Is targum unkelus from har sinai

The tradition holds that Targum Onkelos has its ultimate origins in the revelation at Har Sinai (Mount Sinai), though it was later forgotten and subsequently restored. This is explicitly stated in the Talmud and affirmed by major commentators — making Targum Onkelos unique among Aramaic translations in its divine authority and antiquity.

Key Takeaways

Targum Onkelos is considered to have been given at Sinai, forgotten, and then restored — giving it a semi-divine status.
The primary source for this tradition is the Talmud Yerushalmi and Bavli, referenced in tractate Megillah.
Maharal of Prague explicitly connects Targum Onkelos to Sinai in his commentary on Nedarim 37b.
Despite its Sinaitic origin, the final redaction we have today is attributed to the Tanna Onkelos, a convert who studied under Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua.
This status gives Targum Onkelos halachic weight — there is a mitzvah to read the weekly Torah portion shnayim mikra ve'echad targum (twice in Hebrew and once in Targum).

The Sinaitic Origin of Targum Onkelos

The Primary Source

The Talmud Bavli in Megillah 3a states:

"תרגום של תורה — אונקלוס הגר אמרו מפי רבי אליעזר ורבי יהושע" "The Targum of the Torah — Onkelos the convert stated it from the mouths of Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua."

But more importantly for our question, the Talmud in Nedarim 37b discusses what was transmitted to Moshe at Sinai and includes targum (Aramaic translation) among the oral traditions given there.

The Maharal's Explicit Statement

The Maharal of Prague (Rabbi Yehuda Loew), in his Chidushei Agadot on Nedarim 37b, states directly:

"מפורש זה התרגום כו' הוא תרגום אונקלוס שכבר ניתן מסיני ושכחום וחזרום ויסדום כדאמרינן ברפ"ק דמגילה" "This translation referred to is Targum Onkelos, which was already given at Sinai, but they forgot it, and [Onkelos] restored and established it — as we say at the beginning of tractate Megillah."

[Chidushei Agadot, Maharal, Nedarim 37b]

This is a remarkably strong statement. The Maharal identifies three stages:

Nittan miSinai — it was given at Sinai
Shechachum — it was forgotten
Chazrum ve'yisdum — Onkelos restored and established it

Why Was It Forgotten?

The pattern of Torah wisdom being given, forgotten, and restored is not unique to Targum. The Talmud in Temurah 16a records that 3,000 halachot were forgotten during the mourning period after Moshe Rabbeinu's death, and were subsequently restored through the reasoning of Otniel ben Kenaz.

This reinforces the idea that Onkelos's great achievement was not invention but restoration — recovering and crystallizing what had always been the authentic oral understanding of the Torah's meaning.

What Does "Given at Sinai" Mean for a Translation?

This raises a profound question: why would a translation be given at Sinai?

Several approaches are offered:

The Maharal implies that Targum Onkelos is not merely a translation but an authoritative interpretation of the Torah's meaning, in the same category as the Oral Law itself.
Rashi and other Rishonim treat Targum Onkelos as a halachic source, meaning its renderings of words carry legal weight — consistent with it being Sinaitic.
The Aramaic language itself was the lingua franca of the Jewish people for much of their history, and having an authentic divine translation ensured the Torah's meaning was not distorted through human paraphrase.

Practical Halachic Implication

The mitzvah of שניים מקרא ואחד תרגום (shnayim mikra ve'echad targum — reading the weekly portion twice in Hebrew and once in Targum) [Berachot 8a-8b] is understood by many authorities to specifically refer to Targum Onkelos, precisely because of its Sinaitic authenticity.

Rashi [Berachot 8b] confirms that targum in this context means Targum Onkelos, not just any translation.

For personal guidance on how to fulfill shnayim mikra ve'echad targum in practice, consult your local rabbi or posek.