What is the significance of Moses’ shining face and veil in the ancient Near Eastern context and in later Christian interpretation?
The recent work of Kevin J. Vanhoozer (Mere Christian Hermeneutics: Transfiguring What It Means to Read the Bible Theologically. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2024; see my review article in Denver Journal 2025, https://denverjournal.denverseminary.edu/the-denver-journal-article/interpreting-the-bible-literally-and-spiritually-a-review-article-of-mere-christian-hermeneutics/) studies the role of Jesus’ Transfiguration for understanding the interpretive relationship between the Old and New Testaments (Vanhoozer, pp. 285-88). God’s glorious presence in Moses’ “transfiguration” (Exod. 34:29-35 as part of chs. 32-34) acts as a sign of blessing and judgment for God’s covenant. Moses’ shining face occurs in this passage. Although some have identified this as a medical condition (Propp), or as horns as may appear in an eclipse (Sanders), Vanhoozer emphasizes the radiance as evidence of God’s ongoing presence and forgiveness among his people. The 13th century BC Zukru festival at Emar (an ancient city in Syria on the Euphrates River that had a dominant West Semitic population) also has the face of the chief god’s statue, Dagan, covered when he is moved among the citizens of Emar. They uncover the face when it passes by the special standing stones that represent the divine presence outside the city (Hess, Israelite Religions. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2007; pp. 117-18). This corresponds to the uncovering of Moses’ shining face before God as well as its veiling when he was among the people of Israel. They would have understood that Moses was in some manner bearing God’s glory as a result of spending time with him. We may also compare Moses’ veil with the veil of the temple curtain as a means of hiding the divine glory from Israel’s eyes (Hess, Israelite Religions, p. 118). While attempts to hide the inner rooms of the deity in many ancient temples was common, the Emar background of a veil over the face of the deity or of the deity’s special representative (cf. Exod. 4:16; 7:1 where Moses is like God to pharaoh) sets that one apart and demonstrates how the divine holiness carried a special significance and had to be treated in this manner in the 13th century BC.
Emar text #373 The Zukru Festival, lines 202-9 (translation from Hess, Israelite Religions, p. 117):
On the seventh day, Dagan, the pantheon, and the Shashabiyanatu deities emerge. His (Dagan’s) face is covered. They give the rituals for the gods as on the previous day. The meats, breads, and everything that they have eaten from the previous days they lift up and they … in return. Nothing will go up to the town. At the fire… they uncover the face of Dagan. Dagan’s wagon passes…[standing stone]s. He [goe]s to NINURTA… They perform the rituals as on the previous day.
