12But Moses’s hands grew heavy, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on either side, so his hands were steady until the sun set.
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 17:12:
Kupsabiny: “Moses lifted up (the/his) hands and/but when he got tired, Aaron and Hur brought (a) stone for him to sit on. One was standing at the left hand of Moses, the other standing at the right hand so as to raise up (the) hands of Moses until sunset.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “When Moses’ hands got tired, Aaron and Hur took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur stood on each side, holding up his hands until sunset.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Later Moises arms became-tired. So Aaron and Hur took a stone and had- Moises -sit-on it. Then Aaron raised one hand of Moises and Hur also did the same on other/[lit. one] hand until the sun set.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Bariai: “It came about that Moses arms were going numb, therefore Aron and Ur brought a stone to come, and then Moses sat down on it. The two of them stood on one side and the other close to him, and so they held his arms up so that they remained until the sun set.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
Opo: “When hand of Moses died [eye], they carried for him stone he sat down there. And Aaron and Hur grasped him hand lifted it up, a man on the right, a man on the left, in order that his hand it might not down return until sun was setting.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
English: “But his/my arms became tired. So Aaron and Hur rolled a large stone for Moses/me to sit on. While he/I was sitting on it, those two held up his/my arms, one on one side and the other on the other side. In that way, they kept his/my arms lifted up, and his/my arms held steady until the sun went down.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
American Sign Language also uses the sign depicting the horns but also has a number of alternative signs (see here ).
In French Sign Language, a similar sign is used, but it is interpreted as “radiance” (see below) and it culminates in a sign for “10,” signifying the 10 commandments:
The horns that are visible in Michelangelo’s statue are based on a passage in the Latin Vulgate translation (and many Catholic Bible translations that were translated through the 1950ies with that version as the source text). Jerome, the translator, had worked from a Hebrew text without the niqquds, the diacritical marks that signify the vowels in Hebrew and had interpreted the term קרו (k-r-n) in Exodus 34:29 as קֶ֫רֶן — keren “horned,” rather than קָרַו — karan “radiance” (describing the radiance of Moses’ head as he descends from Mount Sinai).
In Swiss-German Sign Language it is translated with a sign depicting holding a staff. This refers to a number of times where Moses’s staff is used in the context of miracles, including the parting of the sea (see Exodus 14:16), striking of the rock for water (see Exodus 17:5 and following), or the battle with Amalek (see Exodus 17:9 and following).
In Vietnamese (Hanoi) Sign Language it is translated with the sign that depicts the eye make up he would have worn as the adopted son of an Egyptian princess. (Source: The Vietnamese Sign Language translation team, VSLBT)
“Moses” in Vietnamese Sign Language, source: SooSL
But Moses’ hands grew weary is literally “And the hands of Moses [were] heavy,” which means, as Good News Translation translates, that “Moses’ arms grew tired.” So they took a stone refers to Aaron and Hur, and these names should be advanced from their present position in the verse. The stone here is smaller than the large rock or boulder mentioned in verse 6, but it was large enough to sit on. And put it under him suggests that they moved it to where Moses had been standing. And he sat upon it indicates that the stone was the proper size for sitting. These three short clauses may be combined: “Aaron and Hur brought a stone for him to sit on” (Good News Translation).
And Aaron and Hur should be changed to “they” if these names are advanced to they took a stone. Held up his hands is literally “they took hold of his hands.” This really means “they supported his hands” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New American Bible), or better “his arms” (Good News Translation). One on one side, and the other on the other side is literally “one from this and one from that.” Translator’s Old Testament makes it quite clear: “Then, standing on either side of him, they each held up one of his hands.”
So his hands were steady, literally “and it was [that] his hands were firmness,” means “holding them steady” (Good News Translation), or “supported his arms in the same position” (Contemporary English Version). Translator’s Old Testament has “In this way his hands remained firmly raised.” Until the going down of the sun is quite literal. It is more natural to say “until the sun went down” (Good News Translation), or “until the sun set” (New Revised Standard Version).
Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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