The Aramaic Bible

The Aramaic Bible · the Torah

Targum Onkelos Exodus · chapter 31

Aramaic public domain · English Bible (BSB)
Compare this chapter in Targum Pseudo-Jonathan
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. :

    Then the LORD said to Moses,

  2. :

    “See, I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.

  3. :

    And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of craftsmanship,

  4. :

    to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze,

  5. :

    to cut gemstones for settings, and to carve wood, so that he may be a master of every craft.

  6. :

    Moreover, I have selected Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, as his assistant. I have also given skill to all the craftsmen, that they may fashion all that I have commanded you:

  7. :

    the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony and the mercy seat upon it, and all the other furnishings of the tent—

  8. :

    the table with its utensils, the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense,

  9. :

    the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its stand—

  10. :

    as well as the woven garments, both the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons to serve as priests,

  11. :

    in addition to the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them according to all that I have commanded you.”

  12. :

    And the LORD said to Moses,

  13. :

    “Tell the Israelites, ‘Surely you must keep My Sabbaths, for this will be a sign between Me and you for the generations to come, so that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.

  14. :

    Keep the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Anyone who profanes it must surely be put to death. Whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from among his people.

  15. :

    For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must surely be put to death.

  16. :

    The Israelites must keep the Sabbath, celebrating it as a permanent covenant for the generations to come.

  17. :

    It is a sign between Me and the Israelites forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, but on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’”

  18. :

    When the LORD had finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.

Aramaic. Targum Onkelos, Aramaic: 'Onkelos Exodus' (public domain), served by the Sefaria v3 API (sefaria.org)

English. The Masoretic Torah verse (Berean Standard Bible, public domain), shown for reference, Targum Onkelos 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 Onkelos Exodus 31: word by word · Bubble Bible