In Targum Neofiti and Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, the golden calf in Exo 32 is interpreted to be, not a pedestal, but a God/deity:
Targum Neofiti:
1. When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the
mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron AND THEY SAID TO
HIM: “ARISE; MAKE US GODS WHO SHALL GO BEFORE US, because
this man Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know
what has happened to him in the end.’’' . . . 4. And he received them
from their hands and cast (them) into a mold AND THEY MADE A MOLTEN CALF;
AND THEY SAID: "THESE ARE YOUR GODS, O ISRAEL, WHO BROUGHT YOU OUT OF THE
LAND OF EGYPT” . . . 8. they have turned aside quickly from the way which I
have commanded them; THEY HAVE MADE FOR THEMSELVES A MOLTEN CALF AND HAVE
BOWED DOWN TO IT AND SACRIFICED TO IT AND SAID: 'THESE ARE YOUR GODS, O ISRAEL,
WHO BROUGHT YOU OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT'" . . . 19. And it happened
that when he drew near the camp AND SAW THE CALF AND THE DANCING, Moses’
anger was kindled, and he threw the tables from his hands and broke them at the
foot of the mountain.” 20. AND HE TOOK THE CALF WHICH THEY HAD MADE AND
BURNED IT WITH FIRE, AND GROUND IT UNTIL IT WAS POWDER, AND SCATTERED IT UPON
THE WATER AND MADE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DRINK IT. 21. And Moses said to
Aaron: “What has this people done “ to you that you have brought great
sins““ upon them?” 22. And Aaron said to Moses: “Let not the anger of my
master be enkindled; you know the people, that"'"’ they are evil, 23.
AND THEY SAID TO ME: MAKE US GODS WHO SHALL GO BEFORE US, because (as for)
this Moses who brought us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know
what has happened to him in the end. 24. And he said to them:
‘Any one of you who has gold, take it off and give it to me.’ AND I
PUT IT INTO THE FIRE AND THIS CALF CAME OUT.” 25. And Moses saw that the people
were stripped, because they had stripped off the crown of gold that
had been on their heads, upon which the Distinguished Name was engraved',“
because they did not listen to the words of Aaron they acquired an evil name
for themselves for all generations', 26. and Moses stood at the door of the
camp and said: “Let every one who fears before the Lord come to
me.” And there was gathered to him all the tribe of Levi. 27. And he
said to them: “Thus said the Lord the God of Israel: ‘Place every man his sword
upon his thigh; go to and fro from door to door in the camp and kill every man
his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’” 28. And
the sons of Levi did according to the words of Moses. And there fell of the
people on that day about three thousands of men. 29. And Moses said: “Complete
the offering‘ of your hands this day before the Lord, because
everyone of you has smitten his son and his brother, that he may bestow blessings
upon you this day.” 30. And on the following day Moses said to the people:
“You have committed great sins. And now I shall go up to beseech mercy from before
the Lord; <perhaps I can make atonement for your sins>.” 31. <And Moses
returned before the Lord> and said: “I beseech (you); this
people have sinned" great sins AND HAVE MADE FOR THEMSELVES GODS OF
GOLD 32. And now, if you will forgive and remit their debts! And if
not strike me out from the book of your Law which you have
written.” 33. And the Lord said to Moses: “Whoever has sinned before me, I will
strike him out from the book of my Law. 34. And now, go; lead the people
to the place which' I have spoken to you. Behold, my angel will lead on
before you. And on the day I remember “ them, I shall remember
their sins against them.” 35. And the Lord smote the people BECAUSE
THEY MADE THE CALF WHICH AARON MADE. (The Aramaic Bible: Targum Neofiti
1 & Targum Pseudo-Jonathan Exodus [trans. Martin McNamara; The Aramaic
Bible 2; Collegeville, Minn.: the Liturgical Press, 1994], 128, 129, 131-33)
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan:
1. The people saw that Moses delayed in coming down from the
mountain, and the people gathered around Aaron when they saw that the time
he had fixed for them had passed. And Satan went and led them astray, and their
hearts became proud. And they said to him: “Arise! Make us deities
that will go before us, because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the
land of Egypt, was burned on the mountain in glowing fire from before the
Lord. We do not know what became of him in the end.” . . . 4. He
took (them) from their hands, wrapped them in a cloak, and threw
them into a mold, and made them into a molten calf. And they said, “These
are your deities, O Israel, who brought you out from the land of Egypt.”
. . . 8. They have quickly gone away from the way which I commanded them at
Sinai: ‘You shall not make for yourselves an image, or a figure, or any
likeness.’ And now they have made for themselves a molten calf and bowed
down to it; and they have sacrificed to it, and they have proclaimed before
it: ‘These are your deities, O Israel, who brought you out of the
land of Egypt.” . . . 19. When Moses came near the camp, he saw the
calf, and the musical instruments in the hands of the wicked people
who played and bowed down before it. Satan was in the middle of it, leaping
and jumping before the people. And immediately the heat o/Moses’ anger
blazed forth, and he threw the tables from his hands and broke them at the foot
of the mountain. But the sacred writing that was on them flew and floated in
the air of the heavens. And he cried out and said, “Woe to the people that
heard on Sinai from the mouth of the Holy One: ‘You shall not make for
yourselves an image, or a figure, or any likeness,’ but (who), after forty days,
made a molten calf which in reality is nothing.” 20. He took the calf that they
had made and burned (it) in the fire; he ground (it) until it was powder,
scattered (it) on the surface of the water of the brook, and made the
children of Israel drink (it). Whoever had given an object of gold there, a
mark came out on his face. 21. And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this
people do to you that you brought a great sin upon them?” 22. And Aaron said,
“Let not the anger of my master be enkindled. You know that the people are
children of righteous men. But it is the evil inclination that led them astray.
23. And they said to me, ‘Make us deities that will go before us,
because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, was
burned on the mountain in glowing fire from before the Lord. We do not know
what became of him in the end.’ 24. So I said to them, Those who have gold,
take (it) off.’ So they gave (it) to me, and I threw it into the fire, and Satan
entered it, and the likeness of this calf came out of it.”
25. Moses saw that the people were stripped—for, because of Aaron they
had stripped off the holy crown that had been on their heads, (and)
on which the great and glorious name was clearly inscribed—and that their bad
reputation had spread abroad among the nations of the earth, and they
acquired a bad name for themselves for their generations. 26. Moses stood
up at the entrance to the Sanhédrin of the camp and said, “Let those who
fear the Lord come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered to him.
27. He said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Whoever has
sacrificed to the idols of the nations shall be slain by the sword. And
now, go back and forth throughout the camp, from the entrance of the
Sanhédrin to the entrance of the courthouse; beseech from before the
Lord that this sin be forgiven you, and take revenge on the wicked, those
who practiced idolatry; and kill, each one even his brother,
each one his companion, and each one his neighbor.’” 28. The sons of Levi did
according to the word of Moses, and that day, of the people who had the mark
on their faces, there fell, slain by the sword, about the number
of three thousand men. 29. And Moses said, “Offer your offering <today>
for the blood that your hands have shed, to make expiation for
yourselves before the Lord—for each one of you has smitten his
son and his brother—and to bring the blessing upon you today.” 30. The next day
Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up and
pray before the Lord. O that I may make atonement for your sins!”
31. Moses returned and prayed before the Lord, and said, “If you please,
Lord of all the worlds! The darkness as well as the light is manifest before
you. And now, this people has
sinned a great sin, and they have made for themselves deities of gold.
32. And now, if you will forgive their sins, forgive, but if not, blot
me out, I pray, from the book of the righteous in which you have written
my name" 33. But the Lord said to Moses, “It is not fitting that
I should blot out your name, but he who has sinned before me, him
will I blot out from my book. 34. And now, go, lead the people to the place
of which I have spoken to you. Behold, my angel will go before you. But on the
day of my visitation I will visit their sins upon them.” 35. Thus the Memra
of the Lord destroyed the people because they bowed down to the calf
that Aaron made. (Ibid., 251, 252, 253-55)
