The Meaning of 2 Corinthians 3:15 Explained

2 Corinthians 3:15

KJV: But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.

YLT: but till to-day, when Moses is read, a vail upon their heart doth lie,

Darby: But unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil lies upon their heart.

ASV: But unto this day, whensoever Moses is read, a veil lieth upon their heart.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But  even  unto this day,  when  Moses  is read,  the vail  is upon  their  heart. 

What does 2 Corinthians 3:15 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Corinthians 3:7-18 - The Veil Upon The Heart
By a quick turn of thought, Paul passes from the idea of the fleshly tablets of the heart, where God writes His new name, to the Law graven on the ancient tables of stone, and to the Lawgiver, stern and veiled. He argues that if the glory which shone on the face of Moses was so beautiful, surely that of the gospel must be transcendently so. The one is transient, the other abiding; the one is reflected, the other direct.
Not only was Moses veiled, but the hearts of the Jews were covered with a thick covering of prejudice. They did not understand the inner significance of the Levitical Code; and when the Law was read, they listened to it without spiritual insight. Directly men turn to Christ, they see the inner meaning of Scripture. What liberty becomes ours when we live in Christ! We are free to love, to serve, to know, and to be. Note 2 Corinthians 3:18! We may gaze on the unveiled face of God in Christ. The more we look the more we resemble. The more we endeavor to reflect Him, in doing what He desires, the more certainly and inevitably we become like Him. Only remember that in all things we are deeply indebted to the gracious influence of the Spirit. He produces the Christ-life in us. [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Corinthians 3

1  Lest their false teachers should charge him with vain glory,
2  he shows the faith of the Corinthians to be a sufficient commendation of his ministry
6  Whereupon entering a comparison between the ministers of the law and of the gospel,
12  he proves that his ministry is so far the more excellent,
17  as the gospel of life and liberty is more glorious than the law of condemnation

Greek Commentary for 2 Corinthians 3:15

Whensoever Moses is read [ηνικα αν αναγινωσκηται Μωυσης]
Indefinite temporal clause with ηνικα — hēnika an and the present passive subjunctive. [source]
A veil lieth upon their heart [επι την καρδιαν αυτων κειται]
Vivid and distressing picture, a fact that caused Paul agony of heart (Romans 9:1-5). With wilful blindness the rabbis set aside the word of God by their tradition in the time of Jesus (Mark 7:8.). [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for 2 Corinthians 3:15

Romans 1:21 Heart [καρδία]
The heart is, first, the physical organ, the center of the circulation of the blood. Hence, the seat and center of physical life. In the former sense it does not occur in the New Testament. As denoting the vigor and sense of physical life, see Acts 14:17; James 5:5; Luke 21:34. It is used fifty-two times by Paul. Never used like ψυχή , soul, to denote the individual subject of personal life, so that it can be exchanged with the personal pronoun (Acts 2:43; Acts 3:23; Romans 13:1); nor like πνεῦμα spiritto denote the divinely-given principle of life. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
It is the central seat and organ of the personal life ( ψυχή ) of man regarded in and by himself. Hence it is commonly accompanied with the possessive pronouns, my, his, thy, etc. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
Like our heart it denotes the seat of feeling as contrasted with intelligence. 2 Corinthians 2:4; Romans 9:2; Romans 10:1; 2 Corinthians 6:11; Philemon 1:7. But it is not limited to this. It is also the seat of mental action, feeling, thinking, willing. It is used - -DIVIDER-
1. Of intelligence, Romans 1:21; 2 Corinthians 3:15; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Ephesians 1:18. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
2. Of moral choice, 1 Corinthians 7:37; 2 Corinthians 9:7. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
3. As giving impulse and character to action, Romans 6:17; Ephesians 6:5; Colossians 3:22; 1 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 2:22. The work of the law is written on the heart, Romans 2:15. The Corinthian Church is inscribed as Christ's epistle on hearts of flesh, 2 Corinthians 3:2-3. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
4. Specially, it is the seat of the divine Spirit, Galatians 4:6; Romans 5:5; 2 Corinthians 1:22. It is the sphere of His various operations, directing, comforting, establishing, etc., Philemon 4:7; Colossians 3:15; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:17; 2 Thessalonians 3:5. It is the seat of faith, and the organ of spiritual praise, Romans 10:9; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
It is equivalent to the inner man, Ephesians 3:16, Ephesians 3:17. Its characteristic is being hidden, Romans 2:28, Romans 2:29; Romans 8:27; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 14:25. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
It is contrasted with the face, 1 Thessalonians 2:17; 2 Corinthians 5:12; and with the mouth, Romans 10:8. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
[source]

What do the individual words in 2 Corinthians 3:15 mean?

But unto this day when - shall be read Moses a veil over the heart of them lies
ἀλλ’ ἕως σήμερον ἡνίκα ἂν ἀναγινώσκηται Μωϋσῆς κάλυμμα ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτῶν κεῖται

ἕως  unto 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἕως  
Sense: till, until.
σήμερον  this  day 
Parse: Adverb
Root: σήμερον  
Sense: this (very) day).
ἂν  - 
Parse: Particle
Root: ἄν  
Sense: has no exact English equivalent, see definitions under AV.
ἀναγινώσκηται  shall  be  read 
Parse: Verb, Present Subjunctive Middle or Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀναγινώσκω  
Sense: to distinguish between, to recognise, to know accurately, to acknowledge.
Μωϋσῆς  Moses 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Μωσεύς 
Sense: the legislator of the Jewish people and in a certain sense the founder of the Jewish religion.
κάλυμμα  a  veil 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: κάλυμμα  
Sense: a veil, covering.
ἐπὶ  over 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐπί  
Sense: upon, on, at, by, before.
καρδίαν  heart 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: καρδία  
Sense: the heart.
αὐτῶν  of  them 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
κεῖται  lies 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Middle or Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: κεῖμαι  
Sense: to lie.

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