An Aramaic translation of the Old Testament. While the word "targum" can mean any translation, it usually means an Aramaic version that explains or interprets part of the Old Testament. Targums were very important in the history of ancient Judaism. Some Jewish traditions say that oral targums existed as far back as the time of Ezra. Nehemiah 8:8 is evidence of this.
During the Babylonian exile (seven hundred years before Christ), the Jewish people spoke Hebrew. But when they were taken as captives to Babylon, they started speaking Aramaic, the language of the Babylonians. Over time, most Jewish people spoke Aramaic instead of Hebrew. This meant they needed the Scriptures translated into Aramaic so they could understand them. In Jewish places of worship, someone would read a part of the Law in Hebrew. Then, they would immediately give an oral translation in Aramaic. Later, people wrote down these translations. Many of these written Targums still exist today.
The earliest known Targum is of the book of Job. It was found in a cave of the Qumran community. It was written 100 years before the time of Christ. The most important Targums are Targum Onkelos and Targum Jonathon, which were used by the fifth century AD. Targum Onkelos was a literal translation of the Pentateuch, and Targum Jonathon is a freer interpretive version of the Prophets.