The Hebrew Bible commands: "Hear, O Israel! God is our Lord, God is one" (Deuteronomy 6:4). Targum Onkelos translates the Shema—Judaism's central declaration of faith—with perfect fidelity. Not a single word is changed, expanded, or softened. In a translation famous for its theological adjustments, this verse stands untouched.
The reason is clear. The Shema is already pure theology. There is no anthropomorphism to correct, no physical metaphor to spiritualize, no ambiguity to resolve. God is one. The statement is complete.
What follows, though, Onkelos adjusts with characteristic precision. "You are to love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your possessions" (Deuteronomy 6:5). The Hebrew's me'odekha ("your might" or "your very much") Onkelos translates as "your possessions"—grounding the abstract command in concrete economic reality. Loving God means risking your wealth, not just your feelings.
"You are to tie them as a sign on your arm and they are to be totafot between your eyes" (Deuteronomy 6:8)—Onkelos translates totafot as tefillin (leather phylacteries worn during prayer), making explicit what the Hebrew leaves ritual. The mysterious "totafot" of the Torah text is identified with the specific leather boxes worn in prayer. Translation becomes halakhic ruling.
The chapter's closing parable—a child asking "What are the testimonies and statutes?" and the parent answering "We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt" (Deuteronomy 6:20-21)—Onkelos translates faithfully. The Passover Seder conversation is already embedded in Deuteronomy, and Onkelos recognizes it. The greatest theological statement (God is one) is followed by the simplest pedagogical method (tell your children the story). For Onkelos, both are sacred and neither requires alteration.