Passage

Moses’ shining face

Source and translation

World English Bible, Protestant Edition · Public domain · en

⁷But if the service of death, written engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly on the face of Moses for the glory of his face, which was passing away,

2 Corinthians 3:7World English Bible, Protestant Edition

The scene

The letter recalls a glory that kept the Israelites from looking steadily at Moses’ face.

To understand

The writer has described service under a new covenant and contrasted the letter with the Spirit. He now uses the writing engraved on stones and Moses’ face in his argument about the Spirit’s ministry.

A question

What visible detail from Moses’ story enters the writer’s argument?