2 Corinthians 3:16

16 but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.

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 But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside.
15 Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds;
16 but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
18 And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.