Abstract

The article is divided into two parts&&in the first, intended as an introductory review for readers not acquainted with targumic scholarship, important targum scholars are considered together with significant achievements in the field. The virtual renaissance of targum studies during the last few decades is touched upon and its representatives presented as a new generation of targum scholars. These differ in several respects from earlier scholars, although their work also often dealt with problems of lasting relevancy, and their deliberations and conclusions are still of interest for modern students of the targums. The second part discusses the targumic interpretations of Genesis 49, and notes that the Palestinian targumists make frequent use of the principle of interpreting Scripture by means of Scripture. Their seeing the Scripture as a synthetic unity enabled them to detect connections and agreements between Scriptural verses, even where such connections and agreements are not literally indicated.