A targum ( Hebrew : ' , plural : targumim ) is an Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Bible ( Tanakh ) that was written or compiled in Palestine or in Babylonia from the Second Temple period until the early Middle Ages ( late first millennium ) . A targum ( , plural : targumim , lit . `` translation , interpretation '' ) , referred to in critical works by the abbreviation ð '' -- , is an Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Bible ( Tanakh ) written or compiled from the Second Temple period until the early Middle Ages ( late first millennium ) .