Thursday, October 27, 2022

Targum of נרדה

  

הָ֚בָה נֵֽרְדָ֔ה וְנָבְלָ֥ה שָׁ֖ם שְׂפָתָ֑ם אֲשֶׁר֙ לֹ֣א יִשְׁמְע֔וּ אִ֖ישׁ שְׂפַ֥ת רֵעֵֽהוּ׃


Come, let us [Rashi - Hashem and His Beis Din] go down and mix up their languages, so that they won't understand one another's language."

Unkelos:  הַבוּ נִתְגְּלֵי וּנְבַלְבֵּל תַּמָּן לִישָׁנְהוֹן דְּלָא יִשְׁמְעוּן אֲנָשׁ לִישָׁן חַבְרֵיהּ 

 Come, We will be manifest [i.e reveal ourselves], and will confuse their language there, that a man shall not hear the language of his companion.

Generally Unkelos makes sure not to ascribe anything physical to Hashem.  So when the Torah says that Hashem "descended" [a physical action], Unkelos says ואתגלי - He revealed Himself. But when it comes to the angels he will use terminology that denotes physicality, as in מלאכי אלהים עולים ויורדים  - נחתין וסלקין. He translates that the angels went up and down. Here he says נתגלי [let us reveal ourselves] and not as the pasuk says "ונרדה" - descend. That is b/c here the pasuk relates to Hashem and angels so b/c it includes Hashem the Targum of ונרדה has to be non-physical.  However Targum Yonason says  איתון כדון וניחות - let us go down. 😲😲