Here you have a famous phrase appropriate to accompany your study of the Targum Jonathan:

“To translate is not to repeat words, but reveal a soul in another language.”

1) What is the Targum Yonatan and to what corpus belongs to?

The Targum Yonatan it is the translation aramaic standard of the Prophets (Nevi'im) used in the field babylonian jewish. Along with Onquelos (of the Torah), makes up the pair of targumes “normative”, which were consolidated in the academies of Babylon between late Antiquity and the High Middle Ages. Its function is not only to pour word-for-word: it incorporates paraphrase explanatory and traditions performing rabbinical, although it is less expansive than the targumes palestinians.

2) rabbinic Tradition about its authorship

The attribution traditional links Yonatan ben Uzzieldisciple highlight of Hillel, based on the talmudic passage which states that “Yonathan ben Uzziel wrote the Targum of the Prophets” based on a tradition that dates back to the latter prophets (Hagai, Zechariah, and Malachi). This is the teshuvah classical; modern research treats it as attribution honorable/latenot as firmly historical.

3) Dating and the historic environment-linguistic

• Approximate dateThe text, in its received form, reflects essays and standardizations babylonian vintage late (V–VIII centuries approx.), on most ancient traditions. Is parallel to Onquelos in their vocabulary and approach, though somewhat more paraprástico.
• Dialect: Aligns with the aramaic babylonian jewish, with shared traits with Onquelos (grammar convergent, lexicon not identical). In medieval codices appears with vocalization supralinear babylonian, of this continuum textual.

4) Testimonials manuscripts and transmission of textual

• We have medieval manuscripts presenting the Hebrew masoretic followed by the Targum, sometimes with triple column (Hebrew–targum–tafseer of Saadia). The BL Or. 1474 (Later prophets) evidence the practice of a copy of every verse in Hebrew and then in aramaic with vocalization babylonian. In the tradition yemeni there are witnesses to ancient Prophets, although most of the materials stored are late. Critical editions of modern (e.g., Sperber) have worked with the acquis.

5) Profile translation features and exegetical

• General trend: More sober the targumes palestinians, but parafrástico when the understanding of the text requires it; avoid anthropomorphisms and makes implicit references.
• Function didactic-liturgical: Born to accompany the reading public in a context in which aramaic was the vernacular language. Its use is integrated in the synagogue (especially in the reading of the prophets/Haftarot).
• Authority: In several sugyot, the Talmud quote Targum Yonatan as witness valid interpretation; do not “replace” the Hebrew text, but operates as guide exegetical authorized.

6) key Distinction: Targum Yonatan vs. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan

There is frequent confusion by the sign “Targum Jonathan” applied to two works various:

• Targum Yonatan (authentic): on Nevi'im (Prophets). Babylonian tradition; more sober; attributed to Yonatan ben Uzziel.
• Targum Pseudo-Jonathan: over the Torah. Is western/palestinian late, very expansive and midráshico, and no it is of Yonatan ben Uzziel (the “Pseudo” reflects the correction of modern an ancient evil attribution, probably by the initials “T. J.”). Dated after the islamic conquest and already cited in the s. XIII, so it is very post was tanaítica.

7) Compared with Onquelos

• Onquelos (Torah): translation very literal, standard babylonian to the reading of the Torah.
• Yonatan (Nevi'im): a degree of expansionespecially in the later Prophets, even within the parameters of sober respect of the targumes palestinians. Both share linguistic basis and criterion of faithfulness; differ at the level of paraphrase.

8) State of the edition, and access to the text

• Scanned text, and editions: You can consult the text for a prophet (e.g., in Sefaria) and edits/datasets based on the Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon (HUC-JIR); there are also translations and introductory education in series academic. To work philological, are useful in the critical editions (Sperber) and catalogues of manuscripts.
• Facsimiles: There is PDFs of older releases and descriptions of the codices full repositories open (Archive org, libraries).

9) Uses interpretive (criteria and typical examples)

• Clarification historical and geographical: the targum is often identified places/people evenings in the Hebrew, practice exegetical common era tardoantigua.
• Mitigation of anthropomorphism: rewrite passages where the literal attribute corporeality to God.
• Paraphrase theological: enter glosses brief that line the prophetic sense of the doctrine rabbinic. (For a sampling, see books Zechariah or Malachi).

10) Relevant to the exegesis and the history of the biblical text

The Targum Yonatan is a window to the reading jewish Prophets in Babylon: preserved traditions exegetical oldilluminates interpretive variants the period gaónico-amoraico and serves as witness indirect the masoretic text as it was understood in those academies. Its balance between fidelity and paraphrase, is key for comparative studies with the Septuagint, Peshitta and Midrash.

Final note and terminology

In Spanish circulating variants of the name: Targum Yonatan, Targum Jonathan or “Targum Jonathan”. All relate to Nevi'im. If it is Pentateuch with expansions midráshicas date and medieval, that is Pseudo-Jonathan and no to be confused with that of the Prophets.