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Importance of the Targums

  • They are a witness to the Hebrew Bible text as it existed in the first few centuries CE
  • By adding interpretive or folkloric material to the translation or paraphrase, many of the targums preserve valuable information about Jewish theology, practice, and interpretation of Scripture from the early centuries of the Christian era.
  • For linguists, the targums serve as an important source for the Aramaic dialects.

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