Question 1

In v.12, what is the stated reason Paul gives for speaking with “great boldness of speech”?

Accepted Answer

The passage gives a direct cause-and-effect: “Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech.” The explicit textual claim is that hope is the reason for Paul’s open, confident manner. The verse does not define the hope in detail, but the surrounding context (3:7–11) has emphasized what lasts versus what fades, which likely shapes what he means by “such a hope.” The key observation is that Paul frames bold speech as flowing from confidence about what God is doing, not from personality or rhetorical show.

Question 2

How does Paul set up the contrast with Moses in v.13, and what point does that contrast make at the level of communication?

Accepted Answer

Paul says his approach is “not as Moses,” then describes Moses putting a veil over his face. In Paul’s presentation, the veil has an effect on what the Israelites can perceive: it prevents them from looking steadily at “the end” of something fading. At the level of communication, the contrast is between openness (bold speech) and a kind of covering that limits what an audience can see clearly. Paul uses the Moses story as a shared reference point to frame his ministry as more direct and publicly clear.

Question 3

According to v.13, what did the veil prevent Israel from doing, and what was the object of their prevented gaze?

Accepted Answer

The verse states that the veil kept “the children of Israel” from looking steadfastly at “the end of that which was passing away.” So the prevented action is sustained, steady looking—staring long enough to grasp something. The object is “the end” (the endpoint, outcome, or goal) related to something described as “passing away.” The wording focuses less on the veil itself and more on its impact: it blocks perception of where a temporary reality is headed or how it concludes.

Question 4

What are the main options for understanding what was “passing away” in v.13, and how does the chapter’s context shape those options?

Accepted Answer

One reading connects “passing away” to the Exodus scene: Moses’ face shone and then the brightness diminished, so the veil would keep Israel from seeing the fading. Another reading is broader: in this chapter Paul has compared something temporary with something lasting (3:7–11), so “passing away” can refer to the earlier arrangement associated with Moses rather than only the brightness on his face. Both options fit the immediate wording, and deciding between them depends on how closely v.13 is tied to the chapter’s larger “temporary vs lasting” contrast.

Question 5

What does the phrase “the end” in v.13 most likely mean, and why do interpreters differ?

Accepted Answer

The phrase “the end” can mean a literal endpoint (the point at which something stops) or the outcome/result (what something leads to). In the narrow Exodus-based reading, it can mean the point when the shining would be gone—Israel would see it fade. In a broader reading, it can mean the intended outcome of a temporary arrangement—what it was pointing toward. Interpreters differ because Paul doesn’t add an explicit explanation here; he relies on the story and on his earlier talk of what fades and what remains.

Question 6

In v.13, is Paul claiming Moses’ motive in using the veil, or using Moses as an illustration? What in the verse supports each possibility?

Accepted Answer

The verse uses purpose language (“that” Israel wouldn’t look steadily), which can sound like Moses’ intention. That supports reading it as a claim about Moses’ motive. But Paul is also building a contrast between his bold openness and a veiled situation, and he is using Moses in a larger argument about fading versus lasting realities in the chapter. That supports reading it as Paul’s interpretive use of the story—highlighting what the veil functioned to do in his argument, whether or not that fully captures Moses’ personal intent.

2 Corinthians 3:12-13

Scripture