The term denotes a cloth or covering placed over something in order to conceal it from view. In Scripture the idea reaches beyond mere fabric, speaking to any barrier that hides, restrains, or limits the perception of divine glory or truth.

Old Testament Background

Exodus 34:29-35 recounts how Moses, after speaking with the LORD, covered his shining face so that the sons of Israel would not behold the fading brilliance. The Septuagint employs the same word used by Paul. The veil both protected the people from overwhelming glory and signaled that the Mosaic revelation, glorious though it was, was incomplete and provisional. Similarly, the curtains of the Tabernacle and later the Temple restricted access to the Most Holy Place, reinforcing the theme of mediated, partial revelation awaiting a fuller unveiling.

Paul’s Argument in 2 Corinthians 3

Paul mentions the veil four times in 2 Corinthians 3, contrasting his new-covenant ministry with the mediated experience of Moses:
• 2 Corinthians 3:13 – Moses veiled his face “to keep the Israelites from gazing at the end of what was fading away.”
• 2 Corinthians 3:14 – A veil remains whenever the old covenant is read; “only in Christ can it be removed.”
• 2 Corinthians 3:15 – Even today “a veil covers their hearts.”
• 2 Corinthians 3:16 – “Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”

Paul thus moves the image from Moses’ literal veil to a spiritual one lying over the minds and hearts of those who rely upon the law apart from Christ. The barrier is not intellectual but moral and spiritual, lifted only by turning to the crucified and risen Lord.

Theological Significance of the Veil

1. Partial Revelation: The veil reminds readers that the Mosaic administration, while glorious, pointed beyond itself.
2. Spiritual Blindness: The covering over the heart depicts the inability of unregenerate humanity to behold divine glory. “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 4:4), a related thought employing different vocabulary but the same motif.
3. Christ as Fulfillment: In Christ the veil is removed; access to God is open and direct. The torn Temple veil at the crucifixion (Matthew 27:51) underscores this reality.
4. Transforming Vision: With “unveiled faces” believers “reflect the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). The removal of the veil does not merely permit sight; it effects transformation.

Ministry Applications

• Bold Proclamation: Because the veil is lifted in Christ, gospel servants speak openly, refusing the hiddenness of shame (2 Corinthians 4:2).
• Prayer for Israel and All Unbelievers: The passage fuels intercession that the heart-veil be removed through faith in Jesus Messiah.
• Personal Sanctification: Continual turning to the Lord sustains an unveiled, changing encounter with His glory.
• Pastoral Sensitivity: As Moses veiled his face for the sake of the people, shepherds today consider the spiritual capacity of their hearers while still directing them to the unveiled Christ.

Historical and Cultural Insights

In Greco-Roman society, veils signified modesty, separation, and at times mystery in cultic rites. Paul appropriates a familiar cultural symbol to expound covenant theology, demonstrating the gospel’s capacity to redeem and transform common imagery for redemptive purposes.

Cross-References and Related Motifs

• Curtain imagery: Hebrews 10:19-20 presents the new and living way “through the curtain, that is, His body.”
• Unveiling of truth: Revelation 1:1 uses apokalypsis (unveiling) for the disclosure given to John, the antithesis of concealment.
• Prophetic promise: Isaiah 25:7 anticipates the LORD removing “the shroud that enfolds all peoples,” a prophetic backdrop to Paul’s teaching.

Summary

Strong’s Greek 2571, when traced through Moses, the Tabernacle, and Paul’s Corinthian correspondence, portrays the movement from concealed glory to open sight in Christ. The veil symbolizes both the limitation of the old covenant and the spiritual blindness of the unconverted. Its removal heralds the full disclosure of God’s glory, free access to His presence, and the transforming vision that shapes believers into the likeness of the Lord they now behold without obstruction.