Rashbam’s Approach to Targum Onqelos in His Commentary to the Torah

The Targum of Onqelos was the principal pentateuchal targum on which medieval Jews in northern France relied. When Rashbam referenced Onqelos, he used a consistent format composed of four elements. His use of the targum is varied: in most instances, his purpose was lexical. In about one-third of cases, his purpose was exegetical. In three cases, Rashbam cited the targum in order to consider its precise intention (while finding fault with the conclusion reached by Rashi in that regard), an indication of the great importance that Rashbam ascribed to the targum. Nevertheless, despite the high esteem in which he held the targum, Rashbam occasionally allowed himself to disagree with it in his quest to uncover the simplest sense of Scripture. Targum Onqelos is the work most often quoted in Rashbam’s commentary to the Torah, and his use of it demonstrates extensive knowledge of this targum to the Torah.