ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

Tu’apulelulu ‘Epeleli 13, 2023

Michelangelo and Horned Moses  קרן 

‘Imisi ‘o Mosese na’e ta tongitongi ‘e Mikaele

EXODUS 34:29, 33

WHEN MOSES CAME DOWN FROM MOUNT SINAI [HE] DID NOT KNOW THAT THE SKIN OF HIS FACE AND WHEN MOSES HAD FINISHED SPEAKING WITH SHONE BECAUSE HE HAD BEEN TALKING WITH GOD [THE ISRAELITES], HE PUT A VEIL OVER HIS FACE.

‘EKISOTO 34:29, 33

29 Pea ‘i he faifai pea ‘alu hifo ‘a Mōsese mei he mo‘unga ko Sainai, (na‘a ne ha‘u mo ia ‘i hono nima ‘a e ongo maka fakamo‘oni ‘i he‘ene ‘alu hifo mei he mo‘unga) na‘e ‘ikai ‘ilo ‘e Mōsese ‘oku tapa ‘a e kili ‘o hono fofonga, ko e me‘a ‘i he fefolofolai kuo fai.

33 Pea ‘i he faka‘osi ‘e Mōsese ‘ene lea kiate kinautolu, na‘a ne ‘ai ha veili ki hono mata.

Bad translations sometimes make their way into good art. Look no further than Michelangelo. In his famous sculpture of Moses, horns are poking out of the prophet's head. Why the horns? When Moses descended from Sinai, "his face qaran [shone]." The Latin Vulgate, however, translated qaran ("shone") as cornuta ("horns"). It's an easy mistake. The word qaran is very similar to the word qeren ("horn"). In all likelihood, the radiance was beaming from his face, like horns protruding from an ox.

Indeed, the word qaran was possibly chosen because it sounds like qeren. It was an allusion to the golden calf-the story that immediately precedes this account. The message is this: "Listen, Israel, don't go looking for a horned animal to serve as the go-between for me and you. Look to the radiant-faced Moses, with whom I speak face to face. That stupid, idolatrous, lifeless calf can't even moo, but the living and radiant Moses speaks my life-giving words." Or, as the Father will later say of his Son, the Light of the world and the prophet like Moses, "Listen to him" (Matt. 17:5).

Remove the veil over our hearts, O Lord, that we may behold your glory and hear your life-giving words.