The Masoretic Text Compared to the Targum’s

In looking at the History of the Hebrew Bible, the Masoretic and Samaritan texts, it becomes apparent that there are very divergent opinions on the accuracy and reliability of all the source text of the Hebrew Bible, leaving us no option but investigate the matter for ourselves. 

Having studied the Hebrew text of Gen 1:1 to 2:24, we are in a better position to compare the text of the Targums for similarities and differences, to see if they differ from our original interpretation.  We learned some interesting facts in the History of Hebrew Language, the Hebrew Bible and the Targums, which will help us with our study going forward. 

We will use the following Chaldee Lexicons (free in pdf format on archive.org) to analyze and translate the Targum text:

• Lee’s Lexicon, short for ‘A Lexicon of Hebrew, Chaldee, and English’ by Samuel Lee, 1840        
• Fuerst’s Lexicon, short for ‘A Hebrew & Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament’ by Dr Julius Fuerst, 1885                                                                       
• Davies’ Lexicon, short for ‘A Compendious and Complete Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament’ by Benjamin Davies, 1879                                                                                             
• Gesenius’s Hebrew Lexicon, short for ‘Gesenius’s Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament’ translated by Edward Robinson 1907
• Gesenius’s Chaldee Lexicon, short for ‘Gesenius’s Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures’ translated by S P Tregelles 1857  
• Harkavy’s Dictionary, short for ‘Students’ Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary to the Old Testament’ by A Harkavy 1914                                                                                                            

In addition, we will consult with the books Christological Aramaic Grammar by Dr. Gary Staats, and A Short Grammar of Biblical Aramaic by Alger F. Johns, to  assist with Aramaic grammar, prefixes and suffixes.

We will begin comparing the names/titles used for the male and female in Genesis 1 to 4:1 found in the Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible (HB), the Targum Onkelos (TO), and Samaritan Targum (ST).  We will compare the ST text found on Tanakh.info with the Samaritanische Pentateuch version die Genesis in der Hebraischen edited by Moritz Heidenheim, 1884.  Then we will incorporate the comparison of the text into our study beginning with Gen 2:25.  After we are complete Genesis 3, we will go back and compare the text of Gen 1:1 to 2:24.