2 Corinthians 3:12

Amplified Bible

Since we have such a [glorious] hope and confident expectation, we speak with great courage,

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
We are so sure of this hope that we can speak very openly.

Revised Standard Version
Since we have such a hope, we are very bold,

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Seynge then that we have soche trust we vse gret boldnes

Hebrew Names Version
Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech,

New American Standard Bible
Therefore, having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech,

New Century Version
We have this hope, so we are very bold.

Update Bible Version
Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech,

Webster's Bible Translation
Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:

English Standard Version
Since we have such a hope, we are very bold,

World English Bible
Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech,

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Having therefore this hope, we use great plainness of speech.

Weymouth's New Testament
Therefore, cherishing a hope like this, we speak without reserve, and we do not imitate Moses,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor we that han suche hope, vsen myche trist;

English Revised Version
Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech,

Berean Standard Bible
Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.

Contemporary English Version
This wonderful hope makes us feel like speaking freely.

American Standard Version
Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech,

Bible in Basic English
Having then such a hope, we keep nothing back,

Complete Jewish Bible
Therefore, with a hope like this, we are very open —

Darby Translation
Having therefore such hope, we use much boldness:

International Standard Version
Therefore, since we have such a hope, we speak with great boldness,2 Corinthians 7:4; Ephesians 6:19;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
Therefore because we have this hope, we speak the more boldly,

Murdock Translation
Seeing therefore we have this hope, we the more speak with boldness;

King James Version (1611)
Seeing then that wee haue such hope, we vse great plainnesse of speech.

New Living Translation
Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold.

New Life Bible
We speak without fear because our trust is in Christ.

New Revised Standard
Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness,

Geneva Bible (1587)
Seeing then that we haue such trust, we vse great boldnesse of speach.

George Lamsa Translation
Seeing therefore that we have such hope, we conduct ourselves bravely:

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Having, then, such hope as this, great openness of speech, do we use; -

Douay-Rheims Bible
Having therefore such hope, we use much confidence.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Seyng then that we haue such truste, we vse great boldnesse:

Good News Translation
Because we have this hope, we are very bold.

Christian Standard Bible®
Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness.

King James Version
Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:

Lexham English Bible
Therefore, because we have such a hope, we use much boldness,

Literal Translation
Then having such hope, we use much boldness.

Young's Literal Translation
Having, then, such hope, we use much freedom of speech,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Seynge then that we haue soch trust, we vse greate boldnesse,

Mace New Testament (1729)
Having then such an opinion of my ministry, I use great plainness of speech.

THE MESSAGE
With that kind of hope to excite us, nothing holds us back. Unlike Moses, we have nothing to hide. Everything is out in the open with us. He wore a veil so the children of Israel wouldn't notice that the glory was fading away—and they didn't notice. They didn't notice it then and they don't notice it now, don't notice that there's nothing left behind that veil. Even today when the proclamations of that old, bankrupt government are read out, they can't see through it. Only Christ can get rid of the veil so they can see for themselves that there's nothing there.

New English Translation
Therefore, since we have such a hope, we behave with great boldness,

New King James Version
Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech--

Simplified Cowboy Version
We can talk openly about this new hope without being ashamed. In fact, it gives us confidence and boldness we never had before.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech,

Legacy Standard Bible
Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness,

Contextual Overview

¹²Since we have such a [glorious] hope and confident expectation, we speak with great courage,¹³and we are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the Israelites would not gaze at the end of the glory which was fading away. ¹⁴But [in fact] their minds were hardened [for they had lost the ability to understand]; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed [only] in Christ. ¹⁵But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil [of blindness] lies over their heart; ¹⁶but whenever a person turns [in repentance and faith] to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom]. ¹⁸And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

we use: 2 Corinthians 4:2, 2 Corinthians 4:3, 2 Corinthians 4:13, John 10:24, John 16:25, John 16:29, 1 Corinthians 14:19, Colossians 4:4

plainness: or, boldness, 2 Corinthians 7:4, 2 Corinthians 10:1, Acts 4:13, Acts 4:29-31, Acts 9:27, Acts 9:29, Acts 14:3, Ephesians 6:19, Ephesians 6:20, Philippians 1:20, 1 Thessalonians 2:2, 1 Timothy 3:13

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 27:8 - very plainly Psalms 49:4 - dark Habakkuk 2:2 - make Matthew 10:27 - I tell Acts 4:11 - you Philemon 1:8 - bold

Cross-References

Genesis 2:18
Now the LORD God said, "It is not good (beneficial) for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper [one who balances him—a counterpart who is] suitable and complementary for him."

Genesis 2:20
And the man gave names to all the livestock, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for Adam there was not found a helper [that was] suitable (a companion) for him.

Genesis 2:22
And the rib which the LORD God had taken from the man He made (fashioned, formed) into a woman, and He brought her and presented her to the man.

Genesis 3:13
Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent beguiled and deceived me, and I ate [from the forbidden tree]."

Genesis 3:15
"And I will put enmity (open hostility) Between you and the woman, And between your seed (offspring) and her Seed; He shall [fatally] bruise your head, And you shall [only] bruise His heel."

Genesis 3:20
The man named his wife Eve (life spring, life giver), because she was the mother of all the living.

Genesis 3:21
The LORD God made tunics of [animal] skins for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

Genesis 3:24
So God drove the man out; and at the east of the Garden of Eden He [permanently] stationed the cherubim and the sword with the flashing blade which turned round and round [in every direction] to protect and guard the way (entrance, access) to the tree of life.

Job 31:33
"Have I concealed my transgressions like Adam or like other men, By hiding my wickedness in my bosom,

Proverbs 19:3
The foolishness of man undermines his way [ruining whatever he undertakes]; Then his heart is resentful and rages against the LORD [for, being a fool, he blames the LORD instead of himself].

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Seeing then that we have such hope,.... Having this confidence, and being fully persuaded that God has made us able and sufficient ministers of the Gospel, has called and qualified us for such service; and since we have such a ministry committed to us, which so much exceeds in glory the ministry of Moses, a ministry not of death and condemnation, but of the Spirit and of righteousness; not which is abolished and done away, but which does and will remain, in spite of all the opposition of hell and earth:

we use great plainness of speech; plain and intelligible words, not ambiguous ones: or "boldness"; we are not afraid of men nor devils; we are not terrified by menaces, stripes, imprisonment, and death itself: or "freedom of speech"; we speak out all our mind, which is the mind of Christ; we declare the whole counsel of God, hide and conceal nothing that may be profitable to the churches; we are not to be awed by the terror, or drawn by the flatteries of men to cover the truth; we speak it out plainly, clearly, with all evidence and perspicuity. The apostle from hence passes on to observe another difference between the law and the Gospel, namely, the obscurity of the one, and the clearness of the other.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Seeing then that we have such hope - Hope properly is a compound emotion, made up of a desire for an object, and an expectation of obtaining it. If there is no desire for it; or if the object is not pleasant and agreeable, there is no hope, though there may be expectation - as in the expectation of the pestilence, of famine, or sickness, or death. If there is no expectation of it, but a strong desire, there is no hope, as in cases where there is a strong desire of wealth, or fame, or pleasure; or where a man is condemned for murder, and has a strong desire but no prospect of pardon; or where a man is shipwrecked, and has a strong desire, but no expectation of again seeing his family and friends. In such cases, despondency or despair are the results. It is the union of the two feelings in proper proportions which constitutes hope. There has been considerable variety of views among expositors in regard to the proper meaning of the word in this place. Mr. Locke supposes that Paul here means the honorable employment of an apostle and minister of the gospel, or the glory belonging to the ministry in the gospel; and that his calling it “hope,” instead of “glory,” which the connection would seem to demand, is the language of modesty. Rosenmuller understands it of the hope of the perpetual continuance of the gospel dispensation. Macknight renders it” persuasion,” and explains it as meaning the full persuasion or assurance that the gospel excels the Law in the manner of its introduction; its permanency, &c, A few remarks may, perhaps, make it clear:

(1) It refers primarily to Paul, and the other ministers of the gospel. It is not properly the Christian hope as such to which he refers, but it is that which the ministers of the gospel had.

(2) It refers to all that he had said before about the superiority of the gospel to the Law; and it is designed to express the result of all that on his mind, and on the minds of his fellow-laborers.

(3) It refers to the prospect, confidence, persuasion, anticipation which he had as the effect of what he had just said. It is the prospect of eternal life; the clear expectation of acceptance, and the anticipation of heaven, based on the fact that this was a ministry of the Spirit 2 Corinthians 3:8; that it was a ministry showing the way of justification 2 Corinthians 3:9; and that it was never to be done away, but to abide forever 2 Corinthians 3:11. On all these this strong hope was founded; and in view of these, Paul expressed himself clearly, not enigmatically; and not in types and figures, as Moses did. Everything about the gospel was clear and plain; and this led to the confident expectation and assurance of heaven. The word “hope,” therefore, in this place will express the effect on the mind of Paul in regard to the work of the ministry, produced by the group of considerations which he had suggested, showing that the gospel was superior to the Law; and that it was the ground of more clear and certain confidence and hope than anything which the Law could furnish.

We use - We employ; we are accustomed to. He refers to the manner in which he preached the gospel.

Great plainness of speech - Margin, boldness. We use the word “plainness” as applied to speech chiefly in two senses:

1. To denote boldness, faithfulness, candor; in opposition to trimming, timidity, and unfaithfulness; and,
2. To denote clearness, intelligibleness, and simplicity, in opposition to obscurity, mist, and highly-worked and labored forms of expression.

The connection here shows that the latter is the sense in which the phrase here is to be understood: see 2 Corinthians 3:13. It denotes openness, simplicity, freedom from the obscurity which arises from enigmatical and parabolical, and typical modes of speaking. This stands in opposition to figure, metaphor, and allegory - to an affected and labored concealment of the idea in the manner which was common among the Jewish doctors and pagan philosophers, where their meaning was carefully concealed from the common, and from all except the initiated. It stands opposed also to the necessary obscurity arising from typical institutions like those of Moses. And the doctrine of the passage is, that such is the clearness and fulness of the Christian revelation, arising from the fact, that it is the last economy, and that it does not look to the future, that its ministers may and should use clear and intelligible language. They should not use language abounding in metaphor and allegory. They should not use unusual terms. They should not draw their words and illustrations from science. They should not use mere technical language. They should not attempt to veil or cloak their meaning. They should not seek a refined and overworked style. They should use expressions which other people use; and express themselves as far as possible in the language of common life. What is preaching worth that is not understood? Why should a man talk at all unless he is intelligible? Who was ever more plain and simple in his words and illustrations than the Lord Jesus?

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Corinthians 3:12. Seeing - we have such hope — Such glorious prospects as those blessings which the Gospel sets before us, producing such confidence, as the fulfilment of so many promises has already done, that God will still continue to work for us and by us;

We use great plainness of speech — πολλη παρρησια χρωμεθα. We speak not only with all confidence, but with all imaginable plainness; keeping back nothing; disguising nothing; concealing nothing: and here we differ greatly from the Jewish doctors, and from the Gentile philosophers, who affect obscurity, and endeavour, by figures, metaphors, and allegories, to hide every thing from the vulgar. But we wish that all may hear; and we speak so that all may understand.