וַאֲמַר יְיָ לְנֹחַ קִצָּא דְכָל בִּשְׂרָא עַלַּת לִקֳדָמַי אֲרֵי אִתְמְלִיאַת אַרְעָא חֲטוֹפִין מִן קֳדָם עוֹבָדֵיהוֹן בִּישַׁיָּא וְהָא אֲנָא מְחַבֶּלְהוֹן עִם אַרְעָא:
And YHWH said to Noaḥ, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with plunder from before them because of their evil deeds, and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.”
Poetic Reflection: When Grammar Bears Witness
The world is not judged with thunder, but with syntax. In Targum Onkelos, YHWH’s speech to Noaḥ is a juridical declaration — not merely emotional or punitive, but constructed with linguistic precision. The vocabulary is forensic, the sentence structure judicial, and the verbs function like gavel strikes: concise, emphatic, final.
This lesson explores how verbs of perception, construct absolutes, and Aramaic causality frame divine justice in linguistic terms.
1. קִצָּא דְכָל בִּשְׂרָא עַלַּת לִקֳדָמַי — “The end of all flesh has come before Me”
* קִצָּא — “The end,” absolute noun from קֵץ. In Aramaic, this noun is regularly used in eschatological and judicial contexts.
* דְכָל בִּשְׂרָא — Construct chain: “of all flesh.”
* עַלַּת — Perfect Peʿal 3fs of עֲלָה, “has come up” or “has arrived.”
* לִקֳדָמַי — “Before Me,” preposition + 1cs suffix.
Construct Interpretation
This is a legal expression: the phrase “has come before Me” mirrors court imagery, where evidence or complaint is brought before a judge.
2. אֲרֵי אִתְמְלִיאַת אַרְעָא חֲטוֹפִין — “For the earth is filled with plunder”
* אֲרֵי — “Because,” causal particle used for divine reasoning.
* אִתְמְלִיאַת — Ithpeʿel perfect 3fs of מְלֵי, passive/reflexive: “it has become full.”
* חֲטוֹפִין — “Robbery, plunder,” from root חטף (to seize). Plural abstract noun.
This phrase means: “It has filled itself with plunder,” reflecting not just physical fullness, but moral saturation.
3. מִן קֳדָם עוֹבָדֵיהוֹן בִּישַׁיָּא — “Because of their evil deeds”
* עוֹבָדֵיהוֹן — “their deeds,” plural of עֲבִיד (“deed”) with 3mp suffix.
* בִּישַׁיָּא — Adjective “evil,” masculine plural.
This chain is a noun + attributive adjective, showing that the “plunder” is a result of their morally bad actions.
4. וְהָא אֲנָא מְחַבֶּלְהוֹן עִם אַרְעָא — “And behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth”
* וְהָא — “And behold,” deictic attention marker.
* אֲנָא — “I” (emphatic subject).
* מְחַבֶּלְהוֹן — Paʿel participle ms + 3mp suffix, from חבל, “to destroy, ruin.” The participle shows imminent ongoing intent.
* עִם אַרְעָא — “With the earth.” This reflects Hebrew et-haʾaretz, but Aramaic chooses עִם to denote co-destruction.
Destruction Syntax Table
| Phrase | Function | Grammatical Notes |
|---|---|---|
| עַלַּת לִקֳדָמַי | Judicial appearance | Peʿal perfect 3fs + directional prepositional suffix |
| אִתְמְלִיאַת אַרְעָא | Reflexive passive completion | Ithpeʿel perfect 3fs (filled itself) |
| מְחַבֶּלְהוֹן | Destruction in progress | Paʿel participle + 3mp suffix (they) |
Scroll Ends, But Echoes Remain
Genesis 6:13 in Targum Onkelos is not merely divine narration—it is legal disclosure. From the construct chain of קִצָּא דְכָל בִּשְׂרָא to the participial doom in מְחַבֶּלְהוֹן, the grammar plays out like a verdict. Each term frames a world where sin is documented, measured, and answered—not arbitrarily, but through the architecture of Aramaic syntax.
Here, the destruction of all flesh is not screamed—it is spoken in perfect grammatical order.
