“In Targum Onkelos, Joseph is said to have the Spirit of prophecy in him after he interpreted Pharaoh’s dream (Targum Onkelos. Genesis 41:38). Similarly, Joshua is said to have the Spirit of prophecy in him (Targum Onkelos, Numbers 27:18). The Spirit of prophecy is said to rest upon the seventy elders of Israel, and they prophesied as a result (Targum Onkelos, Numbers 11:25-29). The same thing happened to Balaam, the false prophet (Targum Onkelos, Number 24:2).”[2]
Hui continues, noting that we also:
“find the Spirit of prophecy associated with Israel’s judges, kings, prophets, and priests including Othniel (Targum Nebium, Judges 3:10), Saul (Targum Nebium, 1 Samuel 10:6, 10; 19:23), David (Targum Nebium, 2 Samuel 23:2; 1 Chronicles 28:12), Solomon (Targum Ketuvim, Ct. 1:1; 7:2; Ecclesiastes 1:4; 3:11-14; 4:15; 9:7; 10:7).“[3]
Through its prominence in the various targums, it’s obvious that the “Spirit of Prophecy” captured the imaginations of rabbinic Judaism prior to the first century.
