בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ ↔ בְּקַדְמִין בְּרָא יְיָ יָת שְׁמַיָּא וְיָת אַרְעָא
ORIGINALTG-001
Targumic & Western Aramaic · Begin by comparing the Hebrew and the Targum
Hebrew and Onkelos side by side
TG-001Targumic AramaicOnkelos first; Western and JPA material labeled separately
ORIGINAL LANGUAGE FIRST
בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ ↔ בְּקַדְמִין בְּרָא יְיָ יָת שְׁמַיָּא וְיָת אַרְעָא
Transliterationbe-qadmin bera YY yat shemaya ve-yat ar'a
Plain meaningIn the beginning Hashem created the heavens and the earth.
WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT
Hebrew and Onkelos side by side
The Targum is not a word-for-word substitution cipher. It renders the biblical Hebrew into Aramaic, often preserving structure while choosing Aramaic vocabulary and sometimes interpreting the Hebrew relationship. Compare the two lines: בְּרֵאשִׁית → בְּקַדְמִין, אֱלֹהִים → יְיָ in this Targumic rendering, אֵת → יָת, הַשָּׁמַיִם → שְׁמַיָּא, and הָאָרֶץ → אַרְעָא. The learner should see the Hebrew and Aramaic together so the differences in vocabulary and structure are concrete from the first screen.
HEAR THIS LESSONListen to the full public explanation.Teacher narration is separate from original-language pronunciation.
Audio settings
SEE HOW IT WORKS
Keep the form, reading, and meaning together.
be-qadmin bera YY yat shemaya ve-yat ar'a
READINGApproved transliteration
In the beginning Hashem created the heavens and the earth.
MEANINGTargumic Aramaic
SOURCE REFERENCE
Targum Onkelos to Genesis 1:1
APPROVED STUDY LAYERS
Source-specific guidance from the curriculum.
Hebrew
בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ
REMEMBER