The statue of Moses now stands alone. It was intended as the center piece in a spectacular design for the tomb of Pope Julius II. Michelangelo was undaunted by the task of executing a massive work consisting of forty huge figures. He lived for such challenges and he saw opportunity of distinguishing himself through such a work. He enthusiastically undertook the project. He was disappointed and rebellious when Julius changed his mind and assigned to him the decoration of the Sistine Chapel. He thought of himself as a sculptor, not a painter. The tomb was pushed aside and he was destined through continual interruptions to work on it for forty years and then to see it unfinished.

In the depiction of the prophet and lawgiver, Michelangelo bequeathed to us a penetrating character study. The hand of Moses, like the hands of other Michelangelo figures gives us insight into the character. The hand is refined and sensitive but it is also strong. It strokes the beard as the hand of one who contemplates. It is only through the hand that we detect the sensitivity and thoughtfulness of the prophet. The creased brows and firmly pressed lips otherwise portray a powerful man of action, a man capable of wrath. The twisted line of the hair and the deep fold of the garments give a flame-like quality to a figure which anticipates the baroque. It all seems ready to burst into movement and yet within this implied movement we feel that same action in repose which characterizes the statue of David. The horns are a mistake resulting from an incorrect translation of the Hebrew word for light.