2 Corinthians 3:11-13
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
11 For if what was going to fade was glorious, how much more will what endures be glorious.
12 Therefore, since we have such hope,[a] we act very boldly 13 and not like Moses,[b] who put a veil over his face so that the Israelites could not look intently at the cessation of what was fading.
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- 3:12 Such hope: the glory is not yet an object of experience, but that does not lessen Paul’s confidence. Boldly: the term parrēsia expresses outspoken declaration of Christian conviction (cf. 2 Cor 4:1–2). Paul has nothing to hide and no reason for timidity.
- 3:13–14a Not like Moses: in Exodus Moses veiled his face to protect the Israelites from God’s reflected glory. Without impugning Moses’ sincerity, Paul attributes another effect to the veil. Since it lies between God’s glory and the Israelites, it explains how they could fail to notice the glory disappearing. Their thoughts were rendered dull: the problem lay with their understanding. This will be expressed in 2 Cor 3:14b–16 by a shift in the place of the veil: it is no longer over Moses’ face but over their perception.
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