2 Corinthians 3:16

16 But it can be removed, as the scripture says about Moses: "His veil was removed when he turned to the Lord." 1

2 Corinthians 3:16 Meaning and Commentary

2 Corinthians 3:16

Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord
The heart, upon which the veil now is; or the body of the Jewish nation, as in the latter day; when they "shall turn", or "be turned", by the Spirit, power, and grace of God, to the Lord Jesus Christ, and look upon him whom they have pierced, and mourn, and embrace him as the true Messiah and only Saviour:

the veil shall be taken away;
the veil of blindness and ignorance, respecting themselves, case, state, and condition, and the way of salvation by Christ; the veil of unbelief, with regard to his person, offices, and grace, and of error in points of the greatest moment and importance; then all the darkness and obscurity that is upon the books of Moses and the prophets, and which is now upon their hearts in reading them, will be gone. The prophecies of the Old Testament will be seen in their proper light, and to be evidently fulfilled in Christ; the true nature, use, and end of the law, will be discovered; and both they and that will be freed from all darkness that now attends them. The Jews themselves acknowledge, that though the law is light, yet there is an obscurity in it, by reason of the several ways of interpreting it; and therefore,

``he that studies in it, has need to remove, (hwom rxa hwom) , "veil after veil", which is upon the face of it, in order to come at the light of it F7:''

and intimate, that the veil on Moses's face was an emblem of this obscurity, which agrees with what the apostle hints in this context; and also own, that there is now upon them a veil of ignorance; and, say they F8, God has promised to remove, (wnlkv lem twlkoh Kom) , perhaps it should be (hwom) , "the veil of folly off of our understanding", referring, as is thought, to ( Isaiah 25:7 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F7 R. Abraham Seba in Tzeror Hammor, fol. 90. 2.
F8 Chobat Halebabot, par. 1. c. 3. apud L. Capell. in loc.

2 Corinthians 3:16 In-Context

14 Their minds, indeed, were closed; and to this very day their minds are covered with the same veil as they read the books of the old covenant. The veil is removed only when a person is joined to Christ.
15 Even today, whenever they read the Law of Moses, the veil still covers their minds.
16 But it can be removed, as the scripture says about Moses: "His veil was removed when he turned to the Lord."
17 Now, "the Lord" in this passage is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom.
18 All of us, then, reflect the glory of the Lord with uncovered faces; and that same glory, coming from the Lord, who is the Spirit, transforms us into his likeness in an ever greater degree of glory.

Cross References 1

  • 1. 3.16Exodus 34.34.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. [Verse 16 may be translated:] But the veil is removed whenever someone turns to the Lord.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.