2 Corinthians 3:13 Meaning: Why Moses Veiled His Face

Three Greek words in this verse open up what Paul is saying. Kalumma means a veil or covering. In Exodus, Moses put a literal veil on his face. Paul takes that physical cloth and turns it into a symbol for the entire old covenant system that hides the full truth.

The verb atenisai means to fix your eyes on something, to gaze with intensity. The Israelites could not look with that kind of focus toward the end of what was passing away. Their vision was blocked, not because God wanted them blind, but because the system itself, with its shadows and types, kept them from seeing Christ clearly.

Then there is telos, the end, and katargoumenou, the thing that is being rendered inoperative, fading away. The glory on Moses’ face did not last. The whole old covenant was designed to point ahead and then pass away. The veil prevented them from seeing that it was temporary. Paul says we no longer need a veil, because in Christ the end has come and the fading glory is replaced by something permanent.

Christians across traditions have seen different layers in this image. Reformed commentators like Calvin emphasize that Paul is not blaming Moses. Moses simply did what God commanded. The fault was in the people’s hardness of heart. John Wesley and Adam Clarke highlight the types and shadows that covered the old covenant, so that Israel could not clearly see Christ, who is the end of the law. The Anglican Cambridge Bible notes that Paul often takes an Old Testament image and gives it a new symbolic twist. Catholic readers may see the veil as the obscurity of the law before Christ, now removed in the open preaching of the Gospel. All agree that the purpose of the veil was not to hide God’s goodness but to mark the transition from a temporary system to the permanent revelation in Christ.

This week, think about what you might be veiling in your own life. Not deliberately, but maybe areas you would rather not look at too closely, fears, habits, a relationship with God that has grown routine. Paul’s point is that we can live with unveiled faces before God and others. We do not need to hide the fading parts of our lives. The Gospel is open and plain. You can bring the things you normally avoid into the light. Let the hope of a permanent, unfading glory give you courage to be honest this week.