And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
Parallel translations
- WEB Even if our Good News is veiled, it is veiled in those who perish;
- KJV But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
- BSB And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
- NKJV But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
- NLT If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
If Paul's gospel seems veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. The fault lies in the blinded hearts of unbelievers, not in the message.
Overview
Paul addresses why some reject his clear gospel: a veil remains over those who are perishing. The problem is not obscurity in the message but spiritual blindness in the hearers. This connects back to the veil of chapter 3 and prepares for the explanation that Satan blinds unbelieving minds to the gospel's glory.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 1 Cor 1:18For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are saved it is the power of God.
- 2 Cor 3:14But their minds were hardened, for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains, because in Christ it passes away.
- 2 Th 2:9–11even he whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
- 2 Cor 2:15–16For we are a sweet aroma of Christ to God, in those who are saved, and in those who perish;
- Matt 11:25At that time, Jesus answered, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you hid these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to infants.
- 2 Cor 4:4in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them.
- Rom 2:16in the day when God will judge the secrets of men, according to my Good News, by Jesus Christ.
- 1 Th 1:5and that our Good News came to you not in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance. You know what kind of men we showed ourselves to be among you for your sake.
- 1 Tim 1:11according to the Good News of the glory of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
- 2 Cor 2:12Now when I came to Troas for the Good News of Christ, and when a door was opened to me in the Lord,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
In Christ all God's promises are 'Yes and Amen'; though rich, he became poor to make us rich, and in him God reconciles the world, making us new creations.
How 2 Corinthians 4:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.