09/07/2026
What are Biblical Targums?
They are ancient spoken and written translations of the Hebrew Bible into Aramaic. There was a language shift from Hebrew to Aramaic . After the Babylonian exile, Aramaic became the everyday spoken language for Jewish people, while Hebrew remained the language of study and liturgy. When scripture was read aloud in the synagogue it was in Hebrew, a translator (meturgeman) provided an oral Aramaic translation and explanation so the common people could understand it.
A Targum is not always a strict word-for-word translation. It was more of a paraphrase. It often includes interpretive expansions, clarifications, and rabbinic commentary to make difficult or theological passages easier for listeners to grasp.
