The targumic memra: illustrative, not a source

Says The Targums, Aramaic renderings of the Hebrew Bible used in synagogues, often speak of the מֵימְרָא (memra', "word, utterance") of the Lord where the Hebrew speaks of God himself. In Targum Onqelos, Jacob's vow makes the memra his support (Tg. Onq. Gen 28:20) and says that "the Memra of the Lord shall be my God" (28:21), and Moses leads Israel out "to meet the Word of the Lord" at Sinai (Tg. Onq. Exod 19:17; both in Etheridge's translation). Targum Neofiti makes the memra the speaker and agent of creation (Tg. Neof. Gen 1:1, 3). The Targums also use שְׁכִינְתָּא (shekhinta', "dwelling presence") for God's presence among his people, a term often compared with ἐσκήνωσεν in John 1:14.

Implies Synagogue usage shows that Jews could speak of God's Word as God himself acting, speaking, and present. That is the conceptual space John 1:1–3, 14 occupies.

Uncertain Two limits apply. First, dating: the Targums survive in forms edited after the NT period, and how old their traditions are is disputed; Neofiti and Pseudo-Jonathan in particular are later in final form, though they preserve older material (see McNamara's introduction). Second, meaning: interpreters debate whether memra is a reverent way of saying "God" or points toward a distinct divine agent. The team treats the memra as illustrative background, not a source John used. John goes beyond it by naming the Word as a person distinct from the Father (1:1, 18) who became flesh (1:14).