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.)
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.)
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:
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).
And when Aaron … saw Moses is literally “And Aaron saw Moses.” The when makes it a temporal clause that is dependent on the second clause. And all the people of Israel is literally “and all the sons of Israel.” It is significant that Aaron is mentioned first. One may also express this as “When Aaron and all the other people saw Moses.”
Behold is the usual word used to call attention to what follows. Here it also adds a bit of suspense in the story. The skin of his face shone has the same verb as verse 29. (See the comment there.) This should not suggest that it was only when the people saw him that his face began to shine. Good News Translation is better, “his face was shining,” and New International Version has “his face was radiant.” And they were afraid to come near him is literally “and they feared to approach him.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “and they shrank from coming near him,” and Contemporary English Version has “and they were afraid to go near him,” which suggests that Moses approached the people, not knowing that “his face was shining” (Good News Translation), and frightened them away. The following verse supports this.
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 .
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