The Targum Jonathan on (Deuteronomy 7) contains one of the most theologically radical statements in all of ancient Aramaic literature. God did not choose Israel because they were the greatest nation. He chose them because they were "poor in spirit, and more humble than all the nations." The Hebrew says Israel was "the fewest of all peoples." The Targum changes quantity to quality. It is not about numbers. It is about character.
This reframing has enormous implications. Election is not a reward for excellence. It is a response to vulnerability. God looked at all the nations and chose the one least likely to become arrogant about being chosen. The irony is deliberate.
The Targum's theology of divine justice gets a full expansion in this chapter. God "repayeth to them who hate Him the reward of their good works in this world, to destroy them in the world to come." This is a complete eschatological system. The wicked receive their payment for any good deeds now, in this life, so that nothing remains to protect them in the world to come. Meanwhile, the righteous suffer now so their reward accumulates for eternity. The Hebrew text says God "repays those who hate Him to their face." The Targum turns a vague threat into a doctrine of cosmic accounting.
The passage about intermarriage receives a striking addition. The Targum says "whosoever marrieth with them is as if he made marriage with their idols." Marriage to a pagan is not merely forbidden—it is itself a form of idol worship. The person and the idol become interchangeable.
The military promises are vivid. God will send "the plague of biting hornets" against Israel's enemies. The Targum specifies that these hornets will pursue those who hide, "until they who have remained shall perish and disappear." But Israel must not destroy the nations too quickly—"lest the beasts of the field multiply against you, when they have come to devour their carcases." Even divine conquest has ecological consequences.
The chapter ends with a warning about war spoils. The gold on pagan images must be burned, not taken. Bringing an idol's possessions home makes your house "accursed as they"—the contamination is physical and transferable.