Onkelos

Onkelos is a name associated with an Aramaic translation of the five books of the Torah, known as Targum Onkelos. The word "targum" means translation or interpretation, specifically a rendering of the Hebrew biblical text into Aramaic, which was the everyday language of Jewish communities in the Middle East during the later centuries of the first millennium.

Rabbinic sources in the Talmud identify Onkelos as a Roman-born convert to Judaism who produced an Aramaic version of the Torah. Modern scholars debate whether this historical information and the connection between the name and the text can be verified, and the Targum itself may have emerged from collective community work over several generations rather than from a single author.

Method of translation

Targum Onkelos follows the Hebrew text closely: largely word-for-word, preserving sentence structure. However, it employs a consistent practice of rendering anthropomorphic descriptions of God—such as "the hand of God" or "God descended"—with more abstract language, often using terms like "Memra" (the Word) or "glory." In certain passages it adds brief interpretive glosses consistent with rabbinic understanding, particularly in narrative sections such as Jacob's blessings.

Place in Jewish practice

The Talmud prescribes an obligation that one read the Torah portion "twice in the text and once in the targum" each week. This made Targum Onkelos part of regular study practice. Standard Torah printings still present it alongside the Hebrew text. Later interpreters, such as Rashi, often followed it in clarifying the meaning of difficult words.

Relationship to other Targumim

Compared to Targum Yonatan (Targum Pseudo-Jonathan) and the Palestinian Targumim, Onkelos is the most literal and departs least from the text. The other Targumim incorporate more extensive narrative and midrashic elaboration. For this reason, scholars use Onkelos as an important source for understanding how the Torah text was read and how words were understood.