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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
2 Cor C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13
2 Cor 3 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18
OET (OET-LV) and not just_as Mōsaʸs was_putting a_veil over the face of_him, because/for that not to_look_intently the sons of_Israaʸl/(Yisrāʼēl), to the end of_the thing being_wasted.
OET (OET-RV) not just like Mosheh putting a veil over his face because the Israelis couldn’t even look at him when introducing a system that would be replaced.
The false teachers in Corinth were Jews (11:22). In this section, Paul wrote about some of the false teachings of these men. Since they were Jews, Paul referred to people and events in the Old Testament, such as the tablets of stone (3:3), Moses (3:7), and Moses’ veil (3:13). They probably brought letters from other false teachers who said the false teachers in Corinth taught truthfully (3:1–3). The false teachers taught that believers must obey the Jewish laws. But Paul said that believers follow the new covenant with Jesus and not the old covenant with the Jews (3:14). He also spoke against their secret and shameful ways and said that they corrupted God’s word (4:2). Throughout this section Paul also encouraged the believers to follow Jesus.
Other examples of headings for this section are:
The Ministry That Comes From Christ Is Greater Than Moses’ Ministry (GW)
The new covenant is greater than the law of Moses
We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at the end of what was fading away: The who-clause tells the reader more about Moses. It does not imply that there were other people named Moses and this was the only one with a veil over his face. Some languages must translate differently to indicate the correct meaning. One way to do that is to start a new sentence here. For example:
13aWe are not like Moses. He would put a veil over his face 13bto keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away.
We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face
We(excl) are not like Moses, who used to put a veil/covering over his face
We do not do as Moses did when he would put a veil/cloth over his face
We are not like Moses: Moses hid the fading glory, but Paul and the other evangelists were bold. Moses hid the glory, but this does not imply that he was dishonest or timid. The comparison is explained in the rest of 3:13. Your translation should clearly compare Paul and the others to this part of Moses’ life. For example:
13aMoses would put a veil over his face 13bto keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. 13aBut we do not do as he did.
who would put a veil over his face: Moses would go into the tent of meeting to talk directly with God, and Moses’ face received some of God’s glory. He did not wear the veil when he was with God. When he went and spoke to the people, his face shone with that glory. After he finished speaking to them, he would put a veil over his face (Exodus 34:33–35). Other ways to translate this clause are:
who put a covering over his face (NCV)
His face was shining, but he covered it (CEV)
veil: This word refers to a piece of cloth that covers a person’s face. Some veils are thin and cover the whole face, but the person can still see through the cloth. Other veils only cover the face below the eyes.
to keep the Israelites from gazing at the end of what was fading away.
to prevent the people of Israel from watching the end of it as it faded.
so that the people of Israel would not see the thing/glory fade to nothing.
to keep the Israelites from gazing at: Here the words keep…from mean “prevent.” For example:
so that the people of Israel would not see (GNT)
the end of what was fading away: The Greek phrase is literally “the end of the thing fading away.” It refers to the glory that faded after Moses left God’s presence. But Paul used the general word “thing” to imply that the old ministry was also fading away or temporary. For example:
the end of what was transitory (NJB)
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
καὶ οὐ καθάπερ Μωϋσῆς
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: καί οὒ καθάπερ Μωϋσῆς ἐτίθει κάλυμμα ἐπί τό πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ πρός τό μή ἀτενίσαι τούς υἱούς Ἰσραήλ εἰς τό τέλος τοῦ καταργουμένου)
Here Paul contrasts the boldness that he and his fellow workers show with how Moses could not show God’s glory openly. In other words, Paul and his fellow workers can reveal God’s glory openly, in contrast to Moses, who could not. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this contrast more explicit. Alternate translation: [and without hiding the glory, like Moses]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
Μωϋσῆς ἐτίθει κάλυμμα ἐπὶ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἀτενίσαι τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ, εἰς τὸ τέλος τοῦ καταργουμένου
Moses ˓was˒_putting ˓a˒_veil (Some words not found in SR-GNT: καί οὒ καθάπερ Μωϋσῆς ἐτίθει κάλυμμα ἐπί τό πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ πρός τό μή ἀτενίσαι τούς υἱούς Ἰσραήλ εἰς τό τέλος τοῦ καταργουμένου)
Here Paul refers to a story in [Exodus 34:29–35](../exo/34/29.md) that describes how Moses’ face shone with God’s glory after Moses spoke with him. Moses would hide his face with a veil when his face shone like this. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make what Paul is writing about more explicit. See how you translated the similar phrases in [3:7](../03/07.md), where Paul has already referred to this story. Alternate translation: [Moses wearing a veil to hide his face so that the sons of Israel would not look directly at it when the glory on his face, which came from talking with God, was disappearing]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations
τοὺς υἱοὺς
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: καί οὒ καθάπερ Μωϋσῆς ἐτίθει κάλυμμα ἐπί τό πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ πρός τό μή ἀτενίσαι τούς υἱούς Ἰσραήλ εἰς τό τέλος τοῦ καταργουμένου)
Although the word sons is masculine, Paul is using it to refer to any children or descendants, both men and women. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word that applies to both men and women or you could refer to both genders. Alternate translation: [the sons and daughters] or [the children]
Note 4 topic: translate-kinship
τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: καί οὒ καθάπερ Μωϋσῆς ἐτίθει κάλυμμα ἐπί τό πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ πρός τό μή ἀτενίσαι τούς υἱούς Ἰσραήλ εἰς τό τέλος τοῦ καταργουμένου)
Here the author uses the word sons to refer in general to all the descendants of Israel. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that refers to descendants in general. Alternate translation: [the descendants of Israel] or [those descended from Israel]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
τὸ τέλος
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: καί οὒ καθάπερ Μωϋσῆς ἐτίθει κάλυμμα ἐπί τό πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ πρός τό μή ἀτενίσαι τούς υἱούς Ἰσραήλ εἰς τό τέλος τοῦ καταργουμένου)
Here, the word end could refer to: (1) the result of the fading, which was that the “glory” completely stopped shining from Moses’ face. Alternate translation: [the cessation] or [the termination] (2) the purpose or implication of how the “glory” ceased shining from Moses’ face, which was that the old covenant too would cease. Alternate translation: [the result] or [the meaning]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
τοῦ καταργουμένου
˱of˲_the_‹thing› ˓being˒_wasted
Here, the phrase what was fading away could refer to: (1) the “glory” that shone from the face of Moses. In this case, Paul could also be implying that the old covenant would also “fade.” Alternate translation: [of the glory that was fading from his face] (2) the old covenant, that would “fade away” when God instituted a new covenant. Alternate translation: [of the covenant that would fade away]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / possession
τὸ τέλος τοῦ καταργουμένου
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: καί οὒ καθάπερ Μωϋσῆς ἐτίθει κάλυμμα ἐπί τό πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ πρός τό μή ἀτενίσαι τούς υἱούς Ἰσραήλ εἰς τό τέλος τοῦ καταργουμένου)
Here Paul uses the possessive form to describe how what was fading away completely ceased or “ended.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea in another way. Alternate translation: [how what was fading away ended]
3:4-18 The contrast between Paul’s ministry and the others’ ministries leads Paul to contrast the old covenant of written laws (Exod 31:18) with the new covenant written on human hearts (Jer 31:33).
OET (OET-LV) and not just_as Mōsaʸs was_putting a_veil over the face of_him, because/for that not to_look_intently the sons of_Israaʸl/(Yisrāʼēl), to the end of_the thing being_wasted.
OET (OET-RV) not just like Mosheh putting a veil over his face because the Israelis couldn’t even look at him when introducing a system that would be replaced.
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.