The Targums are early translations of the Hebrew scriptures into Aramaic.
The Targums are rich in explicit “Messiah” (Aramaic: מְשִׁיחָא / Meshicha) references—often more explicit than the Hebrew text they paraphrase. Here are some of the clearest and most frequently cited passages, with specific Targum sources:
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan
Interprets the enmity between the serpent and the woman’s seed as culminating in the days of the King Messiah.
Targum Onkelos (link)
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan (link)
Targum Neofiti (link to PDF p. 220)
These explicitly interpret “Shiloh” as the Messiah: “Until the Messiah comes, whose is the kingdom…”
Onkelos & Pseudo-Jonathan
Balaam’s prophecy (“a star shall come out of Jacob”) becomes: “A king shall arise from Jacob… and a Messiah shall be anointed from Israel.”
Targum Neofiti
Connects Israel’s restoration explicitly by the hand of the King Messiah.
Targum Jonathan
The child born is explicitly identified as the Messiah: “His name has been called… the Messiah…”
Targum Jonathan
“A shoot from the stump of Jesse” becomes: “A king shall come forth…the Messiah shall be anointed.”
Targum Jonathan
The “servant” is clearly identified: “Behold, my servant the Messiah shall prosper…”
Targum Jonathan
The “righteous branch” becomes:
“I will raise up for David a righteous Messiah…”
Targum Jonathan
Bethlehem prophecy explicitly tied to: “From you shall come forth before me the Messiah…”
Targum Jonathan
The mourning is linked to: “…mourning for the Messiah son of Ephraim…”
Targum Psalms
“The Lord and His anointed” becomes explicitly: “The Lord and His Messiah”
Targum Psalms
Strongly messianic royal interpretation throughout.
Targum Song of Songs
Interpreted allegorically as referring to the Messiah and Israel’s redemption.
The Targums frequently make implicit Hebrew passages explicit by inserting “the Messiah.”
Some distinguish between:
Messiah son of David (royal deliverer)
Messiah son of Ephraim/Joseph (suffering figure, e.g., Zech 12:10 tradition)
The expansions reflect Second Temple and early rabbinic messianic expectations, not just translation.
If you want, I can map these Targum readings side-by-side with the Hebrew Masoretic text and show exactly where the word “Messiah” is added or interpretive.
Here is the comparison formatted as a clear table:
| Passage | Masoretic Text (MT) | Targum Rendering | Key Messianic Addition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis 49:10 | “Until Shiloh comes” | “Until the Messiah comes, whose is the kingdom” (Targum Onkelos) | “Shiloh” → Messiah |
| Numbers 24:17 | “A star… a scepter shall rise” | “A king shall arise… and a Messiah shall be anointed” | Symbol → King + Messiah |
| Isaiah 9:6 | “A child is born… his name shall be called…” | “His name is called… the Messiah” (Targum Jonathan) | Child → Messiah identified |
| Isaiah 11:1 | “A shoot from the stump of Jesse” | “A king shall come forth… the Messiah shall be anointed” | Metaphor → Messiah |
| Isaiah 52:13 | “My servant shall prosper” | “My servant the Messiah shall prosper” | Servant → Messiah |
| Jeremiah 23:5 | “A righteous Branch for David” | “A righteous Messiah for David” | Branch → Messiah |
| Micah 5:2 | “A ruler in Israel” | “From you shall come the Messiah” | Ruler → Messiah |
| Zechariah 12:10 | “They shall look on me whom they pierced” | “They shall look upon the Messiah son of Ephraim” | Pierced one → Specific Messiah figure |
| Psalm 2:2 | “The LORD and His anointed” | “The LORD and His Messiah” (Targum Psalms) | “Anointed” → Messiah clarified |
The Masoretic Text tends to use titles, symbols, and metaphors, while the Targums frequently resolve those into an explicit “Messiah.”
| Passage | MT (Hebrew – cited edition) | Targum Rendering (cited edition) | Key Addition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 49:10 | Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS), Gen 49:10 — “עַד כִּי־יָבֹא שִׁילֹה” | Targum Onkelos in The Bible in Aramaic vol. 1, Gen 49:10 — “עַד דְּיֵיתֵי מְשִׁיחָא…” | Shiloh → Messiah |
| Num 24:17 | BHS, Num 24:17 — “דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב…” | Onkelos, Sperber vol. 1, Num 24:17 — “יְקוּם מַלְכָּא… וּמְשִׁיחָא…”; cf. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan in The Aramaic Bible vol. 1B | Star → King + Messiah |
| Isa 9:6 (Eng. 9:5) | BHS, Isa 9:5 — royal child titles | Targum Jonathan in The Bible in Aramaic vol. 3, Isa 9:5 — includes “מְשִׁיחָא” | Child → Messiah |
| Isa 11:1 | BHS, Isa 11:1 — “חֹטֶר מִגֵּזַע יִשָׁי” | Targum Jonathan, Sperber vol. 3, Isa 11:1 — “מַלְכָּא… מְשִׁיחָא” | Shoot → Messiah |
| Isa 52:13 | BHS, Isa 52:13 — “עַבְדִּי” | Targum Jonathan, Sperber vol. 3, Isa 52:13 — “עַבְדִּי מְשִׁיחָא” | Servant → Messiah |
| Jer 23:5 | BHS, Jer 23:5 — “צֶמַח צַדִּיק” | Targum Jonathan, Sperber vol. 3, Jer 23:5 — “מְשִׁיחָא זַכָּאָה” | Branch → Messiah |
| Mic 5:2 (Eng. 5:1) | BHS, Mic 5:1 — ruler from Bethlehem | Targum Jonathan, Sperber vol. 3, Mic 5:1 — “מְשִׁיחָא” | Ruler → Messiah |
| Zech 12:10 | BHS, Zech 12:10 — “אֵת אֲשֶׁר דָּקָרוּ” | Targum Jonathan, Sperber vol. 3, Zech 12:10 — “מְשִׁיחָא בַּר אֶפְרַיִם” | Pierced → Messiah son of Ephraim |
| Psa 2:2 | BHS, Ps 2:2 — “מְשִׁיחוֹ” (anointed) | Targum Psalms in The Aramaic Bible vol. 16, Ps 2:2 — “מְשִׁיחֵיהּ” | Anointed → Messiah clarified |
Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS)
Standard critical edition of the Masoretic Text, based primarily on the Leningrad Codex.
Sperber, The Bible in Aramaic (vols. 1–4)
Still widely used for Onkelos and Jonathan textual form.
The Aramaic Bible series (Michael Glazier / Liturgical Press)
Provides translation + notes (e.g., Maher on Pseudo-Jonathan, Stec on Psalms).
The MT (as preserved in BHS / Leningrad Codex) consistently uses figurative or royal language.
The Targums (in the cited editions) frequently:
Insert “מְשִׁיחָא” explicitly
Resolve ambiguity (e.g., Shiloh, Branch, Servant)
Occasionally expand into developed messianic traditions (e.g., Messiah son of Ephraim)
This demonstrates that the Targums are not just translations but interpretive witnesses to early Jewish messianism.
If you want to go further, I can:
Add manuscript-level variants (e.g., differences between Yemenite vs. European Targum traditions), or
Show cases where the Targum deliberately avoids a messianic reading, which is just as revealing.
| Reference | Targum | Messianic Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis 3:15 | Pseudo-Jonathan | "They shall make peace in the end, in the days of King Messiah." (Scribd) |
| Genesis 35:21 | Pseudo-Jonathan | The tower of Eder is identified as the place from which "King Messiah" will reveal himself at the end of days. (Scribd) |
| Genesis 49:1 | Pseudo-Jonathan | Jacob seeks to reveal "the end" and the coming of the Messiah. (Scribd) |
| Genesis 49:10 | Onkelos, Jonathan, Pseudo-Jonathan | The ruler from Judah is interpreted as the Messiah. (Scribd) |
| Numbers 24:17 | Onkelos, Jonathan | Balaam's star is interpreted as King Messiah arising from Jacob. (Scribd) |
| Numbers 24:19 | Targumim | The ruler from Jacob is understood messianically. (Scribd) |
| Deuteronomy 30:4 | Pseudo-Jonathan | Israel's restoration is connected with King Messiah. |
| 1 Samuel 2:10 | Jonathan | God will exalt "the kingdom of His Messiah." |
| 2 Samuel 22:28–32 | Jonathan | Contains messianic kingdom language. |
| Isaiah 4:2 | Jonathan | "The Messiah of the LORD" is explicit. |
| Isaiah 9:6 (English numbering 9:5) | Jonathan | The child is identified as the Messiah, in whose days peace will increase. (Reddit) |
| Isaiah 11:1 | Jonathan | The shoot from Jesse is interpreted as the Messiah. |
| Isaiah 16:1 | Jonathan | Reference to the Messiah's throne. |
| Isaiah 28:5 | Jonathan | Messianic king imagery. |
| Isaiah 42:1 | Jonathan | "Behold my servant, the Messiah..." (Reddit) |
| Isaiah 52:13 | Jonathan | "Behold, my servant the Messiah shall prosper." |
| Isaiah 53 | Jonathan | The servant passage is interpreted with reference to the Messiah. (Reddit) |
| Jeremiah 23:5–6 | Jonathan | The righteous Branch is explicitly the Messiah. |
| Jeremiah 30:9 | Jonathan | David their king is interpreted as Messiah. |
| Jeremiah 33:15 | Jonathan | Messianic Branch prophecy. |
| Ezekiel 34:23 | Jonathan | David the shepherd interpreted messianically. |
| Ezekiel 37:24–25 | Jonathan | David as future Messiah-King. |
| Hosea 3:5 | Jonathan | Seeking the Messiah, son of David. |
| Micah 4:8 | Jonathan | Kingdom restored through Messiah. |
| Micah 5:2 | Jonathan | Bethlehem prophecy interpreted messianically. |
| Zechariah 3:8 | Jonathan | The "Branch" is Messiah. |
| Zechariah 6:12 | Jonathan | "Messiah is his name." (Reddit) |
| Zechariah 12:10 | Targumic traditions | Associated with Messiah ben Ephraim in later Targumic material. (Scribd) |