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 Joshua 8:35

Every one of the commandments of Moses was read by Joshua may be simplified: “Joshua read every one of the commandments that Moses had written” or “Joshua read every word that Moses had written.” A negative form is permissible: “He did not leave out a word that Moses had said.”

The whole gathering translates the Hebrew “all the assembly of Israel” (Revised Standard Version). In the Septuagint the Hebrew noun “assembly” is translated by a noun which in the New Testament usually means “church.” The Hebrew word itself in the Old Testament is used of a formal coming together of the people of Israel for cultic purpose. Here the biblical writer emphasizes the participation of all the people by explicitly mentioning women and children, and the resident aliens as well. Was read by Joshua to the whole gathering may be stated quite differently: “The entire Israelite community heard it, including the women and children, and also the foreigners who lived with them.”

The clause which included women and children may seem redundant, but it reflects the organization of the ancient Israelite society in which women and children played a secondary role. Therefore in order to reflect the cultural situation, this clause should be maintained.

In translating the phrase among them, one should take care that the pronoun them is not taken to refer back to women and children; it refers, of course, to the whole gathering.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Newman, Barclay M. A Handbook on Joshua. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .