The Aramaic Bible

Volume 18

The Two Targums of Esther

Translated, with Apparatus and Notes

by

Bernard Grossfeld

The Aramaic Bible

• The Targums •

Project Director

Martin McNamara, M.S.C.

Editors

Kevin Cathcart • Michael Maher, M.S.C.

Martin McNamara, M.S.C.

editorial consultants

Daniel J. Harrington, S.J. • Bernard Grossfeld

First published in 1991 by The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321.

Copyright © 1991 by The Order of St. Benedict, Inc., Collegeville, Minnesota. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bible. O. T. Esther. English. Grossfeld. 1991.

The two Targums of Esther / translated, with apparatus and notes, by Bernard Grossfeld.

p. cm.—(The Aramaic Bible; v. 18)

“A Michael Glazier book.”

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 0-8146-5454-1

1. Bible. O. T. Esther. Aramaic. Targum rishon—Translations into English. 2. Bible. O. T. Esther. Aramaic. Targum rishon—Criticism, Textual. 3. Targum sheni—Criticism, Textual.

I. Grossfeld, Bernard. II. Targum sheni. English. 1991. III. Title. IV. Series: Bible. O. T. English. Aramaic Bible. 1987; v. 18.

BS709.2.B5 1987 vol. 18

[BS 1373]

221.4.′2 s—dc20

[222′ .9042]

91-28820

CIP

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Editors’ Foreword

Preface

Abbreviations

Transcriptions

Introduction

I. Esther in Jewish Life, in Jewish Liturgy, and History of Jewish Interpretation

II. Early Citation

III. The Extant Manuscripts of the Esther Targums

IV. The Aramaic of the Esther Targums

V. The Nature of the Aramaic Paraphrase and Its Relation to the Hebrew Text

VI. The Relationship of the Targums to Jewish Exegesis

VII. The Theological Concepts in the Targums

VIII. Date and Provenance of the Esther Targums

IX. Editions (E), Translations (T), Commentaries (C), Concordances (CC)

X. Principles Governing the Translation

XI. Bibliography of Writings

XII. The Relationship of Targum I (Rishon) to Targum II (Sheni)

Translation of the Targum Rishon of Esther

Bibliography for Targum Rishon

Translation of the Targum Sheni of Esther

Bibliography for Targum Sheni

Greek Loan Words in Targum Sheni

Appendix

Index for Introduction and Targum Rishon

Index for Targum Sheni

לאשתי סימע

אחותי רעיתי יונתי תמתי

(שיר השירים ה׃ ב)

EDITORS’ FOREWORD

While any translation of the Scriptures may in Hebrew be called a Targum, the word is used especially for a translation of a book of the Hebrew Bible into Aramaic. Before the Christian era Aramaic had in good part replaced Hebrew in Palestine as the vernacular of the Jews. It continued as their vernacular for centuries later and remained in part as the language of the schools after Aramaic itself had been replaced as the vernacular.

Rabbinic Judaism has transmitted Targums of all books of the Hebrew Canon, ...