TARGUM OF ISAIAH 53 REVISITED

In this post I will be quoting the English translation of the Aramaic paraphrase of Isaiah 52:13-53:12 done by Sefaria, an orthodox Jewish website. All emphasis will be mine.

הָא יַצְלַח עַבְדִי מְשִׁיחָא יְרוּם וְיִסְגֵי וְיִתְקוֹף לַחֲדָא:

Behold, my servant the messiah shall prosper, he shall be exalted and extolled, and he shall be very strong.

כְּמָא דִסְבַרוּ לֵיהּ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל יוֹמִין סַגִיאִין דַהֲוָה חֲשִׁיךְ בֵּינֵי עַמְמַיָא חֶזְוֵהוֹן וְזִיוְהוֹן מִבְּנֵי אֱנָשָׁא:

As the house of Israel anxiously hoped for him many days, (which was poor among the nations; their appearance and their brightness being worse than that of the sons of men)

כֵּן יְבַדַר עַמְמִין סַגִיאִין עֲלוֹהִי יִשְׁתְּקוּן מַלְכִין יְשַׁווּן יְדֵיהוֹן עַל פּוּמְהוֹן אֲרֵי דְלָא אִשְׁתָּעִיאוּ לְהוֹן חֲזוֹ וּדְלָא שְׁמָעוּ אִסְתַּכֵּלוּ:

Thus shall he scatter many nations; before him kings shall keep silence: they shall put their hands upon their mouths, for that which had not been told them shall they see: and that which they had not heard shall they consider. (Targum Jonathan on Isaiah 52:13)

מַן הֵימִין לִבְסוֹרְתָּנָא דָא וּתְקוֹף דְרַע גְבוּרְתָּא דַייָ כְּדוּן עַל מַן אִתְגְלִיאַת:

Who hath believed this our report? and to whom is now the power of the arm of the Lord revealed?

וְיִתְרְבָא צַדִיקָא קֳדָמוֹהִי הָא כְלַבְלְבִין דְפָרְחִין וּכְאִילָן דִמְשַׁלַח שׁוֹרְשׁוֹהִי עַל נַגְדִין דְמַיִין כֵּן יִסְגוֹן תּוּלְדַת קוּדְשָׁא בְּאַרְעָא דַהֲוַת צְרִיכָא לֵיהּ לָא חִיזוּ חוּלָא חֶזְוֵיהּ וְלָא אֵימְתֵהּ אֵימַת הֶדְיוֹט וִיהֵי זִיו קוּדְשָׁא זִיוֵיהּ דְכָל דְיַחְזִינֵיהּ יִסְתַּכֵּל בֵּיהּ:

The righteous shall be great before him, behold, like branches that bud; and like a tree which sends forth its roots by the streams of water, thus shall the generation of the just multiply in the land, which hath need of him.

בְּכֵן יְהֵי לְבוּסְרָן וְיִפְסִיק יְקָר כָּל מַלְכְּוָתָא יְהוֹן חֲלָשִׁין וְדָוָן הָא כֶּאֱנַשׁ כֵּיבִין וּמְזוּמַן לְמַרְעִין וּכְמָא דַהֲוַת מְסַלְקָא אַפֵּי שְׁכִנְתָּא מִנָנָא בְסִירִין וְלָא חֲשִׁיבִין:

His visage shall not be the visage of a common person, neither his fear the fear of a plebeian; but a holy brightness shall be his brightness, that every one who seeth him shall contemplate him. Although he shall be in contempt; yet he shall cut off the glory of all the wicked, they shall be weak and wretched. Lo, we are in contempt and not esteemed, as a man of pain and appointed to sickness, and as if He had removed the face of His Shekinah from us.

בְּכֵן עַל חוֹבָנָא הוּא יִבְעֵי וַעֲוָיָתָנָא בְּדִילֵהּ יִשְׁתַּבְקוּן וַאֲנַחְנָא חֲשִׁיבִין כְּתִישִׁין מָחָן מִן קֳדָם יְיָ וּמְעַנָן:

Therefore he shall pray for our sins, and our iniquities for his sake shall be forgiven us; for we are considered crushed, smitten of the Lord, and afflicted.

וְהוּא יִבְנֵי בֵּית מַקְדְשָׁא דְאִתְּחַל בְּחוֹבָנָא אִתְמְסַר בַּעֲוָיָתָנָא וּבְאוּלְפְנֵהּ שְׁלָמָא יִסְגֵי עֲלָנָא וְכַדְנָצֵית לְפִתְגָמוֹהִי חוֹבָנָא יִשְׁתַּבְּקוּן לָנָא:

He shall build the house of the sanctuary, which has been profaned on account of our sins; it was delivered over on account of our iniquities, and through His doctrine peace shall be multiplied upon us, and through the teaching of His words our sins shall be forgiven us.

כּוּלָנָא כְּעָנָא אִתְבַּדַרְנָא גְבַר לָקֳבֵיל אוֹרְחֵהּ גְלֵינָא וּמִן קֳדָם יְיָ הֲוָת רַעֲוָא לְמִשְׁבַּק חוֹבֵי כוּלָנָא בְדִילֵיהּ:

All we like sheep have been scattered, every one of us has turned to his own way; it pleased the Lord to forgive the sins of all of us for His sake.

בְּעֵי וְהוּא מִתְּתָב וְעַד לָא פְּתַח פּוּמֵיהּ מִתְקַבֵּל תַּקִיפֵי עַמְמַיָא כְּאִמְרָא לְנִכְסְתָא יִמְסַר וְכִרְחֵלָא דְקָדָם גָזְזָהָא שָׁתְקָא וְלֵית לְקִיבְלֵהּ דְפָּתַח פּוּמֵהּ מְמַלֵיל מִלָא:

He shall pray and he shall be answered, yea, before he shall be heard; he shall deliver over the mighty of the nations as a lamb to the slaughter, and like a sheep before her shearers is dumb, none shall in His presence open his mouth, or speak a word.

מִיסוּרִין וּמִפּוּרְעֲנוּת יְקָרֵיב גַלְוָתָנָא וּפְרִישָׁן דְיִתְעַבְדָן לָנָא בְּיוֹמוֹהִי מַן יִכּוּל לְאִשְׁתְּעָאָה אֲרֵי יַעְדֵי שׁוּלְטָן עַמְמַיָא מֵאַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל חוֹבִין דְחָבוּ עַמִי עַד לְוַתְהוֹן יִמְטוֹ:

He shall gather our captives from affliction and pain, and who shall be able to narrate the wonderful works which shall be done for us in his days? He shall remove the rule of the nations from the land of Israel, the sins which my people have committed have come upon them.

וְיִמְסַר יַת רַשִׁיעַיָא לְגֵהִנָם וְיַת עֲתִּירֵי נִכְסַיָא דַאֲנַסוּ בְּמוֹתָא דְאָבַדְנָא בְּדִיל דְלָא יִתְקַיְמוּן עָבְדֵי חֶטְאָה וְלָא יְמַלְלוּן נִכְלִין בְּפוּמְהוֹן:

And he shall deliver the wicked into hell, and the riches of treasures which they got by violence unto the death of Abaddon, that they who commit sin shall not remain, and that they should not speak folly with their mouth.

וּמִן קֳדָם יְיָ הֲוָת רַעֲוָא לְמִצְרַף וּלְדַכָּאָה יַת שְׁאָרָא דְעַמֵהּ בְּדִיל לְנַקָאָה מֵחוֹבִין נַפְשֵׁיהוֹן יֶחֱזוּן בְּמַלְכוּת מְשִׁיחֵיהוֹן יִסְגוּן בְּנִין וּבְנָן יוֹרְכוּן יוֹמִין וְעָבְדֵי אוֹרַיְתָא דַייָ בִּרְעוּתֵהּ יִצְלְחוּן:

And it was the pleasure of the Lord to refine and to purify the remnant of His people, in order to cleanse their souls from sin, that they might see the kingdom of their messiah, that their sons and daughters might multiply, and prolong their days, and those that keep the law of the Lord shall prosper through His pleasure.

מִשִׁעְבּוּד עַמְמַיָא יְשֵׁיזֵיב נַפְשְׁהוֹן יֶחֱזוּן בְּפּוּרְעֲנוּת סַנְאֵיהוֹן יִסְבְּעוּן מִבִּזַת מַלְכֵיהוֹן בְּחוּכְמְתֵהּ יְזַכֵּי זַכָּאִין בְּדִיל לְשַׁעְבָּדָא סַגִיאִין לְאוֹרַיְתָא וְעַל חוֹבֵיהוֹן הוּא יִבְעֵי:

He shall deliver their souls from the servitude of the nations, they shall see the vengeance upon their enemies; they shall be satisfied with the spoil of their kings. By His wisdom he shall justify the righteous, in order to make many to keep the law, and he shall pray for their sins.

בְּכֵן אֲפַלֵיג לֵיהּ בִּזַת עַמְמִין סַגִיאִין וְיַת נִכְסֵי כְּרַכִּין תַּקִיפִין יְפַלֵג עֲדָאָה חֲלַף דִמְסַר לְמוֹתָא נַפְשֵׁהּ וְיַת מְרוֹדַיָא שַׁעְבַּד לְאוֹרַיְתָא וְהוּא עַל חוֹבִין סַגִיאִין יִבְעֵי וְלִמְרוֹדַיָא יִשְׁתְּבֵיק בְּדִילֵהּ:

Therefore I will divide to him the spoil of many people, and the treasures of strong fortifications; he shall divide the spoil; because he has delivered his life unto death, and he shall make the rebellious to keep the law; he shall pray for the sins of many, and as for the transgressors, each shall be pardoned for his sake. (Targum Jonathan on Isaiah 53)

Further Reading

Aramaic Paraphrase of Isaiah 52:13-53:12