Michelangelo’s statue of Moses on display in Vincoli, Rome, in the Basilica of St. Peter in Chains, depicts Moses with two horns on his head. This horned portrayal of Moses by Michelangelo and by other artists in other works of art and literature stems from a passage in the book of Exodus.

1. Did Moses have 2 horns?
Michelangelo’s statue of Moses on display in Vincoli, Rome, in the
Basilica of St. Peter in Chains, depicts Moses with two horns on his
head. This horned portrayal of Moses by Michelangelo and by other
artists in other works of art and literature stems from a passage in the
book of Exodus.
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the first set of stone
tablets, he encountered the idolatry and immorality of the people. In
rage Moses threw down the tablets, breaking them to pieces. After the
people repented, God called Moses to climb Mount Sinai again, with
new stone tablets to replace those he had broken:
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2. “And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the
two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount,
that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.”
Exodus 34:29.
When the people saw Moses’ shining face, they were afraid to go near
him. “And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the
skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him”. Exodus 34:30,
So Moses covered his face with a veil, “And till Moses had done speaking
with them, he put a vail on his face”. Exodus 34:33. There is nothing in
this passage to warrant the idea that Moses had horns, yet this is
where the idea comes from, because of a Latin translation.
The original Hebrew word used to describe the radiant skin of Moses’
face is qaran. A related word, qeren, means “horns,” as it refers to
something that “projected outward” as horns do. However, the word
qaran means “to shine” or “to send out rays.” The Hebrew wording
used in Exodus 34 was meant to indicate that Moses’ face “sent forth
rays of light” or “projected light.”
The Latin Vulgate translation by Jerome in the fourth century used the
Latin word cornuta to describe Moses’ face. Cornuta, related to the
word cornucopia (“horn of plenty”), means “horned.” Jerome, in
saying that Moses was unaware that “his face had become horned,”
was most likely expressing the fact that the skin of Moses’ face
radiated with “strong horns of light.” But his wording led to overly
literal interpretations by artists who assumed that Moses had actual
horns protruding from his face when he descended Mount Sinai.
One English translation retains the “horns” wording in Exodus 34.
The Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible translation of Exodus 34:29 says,
“When Moses came down from the mount Sinai, he held the two
tables of the testimony, and he knew not that his face was horned
from the conversation of the Lord”.
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3. The reason that Moses has “horns” in the Douay-Rheims Translation
is that the DRT was translated directly from the Latin Vulgate and not
from the original Biblical languages.
The Septuagint (280—100 BC), the Ancient Greek translation of the
Hebrew Bible, refers to the face of Moses as “glorified.” The apostle
Paul confirms that this is the correct meaning:
“But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was
glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of
Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:” 2
Corinthians 3:7
It’s possible that Michelangelo and other ancient artists used horns
symbolically, in the same way Jerome did in the Latin Vulgate, to
visually illustrate rays of light in the form of horn-like protrusions.
Although some anti-Semitic propaganda has since depicted Jews as
having horns, Michelangelo’s sculpture of Moses did not represent
anything negative or demonic.
In the Bible, horns often symbolize power, expressing domination of
the weak (Ezekiel 34:21), the power of destruction (Zechariah 1:18–21),
and deliverance from oppression (1 Kings 22:11; 2 Chronicles 18:10).
The seven horns of the Lamb of God represent His infinite power
(Revelation 5:6).
Moses did not have actual horns on his head. He had “a face of
strength,” emanating rays of light after he talked with God. The Bible
is clear about this, but a faulty translation of one verse—some would
say an overly literal translation—amplified by classical artwork, has
led to some confusion.
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