Tag Archives: Exodus 8:23

“A Three-Day Journey”: The Syntax of Volition and Deixis in Exodus According to Targum Onkelos

מַהֲלַךְ תְּלָתָא יוֹמִין נֵיזִיל בְּמַדְבְּרָא וּנְדַבַּח קֳדָם יְיָ אֱלָהָנָא כְּמָא דִּיֵימַר לָנָא: (Exodus 8:23 Targum Onkelos) A journey of three days let us go into the wilderness and let us offer sacrifices before YHWH our God, just as He said to us Voices from the Edge of the Wilderness This verse from Targum Onkelos on Exodus 5:3 is not a mere translation. It’s a careful reshaping of Moshe’s diplomatic plea to Parʿo, emphasizing volitional modality, Aramaic deixis, and verb chains that pulsate with collective intentionality.… Learn Hebrew
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