The Hebrew Bible promises: "A prophet from your midst, of your brethren, like me, will God establish for you" (Deuteronomy 18:15). Targum Onkelos translates this verse without alteration—preserving Moses's prophecy that a future prophet of equal stature will arise from within Israel.
But the surrounding context is where Onkelos does his most careful work. The chapter opens with the laws of the priesthood—the Levites receive no land inheritance because "God is his territory" (Deuteronomy 18:2). Onkelos adds: "the gifts that God has given him" are his territory. The Levites' inheritance is not mystical. It is practical—the tithes, offerings, and priestly portions that sustain them. Onkelos grounds the spiritual claim in economic reality.
The chapter's central prohibition is against sorcery and divination: "Let there not exist among you anyone who passes his son or daughter through fire, who practices occult arts, divination, or sorcery" (Deuteronomy 18:10). Onkelos translates each prohibited practice with specificity—snake charming, invoking spirits of Ov and Yidoni, communicating with the dead. These are not vague prohibitions. They describe a specific religious technology that Israel must reject.
The alternative to sorcery is prophecy. "Walk in perfect trust with God" (Deuteronomy 18:13)—Onkelos renders "trust" as "fear." Walk in the fear of God. Do not seek hidden knowledge through forbidden channels. Wait for God to send a prophet. And when that prophet comes, "I will place My words of prophecy in his mouth" (Deuteronomy 18:18). The prophet does not generate truth. The prophet transmits it. The source is always God's Word—the Memra that Onkelos has placed at the center of his entire theological system.