According to the Gospel of Mark, the first statements that Jesus makes are “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the good news” (Mk 1:15). Whereas we often attribute the phrase “kingdom of God” with Jesus and, therefore, think of it as a “Christian” idea, the notion was actually a common one in the Judaism of Jesus' day. In the Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Bible (known as the Targum), “kingdom of God” appears frequently to denote an imminent inbreaking of the Lord's reign on earth. While the original Hebrew text of Isaiah 40:9 exhorts Zion to tell “the cities of Judah: Behold your God,” the Targum reads, “Call to the House of Judah: the kingdom of your God is revealed!”