complete verse (2 Corinthians 3:7)

Following are a number of back-translations of 2 Corinthians 3:7:

  • Uma: “Long ago the Lord wrote his Law on writing rocks, and he gave it to the prophet Musa. At that time, the Yahudi people were not able to keep looking at Musa’s face, for his face shone with God’s power. But the shine on Musa’s face was only for a while, and it decreased until it vanished/went-out. The Lord’s Law that was written on rock brought death to mankind, for we are not able to follow it. But even so, God’s power that the Yahudi people saw in Musa’s face at that time was indeed big. So, if this was the power of the law that brought death,” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “The covenant called the first law was written on flat stones and God’s brightness was really seen while that law was given. This brightness was seen including in the face of Musa therefore the people of Isra’il could not look-without-moving at him because of its brightness but that brightness of his was passing. If the first law, the one that brings death was sent with God’s brightness, a sign that it was great” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “When God wrote the Law long time ago on the stone tablets, Moses was surrounded by the shining power of God. And then the face of Moses shone because of the power of God and it dazzled the eyes of those people who are descendants of Israel. And in spite of the fact that it was very bright, that power which God showed through His writing this, was very great.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Let us think-about the time-when-God -showed his power when he gave his law to Moses. Because Moses’ face was-exceedingly -dazzling when he brought (lit. arrived-with) that-aforementioned law that was written/carved in stone to the descendants of Israel. Even though the dazzling-gleam of his face was weakening, they were nonetheless dazzled, and they were not able-to-look-fixedly at him. If like that was the power God showed when he gave the law that results in punishment that has no end,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “As for that former initiated-agreement of God, it tells of death which is punishment which has no end, for people are not able to obey his laws which were written on flat rocks. But even though it was like that, the people did indeed see God’s glory/praiseworthiness in his giving of those laws. And furthermore the Israelita couldn’t keep-looking at Moises’ shining face even though the dazzlingness was now diminishing. Well, if God’s glory/praisworthiness was seen in that system (lit. trail) whose outcome was death which is punishment without end,” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “The Law which Moses wrote was written on a slab of rock. When this word was written, very strong was the light of God which accompanied it. Concerning Moses’ face, even the Jews could not look on it because it was shining so much. But this shining of his face bit by bit went away until it became as it had been before. Therefore very beautiful is what happened when the law began to be in effect. Only concerning this law, it says that the person who rejects what is said in the law will be punished.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Moses

The name that is transliterated as “Moses” in English is signed in Spanish Sign Language and Polish Sign Language in accordance with the depiction of Moses in the famous statue by Michelangelo (see here ). (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff.)


“Moses” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

American Sign Language also uses the sign depicting the horns but also has a number of alternative signs (see here).

In French Sign Language, a similar sign is used, but it is interpreted as “radiance” (see below) and it culminates in a sign for “10,” signifying the 10 commandments:


“Moses” in French Sign Language (source )

The horns that are visible in Michelangelo’s statue are based on a passage in the Latin Vulgate translation (and many Catholic Bible translations that were translated through the 1950ies with that version as the source text). Jerome, the translator, had worked from a Hebrew text without the niqquds, the diacritical marks that signify the vowels in Hebrew and had interpreted the term קרו (k-r-n) in Exodus 34:29 as קֶ֫רֶן — keren “horned,” rather than קָרַו — karan “radiance” (describing the radiance of Moses’ head as he descends from Mount Sinai).

Even at the time of his translation, Jerome likely was not the only one making that decision as this recent article alludes to.

In Swiss-German Sign Language it is translated with a sign depicting holding a staff. This refers to a number of times where Moses’s staff is used in the context of miracles, including the parting of the sea (see Exodus 14:16), striking of the rock for water (see Exodus 17:5 and following), or the battle with Amalek (see Exodus 17:9 and following).


“Moses” in Swiss-German Sign Language, source: DSGS-Lexikon biblischer Begriffe , © CGG Schweiz

In Estonian Sign Language Moses is depicted with a big beard. (Source: Liina Paales in Folklore 47, 2011, p. 43ff.)

See also Moses and Elijah during the Transfiguration.

Translation commentary on 2 Corinthians 3:7

Revised Standard Version is a rather literal version that usually translates Greek words using the same word in English in spite of the context; however, in the case of the term diakonia, there are four different words used in 2 Corinthians. The first occurrences (3.7, 8, 9) are rendered “dispensation,” but in other passages Revised Standard Version translates “ministry” (4.1; 5.18; 6.3), “relief” (8.4), “offering” (9.1), and “service” (9.12, 13). This variety clearly shows the different ways in which Paul uses the single Greek word.

In verses 7-11 Paul uses a form of argument used by the rabbis of his day: from the lesser to the greater. If such and such could be said concerning something relatively unimportant (the lesser), then how much more could such and such be said concerning the greater, or more important matter. The comparison in these verses is between the Law of Moses (the lesser) and the new covenant (the greater).

Verses 7 and 8 are one long and rather complicated sentence in Greek. Good News Translation restructures the sentence and breaks it up into two sentences, and places the “if” clause at the end of verse 7 rather than at the beginning. The word if will suggest doubt in some languages. To avoid giving the impression that Paul was expressing doubt about whether the Law came with such splendor, some translations may need to follow the example of Revised English Bible and Good News Translation, and state unequivocally that the Law did come with splendor.

Paul’s argument in these verses is based on the story in Exo 34.27-35 of Moses’ encounter with God on Mount Sinai. The dispensation of death refers to the Law which Moses received on Mount Sinai. Good News Translation translates the dispensation of death as “the Law, which brings death when it is in force.” Revised English Bible says “the ministry that brought death.” The translation “ministry” more accurately reflects the consistent terminology of the passage, since the term used here, diakonia, has the same root as the one rendered “ministers” in the previous verse. Some translators may prefer “the sentence of death” (Knox). An American Translation has “the religion of death.” But in many languages it will be better to use the term “law” instead of “ministry.”

On stone is literally plural, “on stones.” Paul is referring to the two stone tablets of the Law of Moses (see Exo 31.18). See 2 Cor. 3.3 above.

The Law of Moses came with such splendor. Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, and many other translations add the word such, which is not in the Greek. The remainder of this verse justifies the use of such in translation. Splendor is the word “glory” in Greek, which is used six times in this chapter alone (verses 8, 9, 10, 11, 18) as well as in 1.20. Here the focus is on the brightness or shining brilliance. Contemporary English Version concentrates more on the generally positive character of the giving of the Law rather than on the aspect of brilliance: “… given in such a wonderful way.” But this obscures the relationship between this statement and the next part of the verse, where the verb “shine” is used.

The Israelites is literally “the sons of Israel” but should probably be rendered “people of Israel” in most languages.

Though Revised Standard Version says that the Israelites could not look at Moses’ face, the Greek verb means “to look intently.” Good News Translation better captures the meaning: “could not keep their eyes fixed on him.” New Revised Standard Version says that they could not “gaze” at his face (so also Moffatt). Some other verb phrases used are “look steadily” (New International Version and New Jerusalem Bible) and “look for any length of time” (Barclay).

The word fading refers to the splendor of Moses’ face. Some may wish to translate “even though his [Moses’] glory [or, brightness] was diminishing [or, only lasted for a short time].”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellingworth, Paul. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .