Where did the prophet Moses get horns?translated

The famous sculpture of Moses by Michelangelo has two small horns on its head. Most often, this unusual detail is explained by an error in the translation of the Holy Scriptures. According to a popular version, Blessed Jerome, who translated the Bible into Latin, confused the words “horn” and “ray,” and after him, medieval artists began to depict Moses with horns. In reality, the story is much more complicated.

Priest Evgeny MURZIN

editor of the direction "Faith and Church"

What happened to Moses' face?

The 34th chapter of the book of Exodus tells how Moses, after spending forty days on Sinai in communion with God, descends from the mountain with the tablets of the Covenant. People notice that his face has changed and are afraid to approach him. Moses himself covers his face with a veil. The Russian Synodal translation says: his face began to shine with rays because God spoke to him (Exodus 34:29). But in the original Hebrew there is a rare verb qāran, akin to the noun qeren, the main meaning of which is “horn”. This is where the centuries-old problem of interpreting this passage begins.

Rafael Santi. Moses shows the tablets of the covenant to the people of Israel. 1516 – 1518 gallerix.ru

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