It is not to be confused with "
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan," an Aramaic translation of the
Torah. It is often known as "Targum Jonathan" due to a printer's error or perhaps because it is so stylistically similar to the Targum Jerusalem, which is named "Jonathan" to differentiate the two later translations.
Origin
Like
Targum Onkelos, it originated in the synagogue reading of a translation from the Nevi'im, which was part of the weekly lesson.
The
Talmud< attributes its authorship to
Jonathan ben Uzziel, a pupil of
Hillel the Elder, in
Megillah 3a:4.[a] According to this source, it was composed by Jonathan ben Uzziel "from the mouths of
Haggai,
Zechariah, and
Malachi," implying that it was based on traditions derived from the last prophets. The additional statements that, on this account, the entire land of Israel was shaken and that a voice from heaven cried: "Who has revealed my secrets to the children of men?" are legendary reflections of the novelty of Jonathan's undertaking and the disapprobation it evoked. The story adds that Jonathan wished to translate the Ketuvim, but a heavenly voice instructed him to stop. The Targum to the
Book of Job, which was withdrawn from circulation by
Gamaliel,
nasi of the
Sanhedrin, may have represented the result of his attempts to translate the Ketuvim.[2]
Jonathan ben Uzziel is named as Hillel's most prominent pupil,[3] and the reference to his Targum is at least of historical value, so there is nothing to controvert the assumption that it served as the foundation for the present Targum to the Prophets.[4]
It was thoroughly revised, however, before it was redacted in Babylonia. In the Babylonian Talmud it is quoted with especial frequency by Joseph, head of the Academy of
Pumbedita,[5] who writes concerning the two biblical passages
Isaiah 8:6 and
Zechariah 12:11, "If there were no Targum to it we should not know the meaning of these verses".[6] This shows that as early as the beginning of the fourth century the Targum to the Prophets was recognized as of ancient authority.
The targum is sometimes cited with the introduction "Rav Yosef has translated", suggesting a tradition of authorship by
Joseph bar Hama.[7][8]
Linguistic analysis
The language of Targum Jonathan is Aramaic. Its overall style is very similar to that of Targum Onkelos, though it sometimes seems to be a looser paraphrase of the Biblical text.[9]
Like Targum Onkelos, it gained general recognition in Lower Mesopotamia in the third century, and from the
Talmudic academies in Babylonia it was carried throughout the Diaspora. It originated, however, in
Syria Palaestina but was adapted to
Jewish Babylonian Aramaic, so it contains the same linguistic peculiarities as the Targum Onḳelos, including sporadic instances of Persian loanwords.[10] In cases where the Palestinian and Babylonian texts differ, the Onqelos follows the latter.[11]
In
Talmudic times, and still by
Yemenite Jews, Targum Jonathan was read as a verse-by-verse translation alternately with the Hebrew verses of the
haftara in the
synagogue. Thus, when the Talmud states that "a person should complete his portions of scripture along with the community, reading the scripture twice and the targum once",[14] the passage may be taken to refer to the Targuma Jonathan and Onqelos.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the
help page).
It is not to be confused with "
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan," an Aramaic translation of the
Torah. It is often known as "Targum Jonathan" due to a printer's error or perhaps because it is so stylistically similar to the Targum Jerusalem, which is named "Jonathan" to differentiate the two later translations.
Origin
Like
Targum Onkelos, it originated in the synagogue reading of a translation from the Nevi'im, which was part of the weekly lesson.
The
Talmud< attributes its authorship to
Jonathan ben Uzziel, a pupil of
Hillel the Elder, in
Megillah 3a:4.[a] According to this source, it was composed by Jonathan ben Uzziel "from the mouths of
Haggai,
Zechariah, and
Malachi," implying that it was based on traditions derived from the last prophets. The additional statements that, on this account, the entire land of Israel was shaken and that a voice from heaven cried: "Who has revealed my secrets to the children of men?" are legendary reflections of the novelty of Jonathan's undertaking and the disapprobation it evoked. The story adds that Jonathan wished to translate the Ketuvim, but a heavenly voice instructed him to stop. The Targum to the
Book of Job, which was withdrawn from circulation by
Gamaliel,
nasi of the
Sanhedrin, may have represented the result of his attempts to translate the Ketuvim.[2]
Jonathan ben Uzziel is named as Hillel's most prominent pupil,[3] and the reference to his Targum is at least of historical value, so there is nothing to controvert the assumption that it served as the foundation for the present Targum to the Prophets.[4]
It was thoroughly revised, however, before it was redacted in Babylonia. In the Babylonian Talmud it is quoted with especial frequency by Joseph, head of the Academy of
Pumbedita,[5] who writes concerning the two biblical passages
Isaiah 8:6 and
Zechariah 12:11, "If there were no Targum to it we should not know the meaning of these verses".[6] This shows that as early as the beginning of the fourth century the Targum to the Prophets was recognized as of ancient authority.
The targum is sometimes cited with the introduction "Rav Yosef has translated", suggesting a tradition of authorship by
Joseph bar Hama.[7][8]
Linguistic analysis
The language of Targum Jonathan is Aramaic. Its overall style is very similar to that of Targum Onkelos, though it sometimes seems to be a looser paraphrase of the Biblical text.[9]
Like Targum Onkelos, it gained general recognition in Lower Mesopotamia in the third century, and from the
Talmudic academies in Babylonia it was carried throughout the Diaspora. It originated, however, in
Syria Palaestina but was adapted to
Jewish Babylonian Aramaic, so it contains the same linguistic peculiarities as the Targum Onḳelos, including sporadic instances of Persian loanwords.[10] In cases where the Palestinian and Babylonian texts differ, the Onqelos follows the latter.[11]
In
Talmudic times, and still by
Yemenite Jews, Targum Jonathan was read as a verse-by-verse translation alternately with the Hebrew verses of the
haftara in the
synagogue. Thus, when the Talmud states that "a person should complete his portions of scripture along with the community, reading the scripture twice and the targum once",[14] the passage may be taken to refer to the Targuma Jonathan and Onqelos.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the
help page).