The Women of Exodus: Miriam
Flemish Baroque artist Jacob Jordaens sketched this black and red chalk depiction of siblings Moses, Aaron, and Miriam as an introductory exercise in preparation for another piece. Miriam is sketched between her brothers Moses and Aaron, and the cloud behind them indicates the presence of God. Numbers 12 narrates the story of Aaron and Miriam opposing Moses inside the tent of meeting because of his Cushite wife. They spoke in jealously about their brother and boasted about also being prophets of YHWH. The text says that the LORD called the three siblings by name to come out of the holy space, and met with them in a pillar of cloud. Moses is the far right figure, recognizable due to what appears to be horns on his head. Moses was often depicted in art with horns, due to the 4th century Latin Vulgate translation of the Old Testament. Jerome mistranslated the Hebrew word describing Moses's face as "shining" or "radiating light" as "horns." The words share a Hebrew root. Early artists from the 3rd to 11th centuries took the translation literally, which was received symbolically, as horns represented power and authority in other religious artworks.