Exodus 34:29-35
New Catholic Bible
29 The Radiant Face of Moses.[a] When Moses went down from Mount Sinai, he had the two tablets of Testimony in his hands, while he descended the mountain. He did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant, for he had been speaking with the Lord. 30 But when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses and that the skin of his face had become radiant, they were afraid to approach him. 31 Moses therefore called to them, to Aaron and all the heads of the community, and they went over to him. Moses spoke to them. 32 All the children of Israel then drew near after them, and he commanded them to do all that the Lord had told him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses was finished speaking to them, he put on a veil to cover his face. 34 Whenever Moses came before the Lord to speak with him, Moses took off the veil until he went outside. When he went outside, he told the children of Israel all that had been commanded them. 35 The children of Israel saw that the skin of his face had become radiant. Then he put the veil on over his face again, until he went in to speak with the Lord again.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Exodus 34:29 The face of Moses reflected the glory of God. The verb garan, “to be radiant,” is like the noun goren, “horn.” This explains why the verb was translated as “horns” in the Latin Vulgate and became part of the tradition. Paul refers to this passage when he reminds Christians of their transformation into the image of God (2 Cor 3:7-8, 18).
