The significance of the word But with which verse 14 begins should not be ignored. Paul hastens to add after verse 13 that Moses is not to be blamed; rather the peoples’ hearts were hardened. Knox makes the contrast even sharper, saying “but in spite of that….”
The pronoun their refers to the Israelites of the preceding verse.
The Greek verb were hardened is in the passive voice. No subject is stated, though Paul most likely thought of God as the agent (see Rom 11.7). In those languages that have no passive voice, it will be necessary to seek an active form to express this idea. Elsewhere in the New Testament we find the expression “their hearts were hardened” (Mark 6.52 and 8.17), but here it is the minds that are hardened. Revised English Bible, like Good News Translation, speaks of their minds being “closed,” while New International Version has “their minds were made dull.” In some languages it may be appropriate to say more bluntly “they became stupid” or “they became like people without intelligence.” Or, making the implied agent explicit, one may say “God made their minds dull.”
To this day, that is, “even today” or “until now.” This refers to the time at which Paul was writing this letter, not to a time in the twentieth century. If this is unclear to the reader of the receptor language, one may have to say “even at the time I am writing you….”
The old covenant: Paul is referring to the Hebrew Scriptures. As the parallel words “whenever Moses is read” in 3.15 show, Paul is probably not thinking of the Old Testament as a whole but only of the “books of Moses.” God’s New Covenant capitalizes the words “Old Covenant.” Good News Translation adds the words “books of” before “the old covenant.” New Jerusalem Bible says “the reading of the Old Testament.” While the New Jerusalem Bible translation will help readers today understand more clearly what writings Paul was referring to, it is anachronistic and probably too general, and it should be avoided. A collection of writings called “The New Testament” did not yet exist when Paul was writing, yet the translation “the Old Testament” suggests a collection of writings that presupposes the existence of the New Testament. Knox has “the old law,” making the connection with the “law of Moses” in the next verse more apparent.
When they read: literally “on the reading.” Probably Paul is thinking of the reading of the Old Testament writings during the synagogue services. Revised English Bible reflects this understanding: “for that same veil is there to this very day when the lesson is read from the old covenant.” Anchor Bible says “at the public reading of the old covenant.” Since the idea is very likely not one of private devotional reading, the receptor language rendering may be “when they hear someone read…,” where the passive “is read” would be impossible. Barclay adds “… in the synagogue,” making the setting of the reading even more explicit.
Recent archaeological evidence suggests that the synagogue as a building did not come into existence until some time in the second century A.D. References in the New Testament to synagogues probably refer not to buildings called synagogues but rather to the groups of people who met together for worship in large private houses, or possibly in some cases to those large houses built for other purposes, but where they met for worship.
That same veil: this does not refer to the same piece of cloth that Moses used to hide his face from the people of Israel while speaking to them. Rather, Paul uses this image of concealment in a new context, in which the “same” thing is happening. Contemporary English Version rightly renders this “something still keeps them from seeing….” Some other possible models are “the thing that keeps them from seeing is still not taken away” or “it is as if something still covers their eyes.”
Remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away: the Greek text of this verse may be punctuated in a different way which slightly changes the meaning. If a comma is placed after the word remains, the proposition would stop with “that same veil remains.” The Revised Standard Version unlifted is more literally “not revealed.” The conjunction translated because in Revised Standard Version will be translated “that.” The rest of the verse is then translated as “nor is it revealed to them that this covenant has been abolished by Christ.” This alternate translation is given in the footnotes of both New Jerusalem Bible and Nouvelle version Segond révisée, and in the text of Moffatt.
Is it taken away: the subject of the verb taken away is not explicit in Greek. Good News Translation understands the subject to be “the veil,” which is the closest possible noun that could be referred to in the structure of the Greek. This interpretation has the advantage of keeping the same subject as for the verb remains. On the other hand the subject of the verb taken away in 3.11, 13 is the old covenant, and some interpreters consider the old covenant to be the implicit subject. The use of the passive form is problematic for many translators. Assuming that it is the veil that is taken away, who actually removes it? Technically it is God in Christ, but since Christ is God’s agent, it may be more natural to say with Contemporary English Version “Only Christ can take away the covering that keeps them from seeing.”
Through Christ is literally “in Christ.” On the meaning and translation of this expression, see 2.14.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellingworth, Paul. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .