Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

2 Corinthians 3:16

ἡνίκα δὲ ἐάν. But whensoever it shall turn to the Lord. The nominative is ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν, or possibly τις: ‘whensoever a man.’ The ἡνίκα here balances ἡνίκα in 2 Corinthians 3:15 : whenever they hear the Law read, they fail to understand: whenever they turn to the Lord (Christ) the true meaning is revealed to them. He probably has Exodus 34:34 in his mind; but περιῃρεῖτο becomes περιαιρεῖται, ‘he then and there removes.’ The verb is used of taking away what envelopes or surrounds a thing: τὰ ἱμάτια, τὸν δακτύλιον, πᾶν τὸ στέαρ (Genesis 38:14; Genesis 41:42; Leviticus 4:8), and hence τὰς ἁμαρτίας, τὰ� (Hebrews 10:11; Zech. 3:15). As in Exod., the verb is probably middle, not passive; ‘but whenever one turns, he ipso facto takes away the veil: his own act of conversion removes it.’ The subject of the verbs is left characteristically indefinite; Israel, any typical Israelite. S. Paul saw the turning to the Lord of the ἐκλογή (Romans 11:7-10), and foresaw that of all Israel (2 Corinthians 11:25). Here he may have his own conversion in his mind. The veil was taken off by Moses, whenever he turned to the Lord; and the heart of Israel takes it off, whenever it turns to the Lord. For ἡνίκα δὲ ἐάν (אA) many authorities have ἡνίκα δʼ ἄν (BDFGKLP): but this looks like a correction. In popular language ἐάν for ἄν seems to have been common (1 Corinthians 6:18; 1 Corinthians 16:3; Galatians 6:7; Matthew 5:19; Matthew 5:32; Matthew 10:42; Matthew 11:27, &c.). Winer, p. 390; Blass, § 26. 4, 65. 7. This passage may have suggested the variant κεκαλυμμένη of the δ-text in Luke 24:32.

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Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

2 Corinthians 3:16

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