Strong’s Greek 1795 portrays the idea of letters or forms being impressed so deeply that they stand out in relief. It belongs to the same family of imagery behind “týpos,” a stamp or pattern, but stresses the “in-ness” of the impression—something permanently fixed into a surface.

Biblical Occurrence

2 Corinthians 3:7 is the sole New Testament usage: “Now if the ministry of death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at the face of Moses because of its fleeting glory …”. Here Paul recalls Exodus 31:18; 32:15-16; 34:1,28, where the Ten Commandments were cut into tablets “written with the finger of God.” The perfect passive participle (“having been engraved”) underscores an act completed in the past whose results continue—stones that still bore the inscription centuries later.

Covenantal Context

1. Old Covenant permanence. By depicting the Sinai law as literally chiselled into rock, Scripture stresses its objective, enduring character and divine origin (Deuteronomy 4:13; Deuteronomy 9:10).
2. Ministry of death versus ministry of Spirit. Paul contrasts law engraved on stone with the Spirit who writes on believers’ hearts (2 Corinthians 3:3; Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:26-27; Hebrews 8:10). The external, inflexible medium of stone highlighted humanity’s inability to keep the commandments and therefore its need for grace.
3. Glory then and greater glory now. Even the law’s fading splendor caused Israel to recoil from Moses’ face; how much more should the surpassing glory of the Spirit-given life draw worship and obedience (2 Corinthians 3:8-11).

Engraving in the Ancient World

Stone carving was used for treaties, boundary markers, royal decrees, and cultic regulations. Once cut, the text could not be amended without visible damage—suited to covenant stipulations meant to stand unchanged. Israel’s tablets mirror Near-Eastern suzerainty treaties, yet differ in that the divine King Himself authored them.

Christological Connections

Jesus fulfills the law in both obedience and atoning death (Matthew 5:17; Romans 8:3-4). The unyielding letters that expose sin drive the reader to the Word made flesh, whose blood inaugurates the New Covenant (Luke 22:20). By His Spirit, the same God who engraved on stone now engraves on redeemed hearts.

Pastoral and Practical Applications

• Preaching: Use the engraving metaphor to show the seriousness of sin and the permanence of divine standards.
• Discipleship: Emphasize the necessity of inner transformation, not mere external conformity.
• Apologetics: The harmony between Exodus and 2 Corinthians demonstrates Scripture’s unity—law and gospel together reveal God’s character.
• Worship: Moses’ veiled face invites believers to approach unveiled in Christ, beholding and reflecting glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Related Scripture

Exodus 24:12; 31:18; 32:15-16; 34:1-4,27-29

Deuteronomy 4:13; 9:10-11

Jeremiah 31:33

Ezekiel 36:26-27

Matthew 5:17

Luke 22:20

Romans 8:3-4

2 Corinthians 3:3-18

Hebrews 8:10; 10:16