The grain offering described in Leviticus 2 seems straightforward—flour, oil, frankincense, baked into cakes or wafers. But the Targum Jonathan adds a theological bombshell hidden in one verse about salt.
Where the Hebrew Bible says to salt every offering with "the salt of the covenant of your God" (Leviticus 2:13), the Targum expands dramatically: the salt represents the twenty-four priestly gifts, all of which were "appointed with a covenant of salt." This links a simple culinary instruction to the entire economic and spiritual infrastructure of the priesthood. Salt is not seasoning. It is a symbol of the permanent, unbreakable arrangement between God, the priests, and Israel.
The chapter also reveals the Targum's careful distinctions about first fruits. Leavened bread and honey could be brought as first-fruit offerings—the priest could eat them—but they could never be burned on the altar. The standard text hints at this, but the Targum makes it explicit: dates in their season and fruit with its honey are acceptable as gifts, just not as fire offerings.
Throughout, the Targum replaces the Hebrew Bible's neutral language with loaded theological terms. Every offering is not merely "pleasing" but "to be accepted with grace before the Lord." The memorial portion burned on the altar becomes a "goodly memorial" and a "memorial of praise." These are not just translations—they are interpretations that elevate grain and oil into instruments of divine communication.
What the Hebrew Bible presents as a cookbook, the Targum reframes as a covenant document.