Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
#149804 11/04/05 04:30 AM
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 203
enthusiast
OP Offline
enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 203
I read today that while Michelangelo followed a tradition that depicted Moses as having horns , this tradition apparently derives from a mistranslation in the Latin Vulgate of Exodus 34:29 :

34:29 cumque descenderet Moses de monte Sinai tenebat duas tabulas testimonii et ignorabat quod cornuta esset facies sua ex consortio sermonis Dei

34:29 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with two tables of testimony in Moses' hand that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone because of speaking with the Lord.


The Vulgate rendered "his face shone" as "his face was horned" (cornu).

Can anyone tell me which two Latin words (for "horn" and "shine" I guess) were likely confused?

Thanks.

#149805 11/04/05 04:46 AM
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788
No Latin words were confused in suggesting that Moses was horny. The mistranslation is from the Hebrew "qaran." This word can mean to grow horns or to send out rays. Saint Jerome opted for the former, without due regard to the context, creating the basis for Michelangelo's assumption that Moses had protrusions growing out of his head rather than light emitting from his head. Jerry shudda looked at II Corinthians 3:13, where Saint Paul got the Hebrew right.

Last edited by Father Steve; 11/04/05 01:36 PM.
#149806 11/04/05 09:32 AM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Great question and great answer! Thanks to both of you. Now here's another question: is the Hebrew "qaran" related to the name of the Muslim holy book "Koran"?

#149807 11/04/05 01:58 PM
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
The Qur'an is usually glossed as 'the recitation'. It does not seem to be related to q.r.n 'to grow horns' (denominated from qeren in the sense 'horn') or q.r.n (denominated from qeren in the sense 'ray'). Both verbs are from the same noun qeren 'horn; shofar, ram's horn; strength, power, might; corner, point, peak; ray; damage done by an animal's horn (post-Biblical Hebrew)'. Cognates include: Ugaritic qrn 'horn', qarn 'horn', qurnah 'salient angel', Akkadian qarnu 'horn'. (Seems similar to the Latin cornu 'horn'.) From Klein's dictionary.


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
#149808 11/04/05 05:03 PM
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379
I
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
I
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379
Quote:

The Qur'an is usually glossed as 'the recitation'. It does not seem to be related to q.r.n 'to grow horns' (denominated from qeren in the sense 'horn') or q.r.n (denominated from qeren in the sense 'ray'). Both verbs are from the same noun qeren 'horn; shofar, ram's horn; strength, power, might; corner, point, peak; ray; damage done by an animal's horn (post-Biblical Hebrew)'. Cognates include: Ugaritic qrn 'horn', qarn 'horn', qurnah 'salient angel', Akkadian qarnu 'horn'. (Seems similar to the Latin cornu 'horn'.) From Klein's dictionary.




keratin

#149809 11/05/05 12:58 AM
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 270
enthusiast
Offline
enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 270
"qaran" is just the singular masculine verb for the record. Hebrew is just as complicated as Spanish when it comes to conjugating verbs.


Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,353
Members9,182
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
Ineffable, ddrinnan, TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV
9,182 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 524 guests, and 0 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
wofahulicodoc 10,550
tsuwm 10,542
LukeJavan8 9,918
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5