The Aramaic Bible

The Aramaic Bible · the Prophets

Targum Jonathan on the Prophets Ezekiel · chapter 2

Aramaic public domain · English where it exists, else the Bible (BSB)
What is the Aramaic Bible?

After the exile, most Jews spoke Aramaic, not Hebrew, so in the synagogue each Scripture reading was followed by an Aramaic translation read aloud, so ordinary people could follow. Those translations are the Aramaic Bible. Scholars call them the Targums.

Why it’s worth reading: a Targum doesn’t just translate, it quietly explains as it goes. So it’s a window into how the first Jewish readers actually understood a passage. Famously, the Aramaic of Isaiah 53 names the servant “the Messiah” outright.

Hebrew, Greek & the Aramaic Bible, when to use each →

Tap any Aramaic word to trace it to its Jastrow dictionary entry.

  1. :

    “Son of man,” He said to me, “stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.”

  2. :

    And as He spoke to me, the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and I heard Him speaking to me.

  3. :

    “Son of man,” He said to me, “I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me. To this very day they and their fathers have rebelled against Me.

  4. :

    They are obstinate and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you are to say to them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says.’

  5. :

    And whether they listen or refuse to listen— for they are a rebellious house— they will know that a prophet has been among them.

  6. :

    But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns surround you, and you dwell among scorpions. Do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their presence, though they are a rebellious house.

  7. :

    But speak My words to them, whether they listen or refuse to listen, for they are rebellious.

  8. :

    And you, son of man, listen to what I tell you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I give you.”

  9. :

    Then I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me, and in it was a scroll,

  10. :

    which He unrolled before me. And written on the front and back of it were words of lamentation, mourning, and woe.

Aramaic. Targum Jonathan to the Prophets, Aramaic: 'Mikraot Gedolot' (public domain), served by the Sefaria v3 API (sefaria.org)

English. The Masoretic verse (Berean Standard Bible, public domain), shown for reference, Targum Jonathan is the ancient Aramaic rendering of this verse.

We show the license-cleared original Aramaic and an established English translation, each Aramaic word traceable to a public-domain lexicon. We never machine-translate a primary text.

Targum Jonathan Ezekiel 2: word by word · Bubble Bible