Targum Yonatan to Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12
By: Yosef Menachem
The text of the targum will be given above the translation so to avoid any confusion and footnotes are provided in areas for direction and explanation if needed. The purpose of this is to give the reader a knowledge of what this Targum actually says and who or what Isaiah 53 is about according to the Targum. Where you take that from here is up to the reader. Have Fun!
הָא יַצלַח עַבדִי מְשִיחָא יִראַם וְיִסגֵי וְיִתקַף לַחדָא׃
52:13”Behold my anointed servant shall prosper, he will be be raised up and will be praised and increase, and shall be very strong.”
דַהְוָה כְמָא דְסַבַרוּ לֵיה בֵית יִשׂרָאֵל יוֹמִין סַגִיאִין חְשוֹך בֵינֵי עַמְמַיָא חִזוְהוֹן וְזִיוְהוֹן מִבְנֵי אְנָשָא׃
52:14. ”Just as the House of Israel had hoped for this many days, Their appearances were dark among the peoples; and their aspects were beyond that of humanity (lit. sons of men).”
מַלכִין כֵין יְבַדַר עַמְמִין סַגִיאִין עְלוֹהִי יִשתְקוּן יְשַוֹון יַדהוֹן עַל פוּמְהוֹן אְרֵי דְלָא אִשתַעִיאוּ לְהוֹן חְזוֹ וּדלָא שְמַעוּ אִסתַכַלוּ׃
52:15. ”Kings shall disperse him among similar peoples, they shall be silent, they will put their hands upon their mouths; for things that have not been told to them they will see, and that which they have not heard they will understand”
דְרָע גְבוּרְתָא דַיוי מַן הֵימֵין לִבסוֹרְתַנָא דָא וּתקוֹף כִדֵין עַל מַן אִתגְלִיאַת׃
53:1. ”Who will believe our report? And to whom has the strength of the arm of Hashem revealed to.”
דְפָרַן וְיִתרַבַא צַדִיקַיָא קֳדָמוֹהִי הָא כְלַבלַבִין וּכאִילָן דִמשַלַח שוּרשוֹהִי עַל נִגדִין דְמַיִין כֵין תוֹלְדָת קוּדשָא בְאַרעָא דַהֲוָת צָרִיכָה לֵיה לָא יִסגְיָן וְלָא אֵימְתֵיה אֵימַת הִדיוֹט וִיהֵי חַזוֵיה חוּלָא חִזוֵיה זִיו קוּדשָא זִיוֵיה דְכָל דְיִחזֵינֵיה יִסתַכַל בֵיה׃
53:2. “And the rightous will be lifted upbefore him, and behold, like plants which sprout and like a tree which spreads out its roots next to streams of water, so to will holy generations increase upon the land which needs him; His appearence is not a common appearence and his fear is not an ordinary fear, and his intelligence will be holy intelligence, such that everyone who looks at him will be considerate of him.”
כָל בְכֵין יְהֵי לְבוּסרָן וְיִפסוּק יְקָר מַלכְוָתָא יְהוֹן חַלָשִין וְדָווַן הָא כַאְנָש כֵיבִין לְמַרעִין וּכמָא דַהֲוָת מְסַלְקָא אַפֵי שְכִינְתָא וּמזָמַן מִנַנָא בְסִירִין וְלָא חְשִיבִין׃
53:3“Contempt and cease will be for all kingdoms in their glory; they will faint and mourn, behold as a man of sorrows and appointed for sicknesses as when the face of Shekinah( I.e. G-d) was taken aways from us, they are despised and not esteemed.”
בְדִילֵיה בְכֵין עַל חוֹבַנָא הוּא יִבעֵי וַעְוָיָתַנָא יִשתַבקָן וַאְנַחנָא חְשִיבִין כְתִישִין מַחָן מִן ק יוי וּמעֻנַן׃
53:4. ”Then he will beseech us concerning our sins and our iniquities will be forgiven upon his request, That we were esteemed wounded, smitten before G-d and afflicted.”
בְחוֹבַנָא אִתמְסַר וְהוּא יִבנֵי בֵית מַקדְשָא דְאִיתַחַל עְלַנָא בַעְוָיָתַנָא וּבאֻלפָנֵיה שְלָמָא יִסגֵי וּבִידִנתִינוֹהִי לְפִתגָמוֹהִי חוֹבַנָא יִשתַבקוּן לַנָא׃
53:5. ”And he will build the Temple which was profaned by our sins, and handed over for our iniquities, and by his teaching his peace will increase upon us in that we should attach ourselves to his word so that our sin will be forgiven.”
לָקֳבֵיל אוֹרחֵיה גְלֵינָא כוּלַנָא כְעָנָא אִתבַדַרנָא גְבַר וּמִן קֻ יוי הְוָת רַעְוָא לְמִשבַק חוֹבֵי כוּלַנָא בְדִילֵיה׃
53:6. “All of us like sheep have scattered, we have gone into dispersion, everyone went his own way; and before Hashem it was his pleasure to forgive all of us upon his request.”
פוּמֵיה בָעֵי וְהוּא מִיתָבַב וְעַד לָא פָתַח מִתקַבַל תַקִיפֵי עַמְמַיָא כְאִימְרָא לְנִכסְתָא יִמסַר דִקֳדָם גָזְזַהָא שָתְקָא וְלֵית לְקִבלֵיה וּכרַחלָא דְפָתַח פוּמֵיה וּממַלֵיל מִלָא׃
53:7 “He requests and he is answered and before he opens his mouth he is accepted; the strong among the people will be handed over like sheep to the slaughter, and like an ewe to the shearers is dumb, so there is not one in front of him who opens his mouth and speaks a word.”
גָלְוָתַנָא פְרִישָן וּמִפוֹרעָנוּ יְקָרֵיב מִיִסוּרִין אְרֵי דְיִתעַבדָן לַנָא בְיוֹמוֹהִי מַן יִכוֹל לְאִשתְעָאָה יַעדֵי שוּלטָן עַמְמַיָא מֵאַרעָא דְיִשׂרָאֵל חוֹבִין דְחָבוּ עַמִי עַד לְוָתְהוֹן יִמטֵי׃
53:8"From bonds and retribution he will bring our dispersed near. Who will be able to count the wonders done in his days. For he will take away the dominion of the land of the peoples, from the land of Israel, the sins of my people will be cast upon them .”
נִכסַיָא וְיִמסַר יָת רַשִיעַיָא לְגֵיהִנָם וְיָת עַתִירֵי דַאְנַסוּ בְמוֹתָא דְאַבדָנָא בְדִיל דְלָא יִתקַייְמוּן חִטאָה וְלָא יְמַלְלוּן נִכלִין עָבְדֵי בְפוּמְהוֹן׃
53:9. “The wicked will be taken to Gehennom and those with rich possessions will be robbed to the death with corruption, lest those who commit sin establish and speak of their possessions with their mouths.”
שְאָרָא וּמִן קֳדָם יוי הְוָת רַעְוָא לְמִצרַף וּלדַכָאָה יָת דְעַמֵיה בְדִיל לְנַקָאָה מֵחוֹבִין נַפשְהוֹן יִחזוֹן מְשִיחְהוֹן יִסגוֹן בְנִין וּבנָן יוֹרְכוּן יוֹמִין בְמַלכוּת וְעָבְדֵי אוֹרָיתָא דַיוי בִרעוּתֵיה יַצלְחוּן׃
53:10."Yet before HaShem it was His pleasure to cleanse and refine the remnant of his people, in order to purify their soul from their transgressions; so that they will see the kingdom of their Messiah, sons and daughters shall increase for those who practice the Torah of HaShem and they shall have prolonged days and prosper in his pleasure”
בְפוֹרעָנוּת מִשִעבוּד עַמְמַיָא יְשֵיזֵיב נַפשְהוֹן יִחזוֹן יְזַכֵי סָנְאֵיהוֹן יִסבְעוּן מִבִזַת מַלכֵיהוֹן בְחָכמְתֵיה זַכָאִין בְדִיל לְשַעבָדָא סַגִיאִין לְאוֹרָיתָא וְעַל חוֹבֵיהוֹן הוּא יִבעֵי׃
53:11 “From the slavery among the other peoples their soul will be delivered, their adversaries shall see their retribution. They will be satistfied with plunder from the other kings and through his wisdom many will be subject to the Torah and he will beseech concerning their sins and see to it that the innocent are counted as innocent.”
עַמְמִין סַגִיאִין וְיָת נִכסֵי בְכֵין אְפַלֵיג לֵיה בִיזַת דִמסַר לְמוֹתָא כַרכִין תַקִיפִין יְפַלֵיג עְדָאָה חְלָף עַל נַפשֵיה וְיָת מָרוֹדַיָא שַעבֵיד לְאוֹרָיתָא וְהוּא יִשתְבֵיק חוֹבִין יִבעֵי וּלמָרוֹדַיָא בְדִילֵיה׃
53:12. "Then I will divide him the plunder of many peoples, and he shall divide the spoils, the possesions of the mighty fortresses; because he exposed his soul to death and subjected those who rebelled [against G-d], to the Torah. Yet he will beseech many for their sins and those who rebelled shall be forgiven.”
