Moses had horns?

Despite the many English translations that refer to radiance or brightness emanating from the face of Moses, it is unclear what the Hebrew text means to say. Ex 34:29 says, “The skin of his face qaran.” 

The main reason why many English translations refer to brilliance is that several ancient translations do so: the Septuagint, the pre-Christian Greek translation of the OT (done two centuries before Christ), the Peshitta (the Syriac translation probably completed by the fourth or fifth century AD), and the Targums (the Aramaic translations of OT books that originated during the first few centuries BC and continued to develop throughout the first millennium AD).

The most basic meaning of the Hebrew word qaran is “to have horns.” Iconography, notably the representation of Moses by Michelangelo, portrays Moses with horns protruding from his head. 

This interpretation is not as far-fetched as one might think. Besides the surface meaning of the Hebrew, horns are a prevalent symbol of divinity throughout Mesopotamian art (though the Biblical text focuses on his face, not the top of his head).

An interpretation that attempts to combine the concepts of horns and light is somewhat more convincing. The basis for this comes from a series of astronomical texts from ancient Babylonia known as Enuma Anu Enlil, and how these texts use the Sumerian word SI. 

A lamassu (Mesopotamian celestial being) with horns on its helmet, c. 721–705 BC. Horns are a prevalent symbol of divinity throughout Mesopotamian art. It is possible that Moses’ encounter had left him with horns or “horns of light” radiating from his face (Ex 34:29).

At one point, the text states: “If the sun’s horn (SI) fades and the moon is dark, there will be deaths; (explanation:) in the evening watch, the moon is having an eclipse (and in this context,) SI means ‘horn,’ and SI means ‘shine’. . . .” 

The Exodus passage may thus refer to “horns” of light radiating from Moses’ face (similar to a halo expressed using vectors rather than a circle). 

This would be similar to a phenomenon labelled melammu in ancient Near Eastern texts that pertains to the brilliant glow of light from the gods (and kings), sometimes portrayed as rays of light that look like horns.

Keener, C. S., & Walton, J. H., eds. (2016). NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture (p. 172). Zondervan.