Aaron

The name that is transliterated as “Aaron” in English is translated in Catalan Sign Language and Spanish Sign Language as “stones on chest plate” (according to Exodus 28:15-30) (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff.)


“Aaron” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

In Colombian Sign Language, Honduras Sign Language, and American Sign Language, the chest plate is outlined (in ASL it is outlined using the letter “A”):


“Aaron” in ASL (source )

See also Moses and this lectionary in The Christian Century .

Moses

The name that is transliterated as “Moses” in English is signed in Spanish Sign Language and Polish Sign Language in accordance with the depiction of Moses in the famous statue by Michelangelo (see here ). (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff.)


“Moses” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

American Sign Language also uses the sign depicting the horns but also has a number of alternative signs (see here).

In French Sign Language, a similar sign is used, but it is interpreted as “radiance” (see below) and it culminates in a sign for “10,” signifying the 10 commandments:


“Moses” in French Sign Language (source )

The horns that are visible in Michelangelo’s statue are based on a passage in the Latin Vulgate translation (and many Catholic Bible translations that were translated through the 1950ies with that version as the source text). Jerome, the translator, had worked from a Hebrew text without the niqquds, the diacritical marks that signify the vowels in Hebrew and had interpreted the term קרו (k-r-n) in Exodus 34:29 as קֶ֫רֶן — keren “horned,” rather than קָרַו — karan “radiance” (describing the radiance of Moses’ head as he descends from Mount Sinai).

Even at the time of his translation, Jerome likely was not the only one making that decision as this recent article alludes to.

In Swiss-German Sign Language it is translated with a sign depicting holding a staff. This refers to a number of times where Moses’s staff is used in the context of miracles, including the parting of the sea (see Exodus 14:16), striking of the rock for water (see Exodus 17:5 and following), or the battle with Amalek (see Exodus 17:9 and following).


“Moses” in Swiss-German Sign Language, source: DSGS-Lexikon biblischer Begriffe , © CGG Schweiz

In Estonian Sign Language Moses is depicted with a big beard. (Source: Liina Paales in Folklore 47, 2011, p. 43ff.)

See also Moses and Elijah during the Transfiguration.

Translation commentary on Exod 17:10

So Joshua did as Moses told him may be understood as “as Moses commanded him” (Good News Translation). New English Bible has “Joshua carried out his orders.” And fought with Amalek is literally “to fight with Amalek,” so it is still not clear by this whether Joshua started fighting the Amalekites as soon as he selected the men or whether he waited until “tomorrow” (verse 9). The infinitive “to fight” may also be understood as and fought, so Good News Translation adds “and he went out to fight” (as in the Septuagint) in order to make clear that Joshua was also following Moses’ orders concerning when to start the attack. The rest of the verse seems to confirm that the orders were to wait until the next day to begin the fighting.

And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up introduces Hur for the first time, as though he was well known. He was evidently another assistant to Moses. (See 24.14.) Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version are probably correct in interpreting the and to mean “while,” suggesting that Joshua and the fighting men did not go out until Moses went up. New American Bible even has “after Moses had climbed the hill,” but this is not clearly implied. It is safe to assume, though, that the fighting did not start until the following day (“tomorrow” in verse 9), and that Moses and his companions went up the hill at the same time that Joshua and his men went out to fight.

A suggested model for this verse is the following:

• Joshua did exactly what Moses told him to do. The next day he and the men he had chosen went out to fight the Amalekites. At the same time Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .