2 Corinthians 3:13
in 2 Corinthians 3We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at the end of what was fading away.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and are not as Moses, who put a veil upon his face, that the children of Israel should not look stedfastly on the end of that which was passing away:
KJV
And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
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This verse in 2 Corinthians 3
Commentary
14 notes on this verseThat is, we do not need to cover ourselves, like Moses. For you can look upon that glory which we have, I mean the glory of the Gospel, although it is far more radiant than that of Moses. That is, you can understand the mysteries …
This site's exposition
we have such a hope
on 2 Corinthians 3:12-13
The boldness of verse 12, parrhesia, belongs to a ministry whose glory remains. Paul sets it against Moses, and adds to Exodus 34 that the veil hid the end, telos, of what was fading away.
This site's exposition
put a veil over his face
Paul reads Exodus 34 with a point of his own. Augustine of Hippo insists that what is done away in Christ is the veil, so that the Old Testament is understood through Him. John Wesley reads the end the Israelites could not see as Christ.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
Doubtless, there is a veil in the Old Testament, which will be removed as soon as one comes to Christ. At his crucifixion, "the veil of the temple was torn," to signify what the apostle said about the veil of the Old Testament, "Because in Christ it is made void."10.
It is not the Old Testament that is done away with in Christ but the concealing veil, so that it may be understood through Christ. That is, as it were, laid bare, which without Christ is hidden and obscure. The same apostle adds immediately: "When you shall turn to Christ, the veil shall be taken away." He does not say: "The law or the Old Testament will be taken away." It is not the case, therefore, that by the grace of the Lord that which was covered has been abolished as useless; rather the covering has been removed which concealed useful truth. This is what happens to those who earnestly and piously, not proudly and wickedly, seek the sense of the Scriptures. To them is carefully demonstrated the order of events, the reasons for words and deeds and the agreement of the Old Testament with the New, so that not a point remains where there is not complete harmony; and such secret truths are conveyed in figures. When they are brought to light by interpretation, they compel those who wished to condemn rather than to learn.
A commentator
Theodoret of CyrusCOMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 305 · Written before 458.
proposed
Paul says that the law was fading away, by which he means that it was coming to an end in Christ, whose coming was foretold by the law.
Now what he says is of this nature. There is no need for us to cover ourselves as Moses did; for ye are able to look upon this glory which we are encircled with, although it is far greater and brighter than the other. Seest thou the advance? For he that in the former Epistle said, "I have fed you with milk, not with meat;" saith here, "We use great boldness of speech." And he produces Moses before them, carrying forward the discourse by means of comparison, and thus leading his hearer upwards. And for the present he sets them above the Jews, saying that 'we have no need of a veil as he had with those he governed;' but in what comes afterwards he advances them even to the dignity itself of the Lawgiver, or even to a much greater.
The truth is that the Old Testament of Mount Sinai, "producing children of slavery," now serves no purpose but to bear witness to the New. Otherwise, the words of St. Paul would not be true: "Yes, down to this very day when Moses is read, the veil covers their hearts"; but when any of them turn from the Old Testament to Christ, "the veil shall be taken away." What happens is that the deepest aspirations of those who make the change are shifted from the Old Testament to the New, whereupon they begin to look for spiritual—rather than earthly—happiness.
6 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church1 voice
Then as he preferred the one gift to the other, so he prefers the confidence of the New Testament to that of the Old (v. 13). In regard to this he does two things: first, he mentions a fact about the Old Testament; secondly, he …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And we do not act as Moses did, who put a veil over his face - Which is to be understood with regard to his writings also. So that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly to the end of that dispensation which is now abolished - The end of this was Christ.
And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
And not as Moses - Our conduct is not like that of Moses. We make no attempt to conceal anything in regard to the nature, design, and duration of the gospel. We leave nothing designedly in mystery. Which put a vail over his face - That is, when he came down from Mount Sinai, and when his face shone.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Because the Jews would not see, God judicially gave them up so as not to see. The glory of Moses' face is antitypically Christ s glory shining behind the veil of legal ordinances. The veil which has been taken off to the believer is left on to the unbelieving Jew, so that he should not see (Isa 6:10;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
And not as Moses - The splendor of Moses’ countenance was so great that the Israelites could not bear to look upon his face, and therefore he was obliged to veil his face: this, it appears, he did typically, to represent the types and shadows by which the whole dispensation of which he was the minister was covered. So that the Israelites could not steadfastly look - could not then have the full view or discernment of that in which the Mosaic dispensation should issue and terminate.
The words behind it
22 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| οὐ | ou | not | G3756 → | 1664 times |
| καθάπερ | kathaper | as | G2509 → | 13 times |
| Μωϋσῆς | mouses | Moses | G3475 → | 78 times |
| ἐτίθει | etithei | was putting | G5087 → | |
| κάλυμμα | kalumma | a veil | G2571 → | 4 times |
| ἐπὶ | epi | over | G1909 → | 883 times |
| τὸ | to | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| πρόσωπον | prosopon | face | G4383 → | 75 times |
| αὐτοῦ | autou | of himself | G846 → | 5565 times |
| πρὸς | pros | for | G4314 → | 700 times |
| τὸ | to | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| μὴ | me | not | G3361 → | 1066 times |
| ἀτενίσαι | atenisai | to look intently | G816 → | |
| τοὺς | tous | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| υἱοὺς | huious | sons | G5207 → | 377 times |
| Ἰσραὴλ | israel | of Israel | G2474 → | |
| εἰς | eis | into | G1519 → | 1755 times |
| τὸ | to | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| τέλος | telos | end | G5056 → | 40 times |
| τοῦ | tou | of that | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| καταργουμένου· | katargoumenou | fading away; | G2673 → | 27 times |
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
οὐnot
ouG3756 →1664 times
καθάπερas
kathaperG2509 →13 times
ΜωϋσῆςMoses
mousesG3475 →78 times
ἐτίθειwas putting
etitheiG5087 →
κάλυμμαa veil
kalummaG2571 →4 times
ἐπὶover
epiG1909 →883 times
τὸthe
toG3588 →19766 times
πρόσωπονface
prosoponG4383 →75 times
αὐτοῦof himself
autouG846 →5565 times
πρὸςfor
prosG4314 →700 times
τὸ<the>
toG3588 →19766 times
μὴnot
meG3361 →1066 times
ἀτενίσαιto look intently
atenisaiG816 →
τοὺςthe
tousG3588 →19766 times
υἱοὺςsons
huiousG5207 →377 times
Ἰσραὴλof Israel
israelG2474 →
εἰςinto
eisG1519 →1755 times
τὸthe
toG3588 →19766 times
τέλοςend
telosG5056 →40 times
τοῦof that
touG3588 →19766 times
καταργουμένου·fading away;
katargoumenouG2673 →27 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Colossians 2:17These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ.
it leads to
- Hebrews 10:1
For the law is only a shadow of the good things to come, not the realities themselves. It can never, by the same sacrifices offered year after year, make perfect those who draw near…
- Hebrews 8:5
The place where they serve is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you…
- John 1:17
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
- Hebrews 9:9
It is an illustration for the present time, because the gifts and sacrifices being offered were unable to cleanse the conscience of the worshiper.
- Hebrews 10:1
Through
2 Corinthians 3:7Now if the ministry of death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at the face of Moses because of its fleeting glory,
it leads to
- 2 Corinthians 3:9–11
For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry of righteousness!
- Exodus 31:18
When the LORD had finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.
- Romans 10:4
For Christ is the end of the law, to bring righteousness to everyone who believes.
- 1 Corinthians 13:10
but when the perfect comes, the partial passes away.
- 2 Corinthians 3:9–11
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 2 Corinthians
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 14 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, THE USEFULNESS OF BELIEF 3.9; Augustine of Hippo, LETTER 140, TO HONORATUS 10; Augustine of Hippo, City of God 17.7; Frederic Godet, Commentary on the Epistles to the Corinthians; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily 7 on 2 Corinthians; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 305; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on 2 Corinthians and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on 2 Corinthians.