The Hebrew Bible says God opened the mouth of Balaam's donkey, and it spoke (Numbers 22:28). Targum Onkelos translates this miracle without flinching. The donkey talks. No metaphor. No rationalization. The Aramaic preserves one of the Torah's most extraordinary moments exactly as the Hebrew presents it.
But Onkelos's real theological work in the Balaam narrative happens earlier, in the framing. When Balak sends messengers to hire Balaam, the Hebrew says "God appeared to Balaam" (Numbers 22:9). Onkelos renders this as "God's Word appeared before Balaam." The pagan prophet does not receive the same kind of revelation as Moses. He encounters God's Word—a step removed, a lower grade of prophetic communication.
The story builds with dark comedy. Balaam, supposedly a great seer, cannot see the angel blocking his path—but his donkey can. Three times the donkey veers, and three times Balaam beats her. When God opens the donkey's mouth, she asks: "What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?" (Numbers 22:28). The greatest prophet of the nations is intellectually outperformed by his own animal.
When the angel finally reveals himself, he delivers a devastating verdict: "The donkey saw me... if she had not turned away, I would have killed you and let her live" (Numbers 22:33). Onkelos translates this straight. The donkey saved the prophet's life. The prophet, blinded by greed and ambition, could not save himself. The entire episode is a parable of the difference between hearing God's Word and actually perceiving God's will—a distinction that Onkelos, through his careful translation choices, has been making throughout the entire Torah.