Does Moses Have Horns?

In some Bible translations, we get a rather interesting translation. As it says, "And they saw that the face of Moses when he came out was horned, but he covered his face again, if at any time he spoke to them," (Exodus 34:35 DRA). We see this translation as well in the WYC. Most modern translations render this as his face shone, shining, or was radiant such as the CSB, ESV, NASB, and NLV. So, why do the DRA and WYC differentiate?

This comes down to a translation by the Latin Vulgate where it is said: "Qui videbant faciem egredientis Moysi esse cornutam, sed operiebat ille rursus faciem suam, siquando loquebatur ad eos," (Exodus 34:35 Vulgate). The scribe wrote "cornutam" or "having horns".

When we look at our Hebrew texts of this word, we find the word "קרן". This word can both mean rays of light or shining, but can also mean horned. Jerome chose the latter translation while most use the former. There is debate over what is the correct translation. Some scholars believe Jerome made a fluke and chose a poor translation of the word.

Others take the "horned" translation, such as Dr. Gary A. Rendsburg. He believes the translation of "radiant" or terms like it is anachronistic, meaning a newer definition term being forced on an older text. "On the temple walls, wherever you go, and on the walls there are pictures of two pharaohs. ... In both cases, they have Ram's horns on their cheeks. ... but when you get to Exodus 34, you have one last reminder of Moses as the equal to Pharoah. Horns were symbols of power in the ancient world." This view is much more uncommon, but it has an interesting theological message.

Another scholar named Dr. David A. Falk states that either interpretation is plausible, but the horn interpretation would more likely be symbolic, citing the same example of Dr. Rendsburg.

Works Cited:

Image by Levi Meir Clancy on Unsplash

Dr. Falk, David. Live Stream #127: Live Stream #127: Pyramid of the Puppet Pharaohs YouTube, YouTube, 6 Oct. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/live/hqbQIlTCGTE?si=SvIQDnkM0ZQ63c7S&t=680 (11:20) Accessed 16 Oct. 2023.

Moses’ Horns The Fitzwilliam Museum. Available at: https://fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/explore-our-collection/highlights/context/sign-and-symbols/moses-horns (Accessed: 14 September 2023).

What Your Pastor Didn’t Tell You (2023) Hidden Egyptian Context of The Exodus ft. Gary Rendsburg. 14 July. Available at: https://youtu.be/jRAWBc_bfFA?si=dTiPRHRQSNVDAEIV (Accessed: 14 September 2023).