Moses the Prophet
Moses (Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה, “drawn out of water”) was born during a time of persecution of the Hebrews in Egypt. Pharaoh had decreed the killing of all newborn Hebrew boys to limit their population. To save her son, Moses’ mother hid him for three months and then placed him in a basket by the Nile River. The child was discovered by Pharaoh’s daughter, who raised him at the royal court. Despite his privileged upbringing, Moses remained deeply moved by the suffering of his people. After killing an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew, he fled to the land of Midian, where he married and lived as a shepherd.
A pivotal moment in Moses’ life occurred when God appeared to him in the form of the Burning Bush—a bush that burned but was not consumed (Ex. 3:2). During this divine encounter, God commanded Moses to return to Egypt and demand the liberation of the Israelites from slavery.
Pharaoh refused to release the Israelites, which led to the Ten Plagues of Egypt: the Nile turning to blood, infestations of frogs, gnats, and flies, livestock diseases, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and the death of the firstborn (Ex. 7–12). After the final plague, Pharaoh relented, allowing the Israelites to leave. However, he soon changed his mind and pursued them with his army. God parted the Red Sea, enabling the Israelites to cross on dry ground. When the Egyptians followed, the waters returned, drowning the pursuing army (Ex. 14:21–28).
In the wilderness, God provided for the Israelites by sending manna and quails for food and water from a rock. During a battle with the Amalekites, victory depended on Moses raising his hands in prayer; when he tired, Aaron and Hur supported his arms until the battle was won (Ex. 17:11–12). On Mount Sinai, Moses spent forty days receiving the Ten Commandments on stone tablets (Ex. 20:1–17). Upon descending, he discovered the Israelites worshiping a golden calf and, in anger, broke the tablets. God later instructed Moses to return to the mountain to carve new tablets. When Moses descended after his second encounter with God, his face radiated divine light, which he covered with a veil to shield the Israelites from the brightness (Ex. 34:29–35).
Iconography
In Ukrainian iconography, Moses is typically depicted as an elder with long hair and a beard, often wearing red-and-blue or yellow-and-blue garments. He is portrayed in the prophetic row of iconostases, on icons such as The Mother of God with the Hymn of Praise (Bogorodytsia z Pokhvaloiu) and The Transfiguration, as well as in scenes from the Book of Exodus: the crossing of the Red Sea, Moses receiving the Commandments, and breaking the tablets. Moses often holds the Tablets of the Law, a scroll, or is accompanied by the Burning Bush or Mount Sinai.
A unique feature of some depictions is the so-called “horns” on Moses’ head, resembling raised strands of hair. This tradition originated from a mistranslation in the Latin Vulgate, where the Hebrew word qāran (קָרַן, “ray”) was misinterpreted as “horn.” Although corrected in the 16th century, the imagery persisted in Western European art and later influenced Ukrainian iconography from the mid-17th century onward.
Mykhailo Skop
