John 1 [1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

When the Jews returned from Babylonian captivity 450 years before the birth of Yeshua, they had adopted Aramaic as their native language.

Although it is a dialect of ancient Hebrew, Aramaic is about as different from it as modern Italian is from its classical Latin ancestor.

Consequently, during the first and early second centuries A.D., Aramaic translations of the Hebrew TaNaKh were made.

These translations, called Targums, were The Living Bibles of their day, an interpretive paraphrase of Scripture. They help us see how these first-century Jews understood their TaNaKh.

One of the striking things these Targums show is that first century Jews had come to understand the phrase "the Word of God" as referring to a divine entity within God Himself, yet distinguishable at times from God.

The Targums were authoritative Aramaic paraphrases of the books of the TaNaKh which were read in the synagogues along with the Hebrew of the Torah and Haftorah readings.

The need for Aramaic translations of scripture was felt as Hebrew declined in use during the Second Temple Period.

One tradition (some say) ascribes the first targum to Ezra himself. Some say, in the earliest days, targumim were not written down, but were likely informal translations made 'on the fly' after the Hebrew scriptures were read in the synagogues.

Targum fragments found in the Dead Sea Scrolls indicate that use of written targumim can be dated to pre-Christian times, and eventually two of these written Targumim, Targum Onqelos on the Pentateuch and Targum Jonathan on the Prophets gained official status, and were specifically designated for use in synagogue services.

In addition to these two official Targumim, there are several targumim covering various books of the Writing and other, competing Targums to the Pentateuch that never gained any official status.

Every book but Ezra-Nehemiah and Daniel (which were partially written in Aramaic to begin with) has at least one extant Targum.

THE MEMRA, THE WORD OF THE LORD

Psalm 33 [6] By the Word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

And the Word [Memra] of the Lord created man in His likeness, in the likeness of the Lord, the Lord created, male and female created He them."

The Memra acts as a mediator between the Father and Creation:

And I will establish my covenant between My Word [Memra} and between you

Gen. 17 [7] And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

Gen. 9 [17] And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

And YHVH said to Noah, "This is the token of the covenant which I have established between My Word [Memra] and between all flesh that is upon the earth.

Targum Onkelos Gen. 9:17
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The Memra is God and is worshiped as such:

Gen. 28: [20] And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, [21] So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:

And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, "If the Word [Memra] of YHVH will be my support, and will keep me in the way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Word [Memra] of Lord be my God.

And Abraham worshipped and prayed in the name of the Word [Memra] of YHVH, and said, "You are Lord who does see, but You cannot be seen."

Jerusalem Targum Gen. 22:14
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The Memra is God, yet is a separate personality from the Father and Holy Spirit:

And the Word [Memra] of the Lord caused to descend upon the peoples of Sodom and Gommorah, brimstone and fire from the Lord in heaven.

Gen. 19 [24] Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;

And Israel saw the great strong hand of God, what He did to the Egyptians. They feared God and believed in His Word [Memra] and in His servant Moses.

Onkeles Targum on Exodus 14:31

Exodus 14 [31] And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.

Genesis 1:27 - God created man.

Targum - The Word of the Lord created man.

Genesis 6:6-7 - And it repented the Lord that He made man on the earth.

Targum - And it repented the Lord through His word that He made man on the earth.

Genesis 9:12 - And God said, "This sign that I set for the covenant between me and you."

Targum - And the Lord said, "This is the sign that I set for covenant between my Word and you."

Genesis 15:6 - And Abraham believed in the Lord.

Targum - And Abraham believed in the Word of the Lord.

Genesis 20:3 - And God came to Abimelech.

Targum - And the Word from before the Lord came to Abimelech.

Genesis 31: 49 - May the Lord keep watch between you and me.

Targum - May the Word of the Lord keep watch between you and me.

Exodus 14:31 - And they believed in the Lord.

Targum - And they believed in the Word of the LORD.

Exodus 20: 1- And the Lord spoke all these words.

Targum - And the Word of the Lord spoke all these words.

Exodus 25:22 - And I will meet with you there.

Targum - And I will appoint my Word for you there.

Leviticus 26:9- And I will turn to you.

Targum - And I will turn through my Word to do good to you.

Numbers 10:35 - Rise up, O Lord!

Targum - Rise up, O Word of the Lord!

Numbers 11:23 - Is the hand of the Lord shortened?

Targum - Is the Word of the Lord detained?

Deuteronomy 1:30 - The Lord your God who goes before you, He Himself will fight for you.

Targum - The Lord your God who leads before you, His Word will fight for you.

Deuteronomy 18:19 - I myself will require it of him.

Targum - My Word will require it of him.

Deuteronomy 31:3 - The Lord your God will pass before you.

Targum - The Lord your God, His Word will pass before you.

Joshua 1:5 - As I was with Moses I will be with you.

Targum - As my Word was in support of Moses, so my Word will be in your support.

Judges 11:10 - The Lord will be witness between us.

Targum - The Word of the Lord will be witness between us.

Isaiah 45:17 - Israel will be saved by the Lord.

Targum - Israel will be saved by the Word of the Lord.

Jerusalem Targum Gen. 16:3 Hagar prayed int he name of the Word (Memra).

Onkelos Gen 28:20"then shall the Word (Memra) of YHVH be my G-d." (the actual biblical text according to RSV "than God will be my God.)

Onkelos Gen 17:7)I will establish my covenant between my Word (Memra) and between you."

Jerusalem Targum Ex. 20:1 The Word of YHVH is the Torah giver.

psuedo Jonathan Gen. 49:1) The Word of YHVH is savior.

Johnathan Is 45:17 Word is savior.

Johnathan Hosea 1:7) I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Word of YHVH, their God

The Jerusalem Targum

Exodus 3 [14] And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

Rabbi Tzvi Nassi cites the Jerusalem Targum to Shemot (Exodus) 3:14:

And the Word [Memra] of the Lord said unto Moses: "I am He who said unto the world, ‘Be!’ And it was; and who in the future shall say to it, ‘Be!’ And it shall be." And He said: "Thus thou shalt say to the children of Israel;

‘I Am hath sent me unto you’."4

Two YHVHs in the TaNaK - The Memra

"Whenever the Targums come to passages where YHVH is anthropomorphized or seen, or where two or more YHVHs are indicated by the text, the Targums will often substitute "The Word [Memra] of YHVH" for YHVH.

In Gen. 19:4 the Tenach says: And YHVH rained brimstone and fire upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah, from YHVH, from the heavens

The Hebrew grammar here indicates that one YHVH rains fire from another YHVH).

THe Targum Jonathan substitutes "The Word of YHVH / the LORD" for the first of the two YHVHs as follows:

And the Word of the YHVH caused to descend upon the peoples of Sodom and Gommorah, brimstone and fire from the YHVH in heaven.

In another example the Torah, Ex. 24:1 - a (YHVH is the speaker, see Ex. 20:1-2)

Now He [YHVH] said to Moses, "come up to YHVH... "The Targum Jonathan paraphrases the speaker in Ex. 20:1 with the substitution "the Word [Memra] of YHVH" in place of "YHVH."

And the Word of the Lord spoke all these glorious words ... So it would seem that one of these entities called "YHVH" in these Torah passages was actually understood by the Targumists as being the "Word of YHVH."

Targum Onkelos:

Gen 22 [14] And Abraham called the name of that place Yehovah-Yireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

Gen 22:14 Abraham worships prays in the name of Word (Memra-Devar)

"You are the YHVH who does see, but you cannot be seen." Abraham prays "in the name of the Word of YHVH" to the YHVH who "cannot be seen."

Here two YHVH are very apparent. Abraham is praying in the name of the Word of YHVH but is praying to the YHVH who cannot be seen.

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Jerusalem Targum Ex. 3:14

And the Word [Memra] of YHVH said to Moses: "I am He who said unto the world 'Be!' and it was: and who in the future shall say to it 'Be!' and it shall be."

And He said: "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'I Am' has sent me to you."

The Fragmentary Targum of the Torah also expresses that the Word of YHVH was the Creator:The first night, when the "Word of YHVH" was revealed to the world in order to create it, the world was desolate and void, and darkness spread over the face of the abyss and the "Word of the Lord" was bright and illuminating and He called it the first night.

That the Word of YHVH was the Creator can also be seen in the Tenach itself: By the Word of YHVH were the heavens made, And all the hosts of them by the Spirit of His mouth. (Ps. 33:6)

The Word was also the covenant maker. For example the Noachdic covenant was between the Word and all mankind:And YHVH said to Noah, "This is the token of the covenant which I have established between My Word [Memra] and between all flesh that is upon the earth.

Often when the Targums come to passages where YHVH is seen, or where two or more YHVHs are indicated by the text, the Targums will substitute "The Word [Memra] of YHVH" for YHVH.

In Gen. 19:4 And YHVH rained brimstone and fire upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah, from YHVH, from the heavens. The Hebrew grammar here indicates that one YHVH rains fire from another YHVH)

But Targum Jonathan substitutes "The Word of YHVH / the LORD" for the first of the two YHVH as follows:

And the Word of the YHVH caused to descend upon the peoples of Sodom and Gommorah, brimstone and fire from the YHVH in heaven.

In Ex. 24:1 - a (YHVH is the speaker, see Ex. 20:1-2) Now He [YHVH] said to Moses, "come up to YHVH..."

Targum Jonathan paraphrases the speaker in Ex. 20:1 with the substitution "the Word [Memra] of YHVH" in place of "YHVH"

And the Word of the Lord spoke all these glorious words...

One of these entities called "YHVH" in these Torah passages was actually understood by the Targumists as being the "Word of
YHVH." It was, according to Targum Onkelos, this Word of YHVH that Abraham trusted in:

And Abraham trusted in the Word [Memra] of YHVHand He counted it to him for righteousness.

Targum Onkelos Gen. 15:6

Moreover Abraham prayed in the name of the Word of YHVH: And Abraham worshipped and prayed in the name of the Word [Memra] of YHVH, and said, "You are YHVH who does see, but You cannot be seen."

Note that here Abraham prays "in the name of the Word of YHVH" to the YHVH who "cannot be seen."

Here two YHVH are very apparent. Abraham is praying in the name of the Word of YHVH but is praying to the YHVH who cannot be seen.

This idea is reinforced elsewhere as follows: And Hagar praised and prayed in the name of the Word [Memra] Of YHVHs who had revealed Himself to her

It was this Word of YHVH that Jacob also trusted in: And Jacob vowed a vow, saying,"If the Word [Memra] of YHVH will be my support, and will keep me in the way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Word [Memra]of YHVH be my Elohim.

King David also urged Israel to trust in the Word of Yah as the Targum of Psalm 62 reads: Trust in the Word of Yah at all times, O people of the house of Israel! Pour out before Him the sighings of your heart; Say, Elohim is our trust forever. (Targum on Psalm 62:9)

This "Word of YHWH" was, according to Targum Jonathan, the Creator:

And the Word [Memra] of YHWH created man in his likeness, in the likeness of YHVHs, YHVH created, male and female created He them.

And the Word [Memra] of YHVH said to Moses: "I am He who said unto the world 'Be!' and it was: and who in the future shall say to it 'Be!' and it shall be." And He said: "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'I Am' has sent me to you."

Fragmentary Targum Ex. 12:42 of the Torah also expresses that the Word of YHVHs was the Creator:

The first night, when the "Word of YHVH" was revealed to the world in order to create it, the world was desolate and void, and darkness spread over the face of the byss and the "Word of the Lord" was bright and illuminating and He called it the first night.

The Word of YHVH was the Creator can also be seen in the Tenach itself:

By the Word of YHVH were the heavens made, And all the hosts of them by the Spirit of His mouth. (Ps. 33:6)

The Word was also the covenant maker. For example the Noachdic covenant was between the Word and all mankind:

And YHVHs said to Noah, "This is the token of the covenant which I have established between My Word [Memra] and between all flesh that is upon the earth.

The Word also made the Abrahamic covenant as Targum Onkelos also paraphrases:

And I will establish my covenant between My Word [Memra] and between you

The Word of YHVH was also the giver of the Mosaic Covenant and the Torah as the Jerusalem Targum (as quoted above) makes the Torah giver "the Word of YHVH" in Ex. 20:1. It was to the Word that Jacob turned to for salvation:

Our father Jacob said: "My soul does not wait for salvation such as that wrought by Gideon, the son of Joash, for that was but temporal; neither for a salvation like that of Samson, which was only transitory; but for that salvation which You have promised to come, through Your Word unto Your people, the children of Israel; for your salvation my soul hopes."

The Word of YHVH is the savior is expressed here: But Israel shall be saved by the Word of YHVH with an everlasting salvation By the Word of YHVH shall all the seed of Israel be justified

But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Word of YHVH, their Elohim.

We do not follow Kabbalah or Mysticism

Gerschom Scholem (December 5, 1897 – February 21, 1982), also known as Gerhard Scholem, was a Jewish philosopher and historian raised in Germany.

He is widely regarded as the modern founder of the scholarly study of Kabbalah, becoming the first Professor of Jewish Mysticism at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

He was awarded the Israel Prize in 1958 and was elected president of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities in 1968.

Gershom Scholem states:

...the memra-- the paraphrase used in the Targumim, the Aramaic Bible translations, to refer to God's word.

The memra is not merely a linguistic device for overcoming the problem of biblical anthropomorphisms; it has theological significance in its own right.

The memra....is.... a world-permeating force, a reality in the world of matter or mind, the emmanent aspect of Elohim, holding all things under its ominpresent way.

On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead: Basic Concepts in the Kabbalah, by Gershom Scholem pg 181-182:

All of this sheds much light on Yochanan 1:1 (John 1:1): In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Elohim, and the Word was Elohim.

Onkeles Targum, which is a translation of the Bible from Hebrew into Aramaic, uses the word memra in place of the Hebrew word dabar to denote the Word of God and also God Himself.

Other translators, Rabbi Jonathan ben Uzziel and Targum Yerushalmi, also translate the "word of God," "God," and "me" and other words as memra; thereby they indicate that they believe memra to be not just an ordinary word, but a special name of God.

An early instance of this usage deals with Moses commanding the going-forward of the ark in the wilderness and then the resting of the ark, both after he prayed to God:

And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses [Exodus 14:31].

In the above verse, Onkeles translates the words "and believed the LORD" as "and believed in his memra." The Hebrew word used for LORD in the above verse is YHVH (yod, hay, vav, hay). Therefore, in his translation Onkeles equates YHVH with memra as follows:

And Israel saw the great strong hand of God, what He did to the Egyptians. They feared God and believed in His memra and in His servant Moses.

Jonathan ben Uzziel also says in regard to Exodus 14:31 that Israel believed in the memra of God, although only the words "feared the LORD" and "believed the LORD" appear in the Scripture itself. He translates this portion almost the same as Onkeles does, word for word, including "the memra of God."

Later on, as Moses began to lead the children of Israel through the wilderness toward the land of Canaan, the Bible relates their journeying with the ark of God: