the Week of Proper 21 / Ordinary 26
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Myles Coverdale Bible
2 Corinthians 4:3
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If the good news seems too hard to understand to some folks, it because those people are lost and don't know God.
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
But if our good news is veiled, it is veiled from those who are on the way to destruction:
But if also our gospel is veiled, it is veiled in those that are lost;
But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled in those who perish;
But if our gospel also is veiled, it is veiled to them that perish;
If, however, the meaning of our Good News has been veiled, the veil has been on the hearts of those who are on the way to perdition,
But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
But also if our gospel is being hidden, it has been hidden in those being lost,
but if our gospel be obscure, it is so only to those who are lost:
If our Message is obscure to anyone, it's not because we're holding back in any way. No, it's because these other people are looking or going the wrong way and refuse to give it serious attention. All they have eyes for is the fashionable god of darkness. They think he can give them what they want, and that they won't have to bother believing a Truth they can't see. They're stone-blind to the dayspring brightness of the Message that shines with Christ, who gives us the best picture of God we'll ever get.
But even if our gospel is [in some sense] hidden [behind a veil], it is hidden [only] to those who are perishing;
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled in them that perish:
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing.
Yf oure Gospell be yet hyd it is hid amoge them that are lost
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled in those that perish:
But if our gospel is hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
and if also our good news is vailed, in those perishing it is vailed,
If the Good News that we preach is hidden, it is hidden only to those who are lost.
But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing,
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
If there is anything hidden about our message, it is hidden only to someone who is lost.
So if indeed our Good News is veiled, it is veiled only to those in the process of being lost.
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
If our Gospell bee then hid, it is hid to them that are lost.
If our gospel is hidden, it is hidden to those who are lost:
Even if our Good News is veiled, it is veiled in those who perish;
So if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are dying.being destroyed">[fn]1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 2:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:10;">[xr]
But if our gospel is hid, to those who perish is it hid:
And if our gospel is vailed, it is vailed to them that perish;
But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing.
If the Good News we preach is hidden, it is hidden to those who are lost in sin.
But and if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled in them that are perishing:
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
And, even if our glad-message is veiled, in them who are perishing, it is veiled,
And if our gospel be also hid, it is hid to them that are lost,
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
But if indeed our gospel is veiled, it is veiled among those who are perishing,
Yf our Gospell be yet hyd, it is hyd in them that are lost:
The Good News that we tell people may be hidden, but it is hidden only to those who are lost.
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
For if the gospel we preach is hidden, it is hidden only from those who are being lost.
For if also oure gospel is kyuerid, in these that perischen it is kyuerid;
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
our: Romans 2:16, 1 Thessalonians 1:5, 1 Timothy 1:11
it is: 2 Corinthians 4:4, 2 Corinthians 2:15, 2 Corinthians 2:16, 2 Corinthians 3:14, Matthew 11:25, 1 Corinthians 1:18, 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11
Reciprocal: Leviticus 13:29 - General Deuteronomy 28:29 - grope Psalms 14:4 - Have Song of Solomon 5:9 - What is Isaiah 44:18 - for he hath Ezekiel 12:2 - which Daniel 11:32 - the people Hosea 4:6 - for Matthew 13:13 - General Matthew 13:19 - the word Matthew 21:27 - We cannot tell Matthew 21:44 - whosoever Mark 4:15 - Satan Mark 11:33 - We Luke 10:21 - thou hast Luke 16:31 - neither Luke 19:42 - but Luke 22:53 - the power John 3:15 - not John 8:27 - General John 10:26 - because John 12:38 - revealed John 12:48 - the word John 15:21 - because John 16:3 - because Romans 16:25 - my gospel 2 Corinthians 3:12 - we use 2 Thessalonians 2:10 - in them 2 Thessalonians 3:2 - for 2 Peter 1:9 - blind
Cross-References
Morouer Adam laye with Heua his wyfe, which coceaued & bare Cain, and sayde, I haue opteyned ye man of the LORDE.
And now shalt thou be cursed vpon the earth, which hath opened hir mouth, and receaued thy brothers bloude of thine hande.
All the fat of the oyle, and all ye fat of the wyne and corne of their firstlinges, that they geue vnto the LORDE, haue I geuen vnto ye.
And it fortuned after cerayne dayes, that the riuer was dryed: vp for there was no rayne in the lode.
But in all this was not I at Ierusalem: for in ye two and thirtieth yeare of Artaxerses kynge of Babilon, came I vnto the kynge, and after certayne dayes optayned I lycence of the kynge
Gill's Notes on the Bible
But if our Gospel be hid,.... When the Gospel is called ours, the meaning is, not that ministers are the authors or subject of it; but it is so styled, because they are intrusted with it; it is preached by them; and is in opposition to another Gospel, the Gospel of the false apostles. Here an objection is obviated, which the apostle saw would be made against the clearness and perspicuity of the Gospel, asserted by him in the foregoing chapter; taken from some persons, who though they sat under the ministry of the word, were not enlightened by it, saw no glory nor excellency in it, nor were their minds in the least affected with it: to which he replies, saying, "if our Gospel be hid",
it is hid to them that are lost. But why should the apostle put an if upon its being hid? is it not hid? is it not "the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom?" To which may be answered, that it was hid in God from the beginning of the world; and in Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge; and in the ceremonial law, which contained types and shadows of many things in it; and was hid from whole nations, and for whole ages formerly: but now God has made known the mystery of his will; Christ is manifest in the flesh; the ceremonial law is done away, and the Gospel is preached to Jews and Gentiles; so that it is hid to none, as to the outward ministration of it: and if the internal, spiritual, and saving knowledge and experience of it is hid from any, eventually and finally, it is "to them that are lost": all mankind are in a lost and perishing condition through sin; though some will not be lost eternally, whom God has chosen, Christ has redeemed, and who by the Spirit are brought savingly to believe in Christ; but there are others, that will be lost for ever; and to these the Gospel is hid; and they are such, who are left to the native blindness of their minds, and are given up to a reprobate mind, to judicial darkness, and are suffered to be under the influence of the prince of darkness, as in the following verse; now such instances are no more an objection to the clearness and perspicuity of the Gospel, and the ministration of it, than men born blind, who never could, nor never will see light, are to the bright and clear shining of the sun noon day.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
But if our gospel be hid - Paul here calls it his gospel, because it was that which he preached, or the message which he bore; see note, Romans 16:25. The sense here is, “if the gospel which I preach is not understood; if its meaning is obscure or hidden; if its glory is not seen.” It is “implied” here, that to many the beauty and glory of the gospel was not perceived. This was undeniable, notwithstanding the plainness and fullness with which its truths were made known. The “object” of Paul here is, to state that this fact was not to be traced to any lack of clearness in the gospel itself, but to other causes, and thus probably to meet an objection which might be made to his argument about the clearness and fullness of the revelation in the gospel. In the language which Paul uses here, there is undoubted allusion to what he had said respecting Moses, who put a veil upon his face, 2 Corinthians 3:13. He had hid, or concealed his face, as emblematic of the nature of his institutions (note, 2 Corinthians 3:14); and here Paul says that it was not to be denied that the gospel was “veiled” also to some. But it was not from the nature of the gospel. It was not because God had purposely concealed its meaning. It was not from any lack of clearness in itself. It was to be traced to other causes.
It is hid to them that are lost - On the meaning of the word rendered here as “lost;” see the note, 2 Corinthians 2:15, rendered there as “perish.” It is hid among them who are about to perish; who are perishing (ἐν τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις en tois apollumenois); those who deserve to perish. It is concealed only among that class who may be designated as the perishing, or as the lost. Grotins explains this, “those who deserve to perish, who foster their vices, and will not see the truth which condemns those vices.” And he adds, that this might very well be, for, “however conspicuous the gospel was in itself, yet like the sun it would not be visible to the blind.” The cause was not in the gospel, but in themselves. This verse teaches, therefore:
(1) That the beauty of the gospel may be hidden from many of the human family. This is a matter of simple fact. There are thousands and million to whom it is preached who see no beauty in it, and who regard it as foolishness.
(2) That there is a class of people who may be called, even now, “the lost.” They are lost to virtue, to piety, to happiness, to hope. They deserve to perish; and they are hastening to merited ruin. This class in the time of Paul was large; and it is large now. It is composed of those to whom the gospel is hidden, or to whom it appears to be veiled, and who see no beauty in it. It is made up indeed of all the profane, polluted, and vile; but their “characteristic” feature is, that the gospel is hidden from them, and that they see no beauty and glory in it.
(3) This is not the fault of the gospel. It is not the fault of the sun when people shut their eyes and will not see it. It is not the fault of a running stream, or a bubbling fountain, if people will not drink of it, but rather choose to die of thirst. The gospel does not obscure and conceal its own glory anymore than the sun does. It is in itself a clear and full revelation of God and his grace; and that glory is adapted to shed light upon the benighted minds of people.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse 2 Corinthians 4:3. But if our Gospel be hid — κεκαλυμμενον. Veiled; he refers to the subject that he had treated so particularly in the conclusion of the preceding chapter. If there be a veil on the Gospel, it is only to the wilfully blind; and if any man's heart be veiled that hears this Gospel, it is a proof that he is among the lost, απολλυμενοι, those who are fully under the power of sin; who have given up themselves to work wickedness; persons who are mere heathens, or live like such, and yet such as Jesus Christ came to seek and save; for the word does not necessarily imply those that will perish eternally, but is a common epithet to point out a man without the Gospel and without God in the world. Christ commands his disciples in preaching the Gospel to go to προβατα τα απολωλοτα, the LOST sheep of the house of Israel; Matthew 10:6; for himself says, Matthew 18:11, and Luke 19:10: The Son of man is come ζητησαι και σωσαι το απολωλος, to seek and to SAVE that which is LOST. And such persons he represents under the parable of the lost sheep; for to find το απολωλος, that which is LOST, the good shepherd leaves the ninety-and-nine in the wilderness, and goes in search of it; Matthew 18:12; Luke 15:4. The word more properly signifies, in all those connections, and in the parallel passages, not those who ARE LOST, but those who are perishing; and will perish, if not sought and saved.
