Second Corinthians 3:13 explains that Paul does not act like Moses, who covered his face so the Israelites would not keep gazing at the fading glory on his face. Paul is saying that the new covenant in Christ is open and confident, while the old covenant was temporary and hidden behind a veil. The verse is written by the apostle Paul to the church in Corinth, a community he had founded and cared for deeply.
And not as Moses, who put a veil on his face, that the children of Israel wouldn’t look steadfastly on the end of that which was passing away.
2 Corinthians 3:13 (WEB)
What 2 Corinthians 3:13 Means
Paul begins by saying that he and his fellow ministers speak with “great boldness.” The word points to openness and confidence, the freedom of someone who has nothing to hide. He then contrasts this with Moses, who after speaking with God came down the mountain with his face shining. Because the brightness was fading and the people were afraid, Moses covered his face with a veil. Paul reads that veil as a sign that the old covenant could not let the people see its full purpose.
The verse does not say that Moses was deceptive or that the Law was bad. Paul elsewhere calls the Law holy and good. The point is narrower: the old glory was passing away, and the veil kept the people from seeing that it was meant to give way to something greater. It promises nothing about individual salvation or outcomes in daily life, but it clearly describes a difference in how the two covenants are revealed.
The Context of 2 Corinthians 3:13
Second Corinthians is one of Paul’s letters to the Christians in Corinth, written to people who were divided, doubting his authority, and listening to rival teachers. In chapter 3 Paul defends his ministry by pointing to the transformed lives of the believers themselves as a letter written on human hearts. He then contrasts the ministry of the old covenant, carved on stone, with the ministry of the Spirit, which he says brings greater glory.
Just before verse 13 (verses 10 and 11), Paul argues that what was glorious in the old covenant has been surpassed by the far greater glory of what remains. Just after, in verses 14 through 16, he says the veil still lies on the hearts of those who read Moses, but is removed when someone turns to the Lord. Read in that setting, verse 13 is less a criticism of Moses and more a picture of a people who could not yet see the purpose of the old covenant clearly.
Key Phrases in 2 Corinthians 3:13
2 Corinthians 3:18
But we all, with unveiled face seeing the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.
(WEB)
This verse continues Paul’s thought, explaining that believers with unveiled faces are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. It shows the positive goal of the contrast in verse 13: not merely seeing what is ending, but being changed by the Lord who is present.
Hebrews 8:13
In that he says, “A new covenant”, he has made the first old. But that which is becoming old and grows aged is near to vanishing away.
(WEB)
The letter to the Hebrews also speaks of an old covenant becoming obsolete and fading away. Reading it alongside 2 Corinthians 3:13 strengthens the idea that God was preparing his people for a new and better arrangement through Christ.
A Short Prayer From 2 Corinthians 3:13
Lord, you have given us a faith that can speak with openness and hope. Where we have covered our eyes out of fear or habit, lift the veil and help us see clearly what you are doing. Teach us to let go of what is passing away and to turn toward you, so that our hearts are changed by your presence. Give us the boldness to live in the light of your promises, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
