2 Corinthians 3:7-13
7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
12 Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
13 And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
Did Moses wear a veil when speaking to the people or not?
PROBLEM: Exodus 34:33 (KJV) asserts that, “Till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail [sic] on his face” (cf. v. 35). This implies he had the veil on while speaking with them. But this seems to contradict the statement here in 2 Corinthians 3 that they could not look “steadily” on it, which implies that they were looking at it when Moses spoke (vv. 7, 13).
SOLUTION: Recent translations have corrected this problem, rendering Exodus 34:33 as follows: “when Moses had finished speaking with them [the people], he put a veil on his face.” This fits the context better as well, since this verse is followed by the assertion that “whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Him [God]” (v. 35). Then Moses would come out, take the veil off and speak to the people until they could not bear the glory, and he would cover it up until he again went in before the Lord (v. 34).