Although it was canonized by the Catholic Church, Jerome’s translation of the Bible into Latin was not perfect.  Perhaps his most famous mistranslation put horns on Moses’ head.  When Moses was descending from Mt. Sinai a second time after speaking with God, “the skin of his face shone” (Ex. 34:29).  The word rendered “shone” comes from a Hebrew word for “horn,” and because the Latin Vulgate mistakenly rendered the word there were many who believed that Moses had horns sprouting from his head (Woods, People’s OT Notes, 219).  The extent to which this mistake was perpetuated is unbelievable.  In fact, much of the European medieval art portrays Moses with horns.  When Michelangelo sculpted a marble Moses in 1515, he relied on Jerome’s description in the Latin Vulgate translation.  The resulting statue can still be seen in Rome today.

It is absurd to envision Moses, the great prophet, with horns growing from his head, but when you leave translation and interpretation in man’s hands anything can happen.  The same mistake that put horns on Moses also changed the true way of salvation, introduced the instrument, and altered church government.  Therefore, it is not enough to become simply Bible students, but rather to be smart and determined students of scripture, consulting different translations and discovering the author’s original intent.  Today, there is a great need for all to cling tightly to the word of God, and to preserve it as our constant companion in life.

Barton Kizer
Associate Minister
bartonkizer@hotmail.com