Targumim (or: Targums) are translations of the Hebrew Bible into Aramaic. They were translated and used when Jewish congregations increasingly could not understand the biblical Hebrew anymore. Targum Onqelos (also: Onkelos) is the name of the Aramaic translation of the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) probably composed in Israel/Palestine in the 1st or 2nd century CE and later edited in Babylon in the 4th or 5th century, making it reflect Jewish Babylonian Aramaic. It is the most famous Aramaic translation and was widely used throughout the Jewish communities.
In many, but not all, cases the translation of Targum Onqelos avoids anthropomorphisms (attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions) as they relate in the original Hebrew text to God.
The Hebrew of Numbers 12:8 that is translated in English as “the form of the Lord” or similar is translated in Targum Onqelos as “the likeness of the glory of the Lord.” (Source: Schochet 1966, p. 14)
Targumim (or: Targums) are translations of the Hebrew Bible into Aramaic. They were translated and used when Jewish congregations increasingly could not understand the biblical Hebrew anymore. Targum Onqelos (also: Onkelos) is the name of the Aramaic translation of the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) probably composed in Israel/Palestine in the 1st or 2nd century CE and later edited in Babylon in the 4th or 5th century, making it reflect Jewish Babylonian Aramaic. It is the most famous Aramaic translation and was widely used throughout the Jewish communities.
In many, but not all, cases the translation of Targum Onqelos avoids anthropomorphisms (attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions) as they relate in the original Hebrew text to God.
The Hebrew of Deut. 5:4 and Numbers 12:8 that is translated in English as “face to face” is translated in Targum Onqelos as “word with word.” (Source: Schochet 1966, p. 15)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 12:8:
Kupsabiny: “We two share words while he sees me and not in riddles. How can you (plur.) oppose my servant Moses?’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “With him I speak face-to-face, explaining clearly, not to be misunderstood. He sees the LORD’s countenance. Why were you not afraid to go on criticizing my servant Moses?"” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “When I speak to him, (it) seems just like we (excl.) are-facing-each-other for what I say to him is very clear. It seems just like he can-see me. So why you (plur.) were- not -afraid to speak evil/bad against my servant Moises?’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “So I talk to him face-to-face. I speak to him clearly/using words that he will understand easily, not using parables. He has even seen what I look like. So you should be afraid to criticize my servant Moses!’” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).
Verses 6-8 are composed in an elevated rhetorical style. Some scholars and versions consider these three verses to be poetry and format the text accordingly (so New International Version, Revised English Bible). The LORD’s words in verses 6b-8a form a chiasmus, with an emphasis on the center of the structure where Moses is named, as follows (based on Sherwood, page 156):
Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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