The Hebrew Bible says God "hardened Pharaoh's heart" and he pursued the Israelites (Exodus 14:8). Targum Onkelos translates this without softening or explaining. The hardening stands as stated—one of the Torah's most troubling theological claims, left for the reader to wrestle with.
But when the Israelites cry out in terror at the approaching Egyptian army, Onkelos adds a single word that reshapes the scene. The Hebrew says they "cried out to God" (Exodus 14:10). Onkelos says they cried out "before God"—prayer, not panic. Even in mortal danger, the Aramaic frames Israel's response as a formal address to the divine presence, not a scream into the void.
The splitting of the sea Onkelos translates with remarkable fidelity. Moses raises his staff. God drives the sea back with a strong east wind all night. The waters stand as walls on either side. The Israelites walk through on dry land. No embellishment. No added miracles. The Hebrew is miraculous enough.
The critical theological moment comes when "the angel of God moved from its position" (Exodus 14:19), shifting from the front of the Israelite camp to the rear, placing itself and the pillar of cloud between the Egyptians and Israel. Onkelos translates the angel's movement as simple relocation—no special theological adjustment needed, because the angel is already an intermediary. It is God's agent, not God Himself, performing the physical action of repositioning.
When the Egyptians drown, the Hebrew says "Israel saw Egypt dead on the seashore" (Exodus 14:30). Onkelos preserves the starkness. The enemy is dead. The sea is calm. The deliverance is complete. And Israel, seeing the "great hand" that God performed, "believed in God and in Moses His servant" (Exodus 14:31).