew became increasingly a liturgical language known mainly to scholars, synagogue readers would recite the Hebrew text followed by an oral Aramaic rendering. These oral renderings were eventually written down, producing the Targums.

The most important Targums are the Targum Onkelos (on the Torah, probably finalized in Babylon, c. 3rd century A.D.) and the Targum Jonathan ben Uzziel (on the Prophets). Palestinian Targums (Targum Neofiti, Targum Pseudo-Jonathan) preserve older, more expansive paraphrasing traditions. The Targums are theologically significant because they often interpret the Hebrew text through a messianic or rabbinic lens and occasionally substitute circumlocutions for direct divine names. They provide evidence for how ancient Jewish communities understood their scripture and are important resources for NT background studies.