וַחֲלָמוּ חֶלְמָא תַּרְוֵיהוֹן גְּבַר חֶלְמֵיהּ בְּלֵילְיָא חַד גְּבַר כְּפוּשְׁרַן חֶלְמֵיהּ שָׁקְיָא וְנַחְתּוֹמָא דִּי לְמַלְכָּא דְמִצְרַיִם דִּי אֲסִירִין בְּבֵית אֲסִירֵי:
(Genesis 40:5)
And they dreamed a dream, the two of them—each man his dream in one night—each man, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Mitsrayim, who were confined in the house of imprisonment.
Whispers Behind Bars: A Narrative Opening
In the depths of a prison cell in Mitsrayim, two officials of the king—each tarnished by suspicion—share not only confinement, but something stranger: a dream. The Targum’s rendering of this episode is more than a retelling; it’s a study in duality, construct syntax, and pronominal precision.
This grammar lesson explores how Targum Onkelos weaves together multiple grammatical layers: duals, constructs, and the deliberate balance of parallel clause structures—all within a single, tightly wound verse.
The Grammatical Spine: Key Structures
1. Construct and Absolute: The Pattern of חֶלְמֵיהּ
The phrase חֶלְמֵיהּ (“his dream”) demonstrates a classic construct chain with a pronominal suffix.
– The base noun is חֶלְמָא (“a dream”), masculine singular.
– In construct, it becomes חֶלְם־, assimilating the final aleph.
– It then takes the 3ms suffix ־ֵיהּ → חֶלְמֵיהּ.
This structure is repeated:
– גְּבַר חֶלְמֵיהּ = “a man, his dream”
– Used for both the cupbearer and the baker in parallel syntax.
2. Dual Reference: תַּרְוֵיהוֹן
The word תַּרְוֵיהוֹן is a composite of:
– תַּרְוֵי (“the two of”)
– הוֹן (3mp pronominal suffix)
So חֶלְמָא תַּרְוֵיהוֹן literally means “a dream of the two of them.”
This pairing idiomatically introduces two parallel dreams, while retaining singular חֶלְמָא to match the Hebrew singular חֲלוֹם, despite the duality implied.
3. Bivalence in Action: כְּפוּשְׁרַן … שָׁקְיָא
Targum Onkelos retains the two professions:
– כְּפוּשְׁרַן (baker)
– שָׁקְיָא (cupbearer)
These two are placed in apposition to גְּבַר, reinforcing the identity of each man and anchoring their respective dreams with the prior syntax of חֶלְמֵיהּ.
Syntax Table: Mapping the Parallelism
| Phrase | Function | Grammatical Note |
|---|---|---|
| חֶלְמָא תַּרְוֵיהוֹן | Main clause: “they dreamed a dream, the two of them” | Dual suffix + singular noun (constructualized interpretation) |
| גְּבַר חֶלְמֵיהּ | Identifying subject and possession | Construct noun + 3ms suffix (“his dream”) |
| כְּפוּשְׁרַן … שָׁקְיָא | Appositional nouns clarifying profession | Noun pair used in resumption after clause interruption |
The Subtleties of דִּי
Note the double appearance of דִּי:
– נַחְתּוֹמָא דִּי לְמַלְכָּא דְמִצְרַיִם = “the baker of the king of Mitsrayim”
– דִּי אֲסִירִין בְּבֵית אֲסִירֵי = “who were confined in the house of confinement”
The relative particle דִּי is used for:
1. Attributive possession: “of the king of Mitsrayim”
2. Relative clause introduction: “who were imprisoned”
This dual function is essential to Aramaic syntax—where דִּי serves as the glue of relational logic.
Scroll Ends, But Echoes Remain
The Targumic rendering of this seemingly simple verse turns a narrative of dreams into a grammatical mirror. The symmetry between the two men is mirrored by structural pairing: two גְּבַר חֶלְמֵיהּ clauses, two professional titles, and a compound construct unified by תַּרְוֵיהוֹן.
This isn’t just translation—it’s interpretive grammar. Onkelos amplifies the tension and pairing in the narrative through rigorous syntax. As these two men await judgment through dreams, the Targum gives us a dream of its own: a linguistic tapestry rich in nuance, balance, and form.
