contained, is perfectly familiar to our ears, as we are accus- tomed to call the two great divisions of the Scriptures the Old and New Testaments or covenants ; but this is the only in- stance of this use of the word in the New Testament. The English version does not in this passage follow the order of the Greek, which reads, " For until this day the same veil in the reading of the old covenant remains." Here the sense is
complete. The following clause, fxr] avaKaXyrvTOfJievov OTi cV
Xpio-Tw KarapyetTat, admits of three interj^retations. 1. The first is that adopted by our translators ; jxr] dvaKaXvTrTOjxa'ov is referred to the preceding clause [o^emains untaken aicay)^ and ort {because, or that) is read as two words, o rt, xcliich, i. e. which veil is done away in Clirist. So Luther, in his free translation : Denn bis auf den heutigen Tag bleibet dicselbige Decke unaufgedeckt iiber das Alten Testament vv^enn sie es lesen, welche in Christo aufhoret. The great majority of editors, however, read ort. 2. The word dvaKaAvTrrd/xei/ov, un- tahen aioay, is, as before, referred to KaXv/x/xa, veil, and on is rendered ^ecaws6. 'The veil remains untaken fx,\Y2ij, because it is removed (only) in Christ.' 3. avaKokvinoixivov is taken absolutely, and ort is rendered tJiat. ' The veil remains, it be- ing unrevealed tJiat it (viz. the old covenant) is done away in Christ.' In favour of this last-mentioned interpretation it is urged, that the old covenant was in fact done away in Christ, and that ignorance of that fact prevented the Jews under- standing their own Scriptures. The sense therefore is good. Besides, the vv^ord Kara/iyctrat, is done away, is the proper term to express the abrogation of the law, but not so suitable to express the idea of the removal of a veil, for which, in v. IG, Paul uses the word TrsptatpetTat, is removed. The word Karap- yioi is used in verses V. 11 and 13, to express the joassing av/ay of the brightness of the face of Moses, and of his ministry and dispensation, of which that brightness was the symbol, and therefore it is the more probable that it has the same refer- ence here. On the other hand, however, it must be admitted that dvaKaA.v7rroyuL€vov naturally agrees with KaXv/x/xa, the veil re- mains untaken away, and that avaKoXv-Kna, to uncover or un- veil, is not the common word to express the idea of making known or revealing. See v. 18, dmKaXvTrro/xsVo) Trpoo-wTra), with unveiled face. The second interpretation, therefore, above mentioned, is on the whole to be preferred. ' The veil which hid the meaning of the Old Testament remained unremoved, because it is done away in Christ, whom the Jews rejected.'